Patxi Usobiaga Lakunza (born September 7, 1980), best known as Patxi Usobiaga, is a Spanish professional

rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

, sports climber and boulderer. He is known for winning two Lead Climbing World Cups in a row, and for being the first-ever climber in history to onsight an

route Route or routes may refer to: * Route (gridiron football), a path run by a wide receiver * route (command), a program used to configure the routing table * Route, County Antrim, an area in Northern Ireland * ''The Route'', a 2013 Ugandan film * Ro ...

Biography

Usobiaga started climbing in Atxarte when he was 10 years old. For four years he was

belay Belaying is a variety of techniques climbers use to create friction within a climbing system, particularly on a climbing rope, so that a falling climber does not fall very far. A climbing partner typically applies tension at the other end of t ...

ed by his father. When he was 15, he climbed his first 8a route, ''ConanDax Librarian'', in Araotz. When he was 18 he redpointed his first 8b route, ''Parva Naturalia'', in Araotz. From 1997 to 1999 he participated in youth competitions. In 2000, he started competing at the Lead Climbing World Cup. In 2003 he earned his first gold medal in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. When he was 26 he earned his first Lead climbing World Cup. Next year, he won his second one. Due to these outstanding achievements he was awarded the Salewa Rock Award in 2007. In 2009 he won the Lead Climbing World Championships in

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

(CHN). At the end of 2009 he underwent a shoulder surgery and after three months of rehabilitative therapy he started training again. In June 2010 a car accident caused a painful

slipped disk Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physic ...

. In 2011, he announced his retirement from competitions. He climbed 267 routes graded between 8a and 9a+, 158 of which were onsighted. He was the first climber who onsighted a 8c+ route (''Bizi Euskaraz'', in Etxauri, 2007).

Rankings

Climbing World Cup

Climbing World Championships

Climbing European Championships

Number of medals in the Climbing World Cup

Lead

Rock climbing

Number of ascended routes: :* 4 :* 14 :* 31 (1 of which

onsight __NOTOC__ This glossary of climbing terms is a list of definitions of terms and jargon related to rock climbing and mountaineering. The specific terms used can vary considerably between different English-speaking countries; many of the phrases d ...

ed) :* 42 (7 of which

ed) :* 87 and 8b+ (68 of which

ed)

Redpointed routes

: :*''Pachamama'' -

Oliana Oliana is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Segre valley immediately below the Oliana reservoir. There is a factory of domestic electrical appliances in the town, and the presence of ...

(

ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...

) - November 10, 2017 :* ''La novena enmienda'' -

Santa Linya Les Avellanes i Santa Linya is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Noguera, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, design ...

(

) - December 3, 2007 :* '' La Rambla'' - Siurana (

) - November 22, 2007 - Fifth ascent :* '' Realization'' - Céüse (

FRA A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...

) - July 29, 2004 - Third ascent : :* ''PuntX'' - Gorges du Loup (

) - September 10, 2010 :* ''Hades'' -

Nassereith Nassereith is a municipality and a village in the Imst district of Austria and is located 11 km north of Imst on the upper course of the Gurgl brook The Gurglbach is a river of Tyrol, Austria. The Gurglbach originates on the rock face near ...

(

AUT AUT may refer to the following. Locations *Austria (ISO 3166-1 country code) *Agongointo-Zoungoudo Underground Town, Benin *Aktio–Preveza Undersea Tunnel, Greece *Airstrip on Atauro Island, East Timor (IATA airport code) Organizations *Arriva ...

) - August 23, 2009 - Redpointed on second attempt. First ascent by Andreas Bindhammer, 2008 :* '' Action directe'' -

Frankenjura Franconian Switzerland (german: Fränkische Schweiz) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main i ...

( ) - October 24, 2008 - Eleventh ascent :* ''Nice to eat you'' - Pierrot beach (

) - July 22, 2008 - Second ascent. First ascent by Mike Fussilier :* ''Fabela Pa La Enmienda'' -

(

) - March 22, 2008 :* ''Mendeku'' - Egino (

) - December 16, 2007 - Second ascent. First ascent by Iker Pou :* ''Fuck The system'' -

(

) - December 9, 2007 - First ascent :* ''Esclatamasters'' - (

) - December 7, 2007 - Third ascent. First ascent by

Ramón Julian Puigblanque Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

:* ''Faxismoaren txontxogiloak'' - Etxauri (

) - December 22, 2007 - First ascent :* ''Begi Puntuan'' - Etxauri (ESP) - December 1, 2006 - First ascent :* ''Kinematix'' - Gorges du Loup (

) - June 14, 2006 :* ''Psikoterapia'' - Valdegobia (

) - July 8, 2004 - First ascent :* ''Iñi Ameriketan'' - Baltzola (

) - April 1, 2003 :* ''Il Domani'' - Baltzola (

) - March 21, 2003 - First ascent

Onsight NOTOC This glossary of climbing terms is a list of definitions of terms and jargon related to rock climbing and mountaineering. The specific terms used can vary considerably between different English-speaking countries; many of the phrases d ...
ed routes

: :* ''Bizi Euskaraz'' - Etxauri (

) - December 11, 2007 - First ascent and first-ever 8c+ onsight in history. Project by Ekaitz Maiz. : :* ''Absinth'' - Sparchen (

) - July 25, 2010 :* ''Nuska'' - Baltzola (

) - August 1, 2008 :* ''Home sweet home'' - Pierrot Beach (

) - July 20, 2008 :* ''Omerta'' -

Urnersee __NOTOC__ Lake Lucerne (german: Vierwaldstättersee, literally "Lake of the four forested settlements" (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), french: lac des Quatre-Cantons, it, lago dei Quattro Cantoni) is a lake in central ...

( ) - July 15, 2008 :* ''Mosca cullonera'' - Montsant (

) - November 30, 2007 :* ''Pata negra'' - Rodellar ( Bierge, (

) - October 7, 2006 :* ''Gaua'' - Lezain (

) - October 10, 2005

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usobiaga, Patxi 1980 births Living people Spanish rock climbers World Games gold medalists World Games silver medalists Competitors at the 2005 World Games Competitors at the 2009 World Games IFSC Climbing World Championships medalists Sportspeople from Eibar