Pollensa pine climbs trickier than ever

The great Pollensa pine-tree climb proved to be particularly difficult last night. Lard had been added to the soap, so the tree, stripped of its bark, was extra slippery. But finally, at a quarter to eleven, Joan Andreu Morro achieved what had looked as though it might have been impossible. He reached the top of the 21 metre tree, emptied the confetti and grabbed the bag with the cock. And so, this peculiarly Pollensa tradition for Sant Antoni was able to boast a winner, which was more than could have been said for the afternoon's Puerto Pollensa pine-climb equivalent. Up they went and down they came. They had to call it a day, with no one managing to reach the summit. Too much soap was reckoned to have been the cause for the lack of success. However, some time later on - after nine in the evening - two brothers, Juanma and David Cervera, managed to get up the tree.