Bibliographie (climb)
| Bibliographie | |
|---|---|
 Sectors Berlin and Biographie on Céüse cliff | |
  Map showing the approximate location of Bibliographie | |
| Location | Hautes-Alpes, France |
| Coordinates | 44°29′53″N 5°56′53″E / 44.49797°N 5.948°E |
| Climbing area | Céüse |
| Route type | Sport Climb |
| Vertical gain | 35-metre (115 ft) |
| Pitches | 1 |
| Grade | 9b+ (5.15c) |
| Bolted by | Ethan Pringle, 2009 |
| First ascent | Alexander Megos, 2020 |
Bibliographie is a climbing route in Céüse, France, which is graded 9b+ (5.15c). The route was bolted in 2009 by Ethan Pringle, and was first ascended by Alexander Megos on 5 August 2020. Megos graded the route as 9c (5.15d), the highest difficulty at that time. This made Bibliographie the second route graded at this difficulty, after Silence. The route was repeated on 24 August 2021 by Stefano Ghisolfi, who graded the route as 9b+ (5.15c). Since then, the route has been repeated by Ghisolfi and Sean Bailey.
First Ascent
It took Megos 60 days in total to climb Bibliographie. He first attempted the route in June 2017. He went to Céüse for four weeks in September of that year, with the goal of ascending the route, but did not succeed in this. In June 2018, after he ascended the 9b+ route Perfecto Mundo in Margalef, he went straight to Céüse, again without success. In 2019 he concentrated primarily on climbing competitions, and only spent around three days in Céüse in that year. During the COVID-19 pandemic in France, all climbing competitions were cancelled, and so Megos had the time to climb outdoors and try Bibliographie anew. He traveled multiple times with his girlfriend the sport climber Jenya Kazbekova to Céüse and finally completed the route on 5 August 2020.[1]
Grading
After the first ascent, Megos suggested the difficulty grade 9c (5.15d), making Bibliographie the second route worldwide with this grade, after Silence. This status made the route well known, and it was subsequently visited and attempted by many climbers such as Sébastien Bouin, Jakob Schubert, Stefano Ghisolfi and Dave Graham.[2] On 24 August 2021, Stefano Ghisolfi became the first person to repeat the route. However, he graded the route as 9b+. Megos agreed with this evaluation, making 9b+ (5.15c) the official grade for Bibliographie today.[3] It is the fifth route worldwide with this grade.[4]
See also
- Silence, first climb in the world with a potential grade of 9c (5.15d)
- La Dura Dura, second climb to be graded 9b+ (5.15c)
- Realization/Biographie, first/second climb in the world with a consensus grade at 9a+ (5.15a)
- La Rambla, popular 9a+ (5.15a), and completing with Realization/Biographie and Papichulo is the "9a+ Trilogy".
- Action Directe, first climb in the world with a consensus grade at 9a (5.14d)
References
- ^ "Historisches in den Alpen – Der zweite Kletterer, der eine 9c bewältigt". Tages-Anzeiger (in German).
- ^ "Stefano Ghisolfi wertet Bibliographie auf 9b+ ab". LACRUX Klettermagazin (in German). 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Alex Megos Agrees With Bibliographie Downgrade to 5.15c". 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Das sind die schwierigsten Kletterrouten der Welt". LACRUX Klettermagazin (in German). 16 May 2022.