Katharina Saurwein, third ascent of Tainted Love at Squamish

First 8b trad for strong Austrian climber

Flying to Squamish for a new adventure in the Canadian temple of trad, Austrian climber Katharina Saurwein did Tainted Love, her first 8b.

After years of competitions with excellent results in the World Cup, Katharina Saurwein and her partner Jorg Verhoeven have brought their skills and preparation around the world, ranging from bouldering to big walls. The last, for now, performance has seen them protagonists in Squamish, temple of Canadian trad climbing, where both have climbed Tainted Love, 8b, the first in this style for Kata.

“Wohoooooo. Double send! Last week Jorg Verhoeven and I both sent 'Tainted Love' 5.13d, our hardest trad climb so far!.
At first it felt impossible, I had to learn how to move in that dihedral, how to position my body without loosing balance.
On our fourth day on it we decided to try leading it. I didn't plan on giving it an actual go, but I felt really good and everything went better than expected.
So I kept climbing, did move after move and when I reached the top mantle I couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe I just did it and couldn't believe how amazing this line climbs.”

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