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Chris Sharma

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Chris Omprakash Sharma (born 1981-04-23) is an elite American professional rock climber, with many difficult and famous first ascents. He is one of the most recognizable faces in rock climbing popular culture and was the first person to climb a consensus 5.15a/9a+.

Climbing history

Raised in Santa Cruz, California, Chris Sharma started climbing at the age of 12, and it soon became apparent that he possessed an exceptional natural talent. At 14 he won the Sport Climbing Nationals and in the following year he climbed his first route of the grade 5.14c (Necessary Evil). By the age of 15 he had climbed most of the hardest routes in America and placed second in the World Cup.

In 2001, Sharma completed his long-term project Realization, in Ceüse, France. It is generally considered the first consensus 5.15a/9a+ to be climbed, the hardest in the world at that time. The route is also known as Biographie, the name given by Jean-Christophe Lafaille, who first bolted the route in 1989. Later on, considering the route too difficult to be climbed as one pitch, Arnaud Petit bolted an intermediate belay station approximately half way from the top. In the United States, the use of "Realization" usually refers to the full route and extension of the shorter (and easier) "Biographie." There is also some controversy as to whether or not it was actually the first 5.15a to be climbed, as two other routes already held this grade at the time of Realization's first ascent. These routes were somewhat controversial, however, and were graded by their first ascensionists and generally not considered 5.15a by consensus (Chris Sharma prefers not to grade routes and did not grade Realization).

Sharma won the World Cup of Climbing later in 2001 but it was recalled after he tested positive for THC. It is the active ingredient in marijuana.

In September, 2006, Sharma completed his most difficult project since Realization, a deep-water solo beneath a 65-foot arch-shaped rock islet called Es Pontas, off the coast of Mallorca, Spain. The crux of the route features a difficult dynamic move, leaping from one set of holds to the next while 35 feet above the water, which apparently took Sharma 50 or more attempts to successfully complete. The route tentatively holds the same name as the islet. It is not yet graded.

Other famous ascents include The Mandala, a boulder problem in Bishop, California, Witness the Fitness in Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, Arkansas, and the third ascent of a sport route in Spain called La Rambla (Original), amongst others (see below).

Climbing style

Sharma is well known for his highly spiritual nature and climbing philosophy (seen to wonderful effect in a journal commissioned by Climbing Magazine in 2003). He often uses visualization and meditation techniques before attempting especially difficult routes or boulder problems, and becomes very personally invested in projects, sometimes attempting them for weeks or months before earning the ascent (see Realization and Es Pontas).

Sharma prefers dynamic, "acrobatic" climbing with spread-out, well defined holds rather than delicate crimpers or cracks. He has a unique talent for using his momentum and grip strength to power through challenging moves, such as dynos and campusy sloper sections, sometimes even skipping over difficult holds in the process. He excels at routes that require a combination of high strength, creative technique, and precise movement.

Aside from his world famous sport route Realization, Sharma is probably best known for his bouldering. He has more recently taken up deep-water soloing, which combines elements of both styles: the greater height of sport routes but without ropes or harnesses, using only the water below for protection. As he describes, "All the elements are there. The stone, the air when you're free-falling, the water and the fire inside." (Rock and Ice. 12/2006)

Sharma is also an innovator of the tripod stance in which he uses only one foot while resting as opposed to two feet. The best example of this is the 30 minute rest on Realization he took before ascending the crux.

Notable ascents

  • Necessary Evil (5.14c, FA in 1997)
  • Dreamtime (8B+/V14). According to Dave Graham, only four climbers made natural ascents before it was chipped: Bernd Zangerl, Fred Nicole, Chris Sharma, and himself. Bernd Zergerl went back to the boulder after it was presumed chipped and he said himself that he didn't think that it was.[1]
  • Unendliche Geschichte (8B+, FA in 2003) aka The never ending story on the Bach bloc in Averstal, Switzerland. As of May 2007, this problem has been repeated by Julius Westphal (2003), Kilian Fischhuber (Aug 12, 2006), and Chris Webb Parsons (May 17, 2007).
  • Dreamcatcher (5.14+, FA 09/23/2005). This sport route is on Cacodemon Rock near The Chief in Squamish, British Columbia. It was bolted by Sharma and Sonnie Trotter in the summer of 2005, just prior to the Petzl/Arc'Teryx RocTrip in Squamish. Some ambiguity exists concerning its grading: In 2005, after the first ascent, Sharma said the route is "probably 14c or 14d," [2] although the route is now widely considered 14d, most likely because it is graded as such in the only video of its first ascent, Dosage Vol. IV. [3] Ethan Pringle on his Climbing Pro Blog has also stated that the route "checks in around 5.14c/d."
  • Es Pontas (FA on 28 September 2006). A deep-water solo "Arch project" in Mallorca, Spain. The crux includes a seven-foot dyno about 35 feet above the water. There is a deep water solo route (Loskot & Two Smoking Barrels) in the film Dosage 2, which is being attempted by Klem Loskot and Tim Emmett. Sharma flashed that dyno, whereas this took him up to 50 attempts. This route could quite possibly be 5.15b/9b considering the amount of time it took Sharma to repeat La Rambla which is considered a benchmark 5.15a/9a+. In an interview where the website 8a.nu inquired whether this Mallorcan arch project might be 9b, Sharma stated that "it felt (physically) like 9a but you might be right with your suggestion...the anxiety before the dyno... we will see."
  • La Rambla Original (9a+/5.15a) Third ascent, December 1, 2006. Located in Siurana, Spain. The route was first climbed by Ramón Julián Puigblanque in 2003. The second ascent was by Edu Marin, one day before Sharma's ascent.
  • Three Degrees of Separation (9a/5.14d) First ascent, July 20, 2007. Located in Ceuse, France. The line lies a couple hundred feet to the right of Realization. The route has three dynos and the first one is the crux. Sharma has also bolted a new project to the left of Realization that he calls "futuristic but possible."

Movieclip of the route[4]

Filmography

Chris Sharma has also been featured in many rock climbing magazines and films, especially bigUP Production videos. The following films document the history and development of his climbing.

  • Masters of Stone IV; Pure Force (1998) - Sharma on Surf Safari and Übermensch
  • Free Hueco (1998, Big Up Productions) - bouldering in Hueco Tanks, Sharma on Slashface
  • Rampage (1999, Big Up Productions) - bouldering
  • Inertia (2000)
  • Dosage Vol. 1 (2001, Big Up Productions) - Sharma on The Mandala and Realization
  • The Road (2003, MC Productions)
  • Pilgrimage (2003, Big Up Productions) - bouldering in Hampi, India
  • Dosage Vol. 2 (2004, Big Up Productions) - Sharma deep-water-soloing in Mallorca, Spain
  • Best of the West (2005, MC Productions) - bouldering in Hueco Tanks, Sharma on Esperanza
  • Dosage Vol. 3 (2005, Big Up Productions) - bouldering in The Ozarks, Arkansas, Sharma on Witness the Fitness
  • Big Game (2005, MC Productions) - bouldering in Castle Hill, New Zealand
  • Depth Charge (2006) - deep-water-soloing in Croatia
  • Dosage Vol. 4 (2006, Big Up Productions) - Sharma on Dreamcatcher, bouldering in Switzerland and at Hueco
  • King Lines (2007, Big Up Productions/Sender Films)- In production.

Known Sponsors: Petzl Prana Black Diamond Evolv

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