In the summer of 2014, Mar Álvarez became the 5th woman in history to climb the grade of 9a/5.14d.
This was made even more impressive by the fact that Mar is not a professional climber and actually works full-time as a firefighter in order to support her climbing.
Climbing any route in the 9th grade requires a huge investment of time and incredible dedication to the sport. Finding that time and staying motivated to train at the level required is no easy task, but Mar’s approach has always been to simply focus intently on what needs to be done and push herself relentlessly until she achieves it.
That approach seems to be working and with her recent ascent of ‘Esclatamasters’ (9a/5.14d), her second of the grade, Mar has cemented her position as one of the strongest climbers of any gender.
Despite this, she has long struggled to find sponsorship and to fulfil her dream of being able to climb full time. This video gives Mar’s perspective on that struggle.
