Daila Ojeda: Lost in Translation

Warning: To fully appreciate this interview please read the responses with an beautifully exotic Spanish accent while carefully rolling your "rrrs", or simply enjoy the chopped English translation before you.

Daila Ojeda has been ripping through the sport climbing scene, attacking routes with focus and  desire, wherein she will do anything she can to send the problem.  When she doesn't send her projects, her sleep is disrupted while her mind ciphers through the sequence until she is physically able to execute it.  DPM spoke to her after her must recent trip to Yangshuo, and got some insight into the mind of Daila Ojeda.

photo by courtesy of Daila Ojeda's Blog

DPM: How was it being immersed in such a different culture?  What is the climbing scene/psyche over in China with regards to local climbers?

Daila: It was a beautiful experience. China is really different to Spain, of course, and sometimes I felt a little bit stress over there because it's a noisy place, there are many people and many different things in general but I felt very good with the climbing community in Yangshuo. There are a lot of fantastic and strong climbers and really nice people so. I enjoyed climbing in Yangshuo.

DPM: Lightning looks like a beautiful route can you give us an insight to how it climbs and what your crux was on the problem?

Daila: Ye, It's a really nice route. I like this style with hard crimpy moves. The condition for climbing was very bad, it was humid and very hot, but I was motivated and I had good luck ;-)

photo by courtesy of Daila Ojeda's Blog

DPM: I have only seen photos of you on routes do you also enjoy bouldering or are you strictly rope only? How do you build your power?

Daila: Normally I just climb routes. In Spain there are many good places for climbing and there is more culture of sport climbing than bouldering. But when I go bouldering I enjoy it so much too! I like it. It's fun! But it's really hard too...

DPM: How do the limestone towers of China compare to Spain?  Texture, grades, overall quality?

Daila: Climbing in Yangshuo (China) is really nice. The limestone over there is high quality. You can climb beautiful long routes with slopers, tufas and crimps and many possibilities for bolting new excellent lines, but I can't compare it with Spain... I know a lot of very nice places for climbing in other countries but nothing is like Spain for climbing although I must to say that one of my favorites climbing area is in the USA.
 
DPM: With the tour being promoted by Evolve how important do you believe it is to make sure climbers give back to their sponsors? 

Daila: Right now that seems to be the question of the day? What should sponsors do for climbers and vice versa?

photo by courtesy of Daila Ojeda's Blog

DPM: You got to work with Big Up Productions for the last two years, is it work?  How much do you have to put into climbing a route and possible re-climbing it for their films?
Do you enjoy the process? 

Daila: I am lucky because I have participated in some films of Big up productions. They are very professional and they have much talent doing climbing film because they are fanatic climbers too! Climbing to film is very easy with them... It was fun :-)

DPM: Do you have any future plans to make it back to the US?  Do you have a favorite area here thus far?

Daila: I am going to US very soon in July, I like it! and I want to climb in Red River in autumn I love climbing there...I think there are many really motivated people and good ambient in US and I like this.