El Canalillo de la Mari - 6b+ at Upper Crag Escalera Arabe - El Chorro

This absolute beauty of a climb runs up a corner before spitting you out onto a slab problem conveniently for me the crux of the climb. I say this because as much as I dislike slab as karma would have it, I find myself rather proficient with it. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I was hesitant to be forced to go for the on sight on all the climbs that day so I let my partner climb first, after all he is much taller than me, which is a big advantage when hanging draws! I do make a proper effort not to clip when I wouldn’t have been able to reach the bolt. Sometimes I follow him up a route and still give myself the on-sight credit because we rarely approach routes the same way.

This one was no different. He took a chimney approach to the bottom half of the route, slowly inching his feet up while pressing his back against the wall. When I fastened my Miuras he said to me, I dare you not to climb it like a chimney. By the time I reached the fifth bolt I cheekily said challenge accepted. I chose to stem the problem. Seeing heaps of foot placements on both sides and decent hands running up the middle, stemming seemed like the least exhausting approach, not to mention much more graceful looking.

I got myself caught up in my love for cracks, corners, and off widths as I reached the third bolt from the anchor. I had climbed my way right up so high in the corner there was no where else to go... this meant only one thing. It was time for the crux.

Tyler shouted some suggestive beta at me, to come back down a bit after I had clipped and traverse over to the right. I then found these great crimp holds which has seemed like absolute rubbish from above, and walked my feet out on this glorious horizontal crack. Knowing this slab move was the crux I searched for potential foot placements there were no feet initially but good hands, however the good hands wouldn't last long and I needed to get moving. 

I made the moves with my feet quick finding a somewhat decent high left foot and desperately reached around for anything, my hands were utterly useless!! I knew I didn't need much just something to get my left foot just a bit higher. 

I found a crimp, it was desperate but I wanted it so badly I positioned myself over to the left.

Left foot placement became positive enough to stand on and inhale.

Oh my god, I did it... I forgot to breathe. Just breathe then worry about the next two moves to clip. They look easy enough. 

And they were. 

Flash town, population me! I could not wipe the smile off my face. 

What an absolute beauty of a climb, and all the things I love.