From Here To There: Like a Tumbleweed 

Mandragora, an 8c [5.14b] route, is the name of my last hard achievement. For my dear Rikar Mandragora, this was his first alpine route climbed so many years ago in the Ordesa Valley, in the Pyrenees. I’m back home from a little climbing trip around northern Spain, just behind the hillside of the Pyrenees. Just from here to there, according to the weather conditions. I was placid, climbing close to home, in some unusually dry climbing areas, until the weather obliged me to climb indoors or just go away from home to climb. 

Last November, I was attempting Mandragora, located at my “second home” — Oñate. Mandragora is a rare and precious little pearl, with only one ascent — Patxi [Usobiaga's], and no more. And this was enough to get my attention in those days. I attempted three days last November. This mid-February, after my training season, I decided to go for it seriously. 

Mandragora is an 18-meter [60-foot] high wall, and not so steep. From the first moves, there are almost no possibilities for any shake, just clip the draws and keep on climbing. The middle section involves seven bouldery moves on extremely sharp/positive side-pulls and a small, two-finger pocket, not so small (all of them) but pretty powerful all around.