Josune Bereziartu

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Template:Short description Template:Infobox climber Josune Bereziartu (born January 19, 1972), also known as Josune Bereciartu Urruzola, is a Basque rock climber. For a decade starting in the late 1990s, she was considered the strongest female sport climber in the world and is regarded as one of the most important female rock climbers in history.

In 2005, Bereziartu almost completely closed the gap with the strongest male climbers by climbing to grade Template:Climbing grade when the world's hardest climb was at 9a+/9b. She is known for being the first-ever female in history to climb grade Template:Climbing grade, Template:Climbing grade, Template:Climbing grade and Template:Climbing grade sport climbing routes. Bereziartu is also known for being the first-ever female in history to onsight Template:Climbing grade, Template:Climbing grade, and Template:Climbing grade graded routes. She was one of the first-ever females to solve bouldering problems at Template:Boulder grade and above.

Early life

Josune Bereziartu was born on January 19, 1972, in Lazkao, a Basque town of the province of Gipuzkoa, northern Spain. Josune was first inspired to climb after watching a Spanish TV show documenting two girls climbing in the Verdon Gorge, and started climbing at 17.<ref name=PM1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=CM2>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Climbing career

In 1998, Bereziartu came to international attention with her repeat of Honky Tonky at Oñati, which made her the first-ever female in history to climb an Template:Climbing grade route.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/> In 1999, she consolidated this achievement by repeating 8c routes White Zombie and Ras at Baltzola.<ref name=PM1/> In 2000, Bereziartu set a new record by becoming the first-ever female in history to climb Template:Climbing grade when she redpointed Honky Tonk Mix at Oñati.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/> In October 2002, she set another record by becoming the world's first-ever female climber to climb a Template:Climbing grade route, when she redpointed Fred Nicole's Template:Ill in St Loup, Switzerland.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/> In 2004, she climbed Logical Progression in Japan, another Template:Climbing grade route that was only freed a few years earlier by Dai Koyamada.<ref name=PM1/> In May 2005, she set a further record, becoming the first-ever female to climb Template:Climbing grade when she redpointed Bimbaluna in St Loup, in Switzerland;<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/> at that time, no male climber had broken the Template:Climbing grade grade barrier, and it would be another three years until Chris Sharma would climb Jumbo Love, the world's first consensus 9b route.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/>

Bereziartu also set new records for onsight ascents. In 2000, she made the first-ever female onsight of an Template:Climbing grade route in history when she climbed Bon Vintage at Terradets in Catalonia, Spain.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/> In 2002 she made the first-ever female onsight of an Template:Climbing grade route in history when she climbed Steroid Performance at Horai in Japan.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/> Finally, in 2006, she made the first-ever female onsight of an Template:Climbing grade route in history when she climbed Hidrofobia in Montsant, Catalonia.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/>

Bereziartu was a keen bouldering climber, in which she also set several records. In 2001, she became the second-ever female to solve an Template:Boulder grade problem, with Berezi, and in 2002, became the second-ever female to solve an Template:Boulder grade problem with Solaris. In 2002, she became the first-ever female to complete an Template:Boulder grade boulder traverse, when she solved La traversia De Balzola, at Baltzola in the Basque Country.<ref name=PMEVOL/> In 2004, she pushed the female record further by completing the Template:Boulder grade boulder traverse, E la nave va, Lindental, at Lindental in Switzerland.<ref name=PMEVOL>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bereziartu has also followed the path of earlier female sport climbers like Lynn Hill and Catherine Destivelle, freeing old aid climbing routes into major new multi-pitch traditional climbing routes in the mountains, such as Yeah Man (8b+, 300m, 9 pitches, with Rikar Otegui) in 2002, and El Pilar del Cantabrico (8a+, 500m, 13 pitches, with Template:Ill) in 2004, and Super Weissmuller (8a+, 300m, 8 pitches, with Rikar Otegui) in 2007.<ref name=ALP/> In March 2008, Bereziartu and Otegui created a new seven-pitch alpine route on the north face of Peña Telera, called Frenesi (ED+ M7 R, 450m, 7 pitches),<ref name=FIR/><ref name=ALP2/> while in late 2008 they were climbing hard mixed ice routes in Banff, such as Nemesis (VI WI6), and Phyllis Diller (M11).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Bereziartu participated in few climbing competitions which reduced her sponsorship profile, preferring instead the feel of real rock, and the challenge of bringing female sport climbing to the highest grades.<ref name=CM2/> In 2001, she told PlanetMountain when asked about the state of female sport climbing: "What can I say about that? It looks as if women are only present in competitions. It's obvious that this isn't the case but there are so few women climbing hard outside".<ref name=Noia/> Talking about her choices in a 2021 Climbing interview, she said: "Looking at my career with the perspective of age, I’ve learned that it’s important to maintain your freedom and to follow the things that excite you—not what others expect you to do".<ref name=CM2/>

Legacy

In 2003, Climbing awarded her the Golden Piton Award for the sport climbing category (and an honorable mention in the 2004 bouldering category), calling her "hands down, the world’s top female redpoint climber, with numerous extreme bouldering endurance tests to her credit".<ref name=CMA/> In 2005, she was named one of National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year, for her ascent of Bimbaluna.<ref name=NG/> In 2006, she was awarded one of the first Arco Rock Legends awards (known as the Oscars of climbing), the Salewa Rock Award, for her contribution to sport climbing.<ref name=RM/> In 2007, reporting on her freeing of multi-pitch alpine routes, Alpinist said: "This climb serves as yet another testament to Bereziartu's prowess; since the late 90s, Bereziartu has worked to push the limits of female climbing in various disciplines".<ref name=ALP/>

In 2008, Climbing called her "the strongest female rock climber in the world".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> National Geographic noted that at the height of her career in the early to mid-2000s, "She was also climbing two or three grades harder than any other woman".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A 2017 Climbing magazine review of the history of women's climbing noted that "In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Basque Josune Bereziartu became the world’s best female sport climber", and that she had "dramatically narrowed the gap between men and women".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2021, PlanetMountain, ranked Bereziartu as one of the most important female climbers in history, saying: "In short, from 1998 to 2005 Bereziartu's hegemony on rock was absolute. With these redpoints, and with her first female 8b+ onsight completed in 2006, Bereziartu reduced the gender gap on multiple occasions, inspiring thousands of other climbers. In addition to these physical achievements, it is worth dwelling on how they were carried achieved: always with absolute modesty, always with a smile".<ref name=PM1/>

Personal life

In 1999, Bereziartu wedded her long-term climbing partner, Rikar Otegui, who himself climbs to Template:Climbing grade.<ref name=CMG/><ref name=PM1/><ref name=CM2/> Bereziartu was not always a full-time professional climber, and during the week, Bereziartu sold insurance and investments for a Spanish insurance company, Mapfre in the early 2000s.<ref name=CMG/> In addition, Bereziartu designed resin holds to sell for indoor climbing walls.<ref name=CMG/><ref name=Noia>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=CM2/>

Notable ascents

Redpointed routes

9a/9a+ (5.14d/5.15a):

  • Bimbaluna – Saint Loup (SUI) – May 1, 2005;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> world's first-ever female ascent of a 9a/9a+ route.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/>

Template:Climbing grade:

  • Logical Progression – Jo Yama (JPN) – November 22, 2004; world's second-ever female ascent of a 9a route.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Template:Ill – Saint Loup (SUI) – October 29, 2002;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> world's first-ever female ascent of a 9a route.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/>

Template:Climbing grade:

  • Powerade – Vadiello (ESP) – May 21, 2007; world's fourth-ever female ascent of an 8c+ route.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Na Nai – Baltzola (ESP) – June 18, 2003; world's third-ever female ascent of an 8c+ route.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Noia – Andonno (ITA) – October 18, 2001, world's second-ever female ascent of an 8c+ route.<ref name=Noia/>
  • Honky Tonk Mix – Onate (ESP) – 2000, world's first-ever female ascent of an 8c+ route.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/>

Template:Climbing grade:

  • Ras at Baltzola – Baltoza (ESP) – 1999, world's third-ever female ascent of an 8c route.<ref name=PM1/>
  • White Zombie – Baltoza (ESP) – 1999, world's second-ever female ascent of an 8c route.<ref name=PM1/>
  • Honky Tonky – Onate (ESP) – 1998, world's first-ever female ascent of an 8c route.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/>

Onsighted routes

Template:Climbing grade:

  • Hidrofobia – Montsant (ESP) – April 18, 2006;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> world's first-ever female onsight of an 8b+ route.<ref name=PM1/><ref name=PMEVOL/>

Template:Climbing grade:

  • Fuente de energia – Valdiello – November, 2005; world's third-ever female onsight of an 8b route.
  • La Réserve – St Léger (FRA) – October 1, 2005; world's second-ever female onsight of an 8b route.
  • Steroid Performa – Japan – December 28, 2004; world's first-ever female onsight of an 8b route.<ref name=PMEVOL/>

Template:Climbing grade:

  • Bon Vintage – Terradets – Valdiello – 2000; world's first-ever female onsight of an 8a+ route.<ref name=PMEVOL/>

Boulder problems

Template:Boulder grade:

  • E la Nave va – Lindental (SUI) – May 10, 2003 - Traverse;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> world's first-ever female ascent of 8C boulder traverse.<ref name=PMEVOL/>

Template:Boulder grade:

  • Travesia De Balzola – Baltzola (ESP) – April 6, 2002 - Traverse<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> world's first-ever female ascent of an 8B+ boulder traverse.<ref name=PMEVOL/>

Template:Boulder grade:

  • Solaris – Baltzola (ESP) – April 15, 2003; only the second-ever female ascent of an 8A+ boulder problem after Template:Ill ascended Liaison Futile in 1999.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:Boulder grade:

  • Berezi – Larraona (ESP) – 2000. Only the second-ever female ascent of an 8A boulder problem after Template:Ill ascended Duel in 1998.

Multi-pitch routes

  • El Castillo de los Sacristanes Template:Climbing grade, 400-metres, 10 pitches – Ordesa Park (ESP) – 2009 – First free ascent with Rikar Otegui.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Zaratustra Template:Climbing grade, 400-metres, 10 pitches – Ordesa Park (ESP) – 2008 – Fully free ascent with Rikar Otegui.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • El Ojo Critico – Template:Climbing grade, 400-metres, 10 pitches – Ordesa Park (ESP) – July 6, 2007 – First free ascent with Rikar Otegui.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Super Weissmuller Template:Climbing grade, 300-metres, 8 pitches – Petit Pic De Ansabere (FRA) – June 2007 – First free ascent with Rikar Otegui.<ref name=ALP>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
  • Divina Comedia Template:Climbing grade A2, 275-metres, 11 pitches – Ordesa Park (ESP) – July 2006 – First free ascent with Rikar Otegui.<ref name=ALP/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Yeah man Template:Climbing grade, 300-metres, 9 pitches – Grand Pfad (SUI) – July 1, 2004 – First free ascent with Rikar Otegui.<ref name=ALP/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Mixed ice routes

  • Firenze (ED+ M7 R), 450m, 7 pitches – Peña Telera (North Face) (ESP) – March 2008 – First free ascent with Rikar Otegui.<ref name=FIR>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=ALP2>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Awards

  • Arco Rock Legends, Salewa Rock Award, 2006.<ref name=RM>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

See also

References

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