- Chris Sharma
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Chris Sharma 
Chris Sharma Ultimate Route 8сBorn April 23, 1981
Santa Cruz, CaliforniaNationality U.S. Citizen Occupation Rock Climber Chris Omprakash Sharma (born April 23, 1981 in Santa Cruz, California) is an American rock climber.
Contents
History
Chris Omprakash Sharma[1] was raised in Santa Cruz, California,[1] son of Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma.[1] He started rock climbing when he was 12[1] at the Pacific Edge climbing gym. Sharma went to Mount Madonna school and attended Soquel High School for one year.
At age 14, Sharma won the Bouldering Nationals.[1] A year later, he completed a 5.14c climb, which was the highest-rated climb in North America at the time.[1]
Sharma then moved to Bishop, California,[1] where he climbed The Mandala,[1] a bouldering problem rated V12.
In July 2001, Sharma completed the extension of the established route Biographie in Ceüse, located in the Hautes-Alpes Department of France and renamed it Realization, ignoring the European tradition that equippers and not climbers name routes outside the US. At the time of the first ascent, Biographie was widely considered to be the first consensus 5.15 (9a+) in the world. He has since established or completed many routes at or above 5.15, including La Rambla and Es Pontas (a deep water soloing project in Mallorca). In 2008 Sharma climbed the 250-foot line (76 m), Jumbo Love, at Clark Mountain in California, claiming 5.15b for the grade.[2]
He recently moved to Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain,[3] where he opens new routes regularly.
Notable ascents
- Necessary Evil (5.14c) [4]
- The Mandala (V12). First Ascent. Several holds have broken since Chris climbed the Mandala, including the crux holds. These changes have made the problem considerably easier, and it has been widely speculated that when the problem was first climbed, the grade was closer to V14.
- Realization (5.15a) / Biographie (9a+). First Ascent 2001. Heralded as the world's first 5.15a upon completion.[5]
- Dreamtime (8B+/8C). Fourth ascent. At the time considered benchmark 8C, grade consensus has since dropped to 8B+.[6]
- Witness the Fitness (V15). First ascent. A 40-foot roof (12 m) problem in the Ozarks. Repeated by Fred Nicole. (Broken and maybe unclimbable.)[7]
- Practice of the Wild (8C) First Ascent. Repeated by Tyler Landman and Daniel Woods.
- Dreamcatcher (5.14d). First Ascent. A granite route on the Cacodemon boulder in Squamish, British Columbia. The route starts on a technical slab that wedges the climber against the start of the overhang. Then a dyno to a sloping rail leads to a bouldery traverse across slopers and incut crimps. The crux of the route comes at the end with a deadpoint to slopers and a jug. Repeated by Sean McColl in 2009.[8]
- Es Pontas. First ascent, September 26, 2007. A deep water solo in Mallorca, Spain, it features a 7-foot dyno (2.1 m) (dynamic move, or leap) that took Sharma over 50 attempts to stick. This climb, featured prominently in the movie King Lines, remains unrepeated, and is speculated at around 9a+. [9]
- Papichulo (9a+). First ascent. 45m route starting with four-bolt 5.13d to no-hands rest followed by continuous difficult climbing on blue limestone in Oliana, Spain.[10]
- Jumbo Love (5.15b). First Ascent, September 11, 2008. First featured in the film King Lines as an unfinished line at Clark Mountain, this route is 250 ft long (76 m), and thought to be at least 5.15b. Sharma has called it his hardest ascent to date. In climbing it, he skipped up to three clips in a row due to the difficult sequences, which resulted in falls of 70 ft (21 m) or more. Unrepeated.[2][11]
- Golpe de Estado (9b). First Ascent, December 17, 2008. Golpe de Estado (Siurana, Spain) is a direct version of Estado Critico (5.14c/d), linking a 5.14d start into 5.14c climbing with a poor rest in between. Repeated by Adam Ondra March 2010.
- Demencia Senil (9a+?). First Ascent, February 20, 2009. (Margalef, Spain). Repeated by Iker Pou Jan 2010, Ramon Julian Puigblanque Oct 2010.,[12][13][14]
- French Gangster (8c/5.14b). Onsight without chipped hold, possibly harder? Originally named American Gangster but renamed as a reference to Michael Fuselier, the French climber who allegedly chipped the hold. Hardest Route in China at the time.
- Pachamama (9a+/5.15a). First Ascent.
- Neanderthal (9b/5.15b). First Ascent, December 18, 2009.
- First Ley (9a+) in Margalef. First Ascent.[15]
- Era Bella (9a/5.14d) in Margalef. First Ascent.[16]
- Power Inverter (9a+ franz./5.15a). First Ascent, December 2010 (Oliana, Spain)
- Catxasa (9a+ franz./5.15a). First Ascent, January 2011 (Santa Linya, Spain)
- First Round First Minute (9b). First Ascent, April 2011 (Margalef, Spain)
- Fight or Flight (9b). First Ascent, May 2011 (Oliana, Spain)
Awards
- U.S. Bouldering Nationals[1]
- 1997 UIAA World Cup - Kranj[17]
- 1999 X Games - Bouldering - Gold Medal[1]
- 2000 Wasatch Open Bouldering Competition[18]
- 2001 18th Annual Phoenix Bouldering Contest[19]
- 2001 Munich Bouldering World Cup[19]
- 2002 Ford Gorge Games[20]
- 2003 Earth Treks Roc Comp[21]
- 2004 Earth Treks Roc Comp[21]
- 2004 ABS Nationals[22]
- 2007 Mammut Bouldering Championships[23]
- 2008 Mammut Bouldering Championships[23]
- 2009 Ilerbloc Open Internacional[24]
- 2010 Earth Treks Roc Comp[25]
- 2010 Psicobloc, Bilbao, Spain [26]
Sponsorships
- Sanuk
- 1999 - prAna[1]
- Sterling Ropes
- Evolv
- Petzl
- Nutriex
- Entre Prises Climbing Walls
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Metroactive - Rock Star
- ^ a b Climbing - Sharma Redpoints Clark Mountain Project
- ^ BigUP Production - Progression
- ^ Mountain Zone - Necessary Evil
- ^ [1]
- ^ Climb and More
- ^ "Witness the Fitness: Chris Sharma's craziest and hardest line". http://www.freakclimbing.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=456. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ^ "McColl Bags 2nd Ascent of Dreamcatcher (5.14d)". http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/mccoll_bags_2nd_ascent_of_dreamcatcher_514d/. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ Jumbo Love - Big Up Productions
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
- ^ [10]
- ^ a b Sacin - Competition News
- ^ [11]
- ^ a b Earth Trek Comp Presented by Mountain Hardware
- ^ [12]
- ^ a b Climbing - Sharma, Puccio Win SLC Comp
- ^ [13]
- ^ [14]
- ^ [15]
13. The Players trailer
External links
- Chris Sharma featured in new BS Productions film titled "The Players"
- NPR - All Things Considered - Rock Climber Chris Sharma Chases Next 'King Line' - 1 November, 2007
- Chris Sharma’s revealing journal: The beginner’s mind
- His ascents on EuroClimbing.com
- Video interview with Chris Sharma
- Sharma Repeats La Rambla
- Sharma at Eagle Peak - supporting access rights
- Watch and Add Chris Sharma Videos
- Daila Ojeda
Categories:- 1981 births
- Living people
- American rock climbers
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