In 2018 he chained El excusómetro (8b), becoming the second climber in the world – and the first in this country – with an above-knee amputation to achieve that grade. Currently, his goal is to achieve an 8c and become the first person with this type of amputation to reach that degree of difficulty.
For him the important thing is to live climbing, and not only in the successes, but also when climbing means going through hard and frustrating days in which chaining a project seems like a mirage.
2023 has been a complicated year for him after undergoing shoulder surgery. Once recovered – rehabilitation with Rubén and his commitment to the process have been key to his recovery – Iván has started 2024 with that explosive energy that characterizes him and is already looking for a new rock project.
In addition, this sugar addict -he admits that it is the hardest thing for him to do without when it comes to taking care of his diet-, has an enviable sense of humor -don’t miss the changing of the guard he did with the para-climbing team in Moscow’s Red Square-.
He is the father of two daughters and combining work, family and training is, as you might guess, a utopia. Ivan manages to scrape hours a day juggling between these spheres: he gets up early to train before going to work or skips lunchtime to be able to get his workouts in. On weekends, he says, he spends more time in the car going to and from the sector where he has his project than on the rock itself. But he doesn’t let up.
Ivan is stubborn and once he has the conviction that a dream is possible, he applies all his effort to achieve it. He has a superpower: perseverance. “Nothing exceptional”, he says, “just work, effort and the desire to enjoy climbing”. And on top of that, he is humble.
