Chris Omprakash Sharma (born 23 April 1981) is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport.[1] He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of Realization/Biographie, the world's first-everredpoint of a consensus 9a+ (5.15a) graded route,[a] and ushered in what was called a "technical evolution" in the sport.[3] Sharma carried the mantle of "world's strongest sport climber" from Wolfgang Güllich (who held it for almost a decade from the early 1980s), and passed it to Adam Ondra (who held it from 2012).[4]
In 2008, Sharma redpointed the world's first-ever consensus 9b (5.15b) route with Jumbo Love, and in 2013, became only the second-ever person to climb a 9b+ (5.15c) route with La Dura Dura. Sharma is also known for free soloing the world's first-ever9a+ (5.15a) deep-water solo route, Es Pontàs in 2006.[5] Sharma became one of the most commercially successful climbers in his sport, and was noted for his "King Lines" – iconic routes that inspired him to spend the months and even years needed to climb them – some of which feature in the award-winning 2007 climbing film, King Lines.[5][6]
Chris Omprakash Sharma was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, the only child of Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma.[1][7][8] His parents were devotees of the yogi Baba Hari Dass, and adopted the surname Sharma when they got married.[1][7] He went to Mount Madonna, and attended Soquel High School for a year.[7][8] Sharma started rock climbing when he was 12 at the Pacific Edge Climbing Gym,[1] and he described himself as "one of the first climbing-gym-generation kids".[9]
On 18 July 2001, aged 19, Sharma completed the extension of the 8c+ (5.14c) route BiographieinCeüseinFrance, and named it Realization; the route was the first consensus 9a+ (5.15a) in the world,[a] and has since become an important route in the history of sport climbing, with Climbing magazine noting that "technical rock climbing jumped in its evolution".[1][3] It was the first confirmed increase in grades since Wolfgang Gullich's ascent of Action Directe9a (5.14d), a decade earlier.[4][24] Sharma's ascent of the route was captured in Josh Lowell's 2002 film, Dosage Volume 1.[25] Days later, Sharma won the Munich leg of the IFSC World Cupinbouldering, only to be disqualified on testing positive for marijuana.[10][26]
After Realization, Sharma considered quitting climbing and went on Buddhist pilgrimages. A 2003 trip to Mallorca, Spain to meet Miquel Riera, a pioneer of deep-water soloing, led him to "fall in love with climbing all over again".[3][16] Sharma largely abandoned competitions,[c] to focus on "King Lines", a term he adopted for iconic routes that motivated him.[d][8] In 2004, Sharma solved the boulder problem Practice of the WildV15 (8C), and in 2005 solved the dramatic roof of Witness the FitnessV15 (8C), followed by redpointing Dreamcatcher9a (5.14d), regarded as one of North America's most iconic sport climbs.[1] In 2006, he made an early repeat of La Rambla9a+ (5.15a), and in 2006, after 50 attempts,[20] stuck the cruxdynoofEs Pontàs in Mallorca, the world's first-ever5.15a (9a+) DWS route.[1][5] Some of Sharma's climbs from this era are in the iconic and award-winning 2007 climbing film, King Lines.[1][5][6][27]
In 2007, Sharma moved to Lleida, a town near the Spanish Pyrenees, in Catalonia, Spain,[3] and over the next five years, created an unprecedented series of new 9a+ (5.15a) to 9b (5.15b) sport climbs,[28] predominantly in Catalonian limestone crags (namely Oliana, Siurana, Santa Linya and Margalef), starting with the 9a+ (5.15a) classic of Papichulo in May 2008.[e][3] In September 2008, Sharma made a trip back to the United States and climbed the world's first-ever consensus 5.15b (9b) route when he freed Randy Leavitt's 250-foot (76 m) bolted route,[29]Jumbo LoveinClark Mountain in California.[1]
Sharma said that after climbing Jumbo Love, he needed to change his approach.[12] His previous breakthroughs had been on routes established and bolted by other climbers who had given up on them,[f] and now he needed to find his own limit saying: "I wanted to push myself to the next level. Where is that? I had to discover it. That was a big process in itself. So I bolted all these routes [in Spain]. And a lot of them ended up being that next level".[12] The period saw Sharma bolt and free numerous new extreme 9b (5.15b)-graded "King Lines", including Golpe de Estado [fr] (2008), Neanderthal (2009), and First Round First Minute (2011), each a major project in itself and since regarded as important classics, with Sharma saying "That's the thing about being on the cutting edge. You have to invent it".[12]
In 2011, Sharma invited the then 19-year-old climbing prodigy Adam Ondra, to try an Oliana route he had bolted in 2009 called La Dura Dura, which Sharma himself had given up on saying "I never saw myself being able to climb it.", and "I figured it would be for the next generation".[12] For the next year, the two climbers worked the route in a collaborative process that saw Ondra make the first ascent in February 2013, and Sharma make the first repeat in March 2013.[12]National Geographic called their collaboration a defining moment in the sport of rock climbing, when the title of "world's best climber" had begun to pass from one generation to the next.[4] Both Ondra and Sharma declared the collaboration to be a very positive experience with Sharma saying post his March ascent: "It was a healthy process for both of us, we fed off each other's motivation and through him, I think I became a better climber myself".[12][30] Their collaboration was documented in Reel Rock 7 (2012), and La Dura Complete (2013).[31][32]
At9b+ (5.15c), La Dura Dura would hold the rank of "world's hardest climb"[g] until Ondra climbed Silenceat9c (5.15d) in 2017, and while Sharma would put up several more "King Lines" over the next 5 years, it marked the high-point in terms of his hardest route.[1] In 2015, he freed El Bon Combat, considered at the time to be close to 9b+ (5.15c), and in 2016 he soloedAlesha, the world's first 9b (5.15b) DWS route.[1][3] One of Sharma's unfinished projects was a potential 9c (5.15d) route in Oliana beside La Dura Dura called Le Blond, named in memory of Patrick Edlinger; it remains unfinished.[34][35] In March 2023, aged 41, Sharma made the first redpoint of Sleeping Lion, a 9b+ (5.15c) route beside La Rambla in Spain, which he described as the hardest thing he had done in over eight years.[36] At the same time in 2023, noting that neighboring Golpe de Estado has never had a third ascent, Sharma wondered if it was a really 9b+ (5.15c) graded route, which would have made it the world's first-ever at that grade.[37]
Sharma is widely considered one of the greatest and most important rock climbers in the history of the sport.[1][3][5][16][13] Sharma took on the title of "world's strongest sport climber" in 2001 from Wolfgang Gullich (who dominated in the decade from the early 1980s to the early 1990s), and passed it on to Adam Ondra (who dominated after 2012).[4] In 2003, the LA Times called him the "greatest natural rock climber in the world".[10] In 2007, Melissa Block on NPR's All Things Considered, introduced him saying "Chris Sharma is hailed as the world's best rock climber, a pioneer who has mastered some of the most spectacular and difficult routes in the history of the sport".[2] In 2016, Outside said "Sharma shaped modern rock climbing. Whatever he thought was cool, we followed. Bouldering. Projecting hard sport routes. Deep water soloing.[3] In 2022, Climbing said: "The pioneering American sport climber is among the best to ever tie in, and was arguably the world's strongest rock climber for almost 20 years".[1]
Sharma is noted for a "humble softly-spoken meditative disposition" (who often leaves it to others to grade his routes)[24][38][39] coupled with a "highly aggressive and dynamic" climbing style.[8][20][5] In 2016, Climbing said: "Over the past three decades, Sharma has cultivated a mellow Southern California persona, but in reality, he's one of the most competitive, focused, and driven athletes out there".[3] His demeanor has been ascribed to his Buddhist raising;[39] the LA Times called him "the Karma Climber".[10] He has credited Zen meditation techniques with helping him on routes,[20][40] or when seeking direction and motivation.[3][17] Sharma was also known for eschewing any gym-based training (including fingerboardsorcross-training) or dieting,[41] preferring to climb as his sole method of training.[20][3][42]
Sharma is credited with developing the commercial potential of extreme sport climbing, with Climbing saying "Not only did Sharma have the guns to become the first human to climb 5.15, he had the genius to see the potential, coupled with the commitment to spend months and years of his life proving it",[3] and calling Sharma "arguably the highest-paid pro climber in the world".[3]Outside added, "Before Sharma figured out how to balance elite performance with making a living, "professional climber" was an oxymoron.[43] Sharma's commercial appeal, and becoming one of the most filmed climbers,[5] was attributed to his focus on "King Lines",[d] which Sharma described as: "It's not enough to do something hard; it needs to be in an amazing position, a route that asks you to pour your heart and soul into climbing it".[3][5]
Sharma is the founder of the rock climbing gym Sender One, headquartered in Santa Ana, California, which he opened in 2013 as a business partnership with Walltopia, who was a sponsor of Sharma.[1][2][43] In 2015, he opened a second gym, Sharma Climbing BCN, in Barcelona in Spain, and in 2021 he opened a third gym, Sharma Climbing Gava, on the outskirts of Barcelona.[1][20]
Sharma was in a long-term public relationship with the Spanish professional climber Daila Ojeda [fr], and they lived together in Oliana.[8][44][45] In August 2015, he married Venezuelan model and television personality Jimena Alarcón, and the couple moved from Oliana to Barcelona.[1][3] Their first child, a daughter named Alana, was born in June 2016,[3] and their second child, a son, in 2019.[16]
Sharma's parents were practising Zen Buddhists (although they did not live in at the Mount Madonna ashram)[8] and for long periods Sharma has followed Zen routines (including daily 5.45am temple meditation).[10][20][39] Sharma has been on various Asian pilgrimages lasting several months, including the Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan that he undertook after climbing Realization in 2001.[20][46]
The 2010 book Climbing: Because It's There (Philosophy for Everyone) discussed the impact of Zen Buddhism on Sharma saying: "Sharma's affinity for Buddhism, and Zen in particular, is well documented in film and print. He exemplifies the spirit of Zen, being humble (but potent), ordinary (but extraordinary), self-aware, and most of all, authentic".[47]
Sharma has however rejected the label of "spiritual climber", saying in 2011: "To be stereotyped like that definitely detracts from me personally. Like I said, I'm totally happy talking about this stuff. I just don’t want to make some image for myself like I’m some sort of saint or something. I get frustrated, and I get bummed out".[8] Sharma is no longer a practicing Zen Buddhist, and said in 2022: "Climbing is fully engaging… it’s an easy way to access that [meditative] state of mind… easier than sitting down and meditating".[20]
La Dura Dura – Oliana (ESP) – 23 March 2013. Sharma developed and bolted the route, and made the first repeat after Adam Ondra's February 2013 first ascent.[1][12]
Sleeping Lion – Siurana (ESP) – 28 March 2023. First ascent of a route that Sharma developed and bolted.[36]
9b/+ (5.15b/c):
El Bon Combat – Cova de l'Ocell (ESP) – 7 March 2015. First ascent; described by Sharma as a "King Line",[1][48] now considered closer to 5.15b, but a classic.[49]
Golpe de Estado [fr] – Siurana (ESP) – 17 December 2008. First ascent, and the first-ever 9b (5.15b) to be repeated when Adam Ondra climbed it in March 2010 (it was Ondra's first-ever 9b).[51] In 2023, noting that it has never had a 3rd ascent, Sharma wondered if it was a 9b+ (5.15c).[37]
Neanderthal – Santa Linya (ESP) – 18 December 2009. First ascent. Second ascent by Jakob Schubert (2018), and third, after almost a decade of attempts, by Adam Ondra (2019).[52]
Stoking the Fire – Santa Linya (ESP) – 6 February 2013. First ascent. First repeat by Adam Ondra (2016), and like Fight or Flight, a popular 9b route.[56]
Papichulo – Oliana (ESP) – 31 May 2008. First ascent. First repeat by Adam Ondra (2009), and has since become one of the most repeated and popular 9a+ routes.[e][58]
Demencia Senil – Margalef (ESP) – 20 February 2009. First ascent. First repeated by Iker Pou (2010), and second repeat by Ramón Julián Puigblanqué (2010).[59]
First Ley – Margalef (ESP) – 28 February 2010. First ascent. Shorter 15m route that avoids the 9b finish of First Round First Minute; popular "first 9a+" with several repeats.[61]
La Rambla – Siurana (ESP) – 1 December 2006. Third ascent (just a day after the second ascent), and made Sharma the first climber to have climbed multiple confirmed 5.15a (9a+) routes.[64]
Three Degrees of Separation – Céüse (FRA) – July, 2007. First ascent. Right of Realization and uses 3 large dynos;[5] the first repeat was by Adam Ondra (2015), who felt it was a 9a+.[68][69]
Era Vella – Margalef (ESP) – March, 2010. First ascent. Sharma did it warming up and called a "soft 9a"; it became a popular "first 9a",[70] but the grade is now considered 8c+/9a.[71][72]
Samfaina – Margalef (ESP) – June, 2010. First ascent. Sharma felt it was 9a, but Jorge Diaz-Rullo and Alex Megos suggest 9a+.[73]
Necessary Evil – Virgin River Gorge (USA) – 1997. First ascent. Sharma, aged 15, freed Boone Speed's project to create North America's hardest route at the time.[1]
Alasha – Mallorca (ESP) – 16 September 2016. First ascent (named for his daughter Alana). Sharma felt it would be 9a with bolts, but as a DWS route was closer to 9b.[86] First repeat by Jakob Schubert in 2021 who felt it was a 9a DWS route.[87]
Practice of the Wild – Magic Wood, (CHE) – August, 2004. First ascent. First repeat by Tyler Landman, then Daniel Woods;[88] possible 8B+/C .[89]
Witness the Fitness – Ozarks (USA) – March, 2005. First ascent of 40-foot (12 m) roof and filmed in Dosage 3. Repeated by Fred Nicole and Daniel Woods, but unclimbable after hold broke.[88][90]
Catalan Witness the Fitness – Cova de l’Ocell (Barcelona, ESP) – January, 2016. First ascent. A tunnel-like, horizontal roof;[88][91] possible 8B+/C .[92]
The Mandala – The Buttermilks (Bishop, USA) – February, 2000. First Ascent of an iconic boulder problem. Several holds have since broken, and it is speculated the original grade was V14 (8B+).[20]
Ondra and Sharma's 2013 ascents on La Dura Dura: Lowell, Josh (director) (2014). La Dura Complete (Motion picture). Big UP Productions. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
^ abcdIt is possible that it was not the actual first-ever 9a+ route to be climbed, as in 2008 Czech climber Adam Ondra estimated that Alexander Huber's 1996 ascent of Open Air was at 9a+ (5.15a).[21][22] Climbing author Andrew Bisharat notes in a 2016 essay on climbing re-grades, that "The other interesting point about Open Air that’s worth mentioning is that the route reportedly contains some rather flaky holds that have broken off over the years. So was the Open Air that Ondra climbed the exact same route that Alex Huber climbed? Maybe, but probably not."[23]
^In various interviews, Sharma describes that this period had a profound effect on his outlook on life and climbing and that he spent time reading into Buddhism and meditation techniques, noting that "You learn to be patient, sit tight, and not add more mental strife to an already difficult situation".[3][16][17]
^ abIn a 2011 interview with Climbing magazine editor Jeff Achey, Sharma said "Personally, that’s not ever really been my deal. I mean, competitions are fun, but 15 minutes after the competition they take the holds off. It's way more important for me to put up new routes and develop my vision in rock climbing. Create a legacy, create something lasting. No one remembers who won the freakin’ World Cup in 1997, but people know who put up Action Directe.[8]
^ abThe term "King Lines" was originally coined by climber Klem Loskot, but after the 2007 climbing film King Lines, it became associated with Sharma's drive to find and climb iconic routes.[3]
^ abRealization, La Rambla and Papichulo have become known as the "9a+ trilogy", as they are regarded as classic benchmark 9a+/5.15a test-pieces for extreme sport climbers.[57]
^Necessary Evil5.14c (8c+) was shown to him by its creator Boone Speed (who became a mentor to Sharma), Realization5.15a (9a+) was created and developed by French climbers Jean-Christophe Lafaille and Arnaud Petit [fr], while Jumbo Love5.15b (9b) was bolted by Randy Leavitt who invited Sharma to try it as a potential 5.15b/c.[12][29]
^Ondra confirmed that La Dura Dura was harder than the world's only other 9b+ route, Change, which was climbed by Ondra in 2013 in Norway.[12] In August 2022, French climber Seb Bouin, frequent climbing partner of Ondra, made the third ascent of Change and felt that the discovery of a kneebar made the grade it 9b/9b+ (5.15b/c), thus making La Dura Dura the world's first-ever 9b+.[33]
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstNoble, Chris (27 September 2016). "Interview: The Future of Sharma". Outside. Retrieved 22 December 2021. Consider that in 2016 it's possible to be a sponsored climber simply by repeating Sharma routes. No need to discover, bolt, and send new routes of equal or greater difficulty. Sharma shaped modern rock climbing. Whatever he thought was cool, we followed. Bouldering. Projecting hard sport routes. Deep water soloing.
^ abcdefghiCahall, Fritz (15 June 2012). "Chris Sharma: King Of Kings". Climbing. Retrieved 15 June 2022. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, or Kelley Slater. They're all people who changed their sports, who redefined what was possible. You've been that same kind of incredible force inside your sport.
^ abcdefgReitman, Janet (19 January 2013). "Karma Climber". LA Times. Retrieved 15 June 2022. Those hands and those seemingly unnatural feats have helped make him the greatest natural rock climber in the world.
^ abGeldard, Jack (August 2012). "Exclusive Interview: Chris Sharma Talks 9b+". UKClimbing. Retrieved September 25, 2017. Chris Sharma, the 31 year old American sport climber, is perhaps the most famous rock climber in the world.
^ ab"Climbing World Champions 1991 - 2009". PlanetMountain. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2022. 1997 Paris (France) 1. François Petit FRA, 2. Chris Sharma USA, 3. François Legrand FRA
^Larssen, Jens (8 September 2013). "Ondra and Sharma totally dominate the 9b stats". 8a.nu. Retrieved 22 June 2022. Beside Ondra and Sharma, we have not seen any dramatic redpoint progress since 1991!
^Niswonger, Matt (22 October 2009). "King of the Line". Adventure Sports Journal. Retrieved 18 June 2022. Refusing to grade his projects, Sharma became a force for de-emphasizing numerical grades in order to focus on the intrinsic and personal challenges that climbing presents. Although this more closely allied with his Zen beliefs, it made things difficult for the climbing magazines looking to quantify his projects for an international audience.
^"Flor on La Rambla!". UP Climbing. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022. La Rambla is one of the most known 9a+ in the whole world, a real dream for generations of climbers. Together with Papichulo and Biographie, the line in Siurana forma makes the Trilogy 9a+, and it is the most repeated on the grade.
^McDonald, Dougald (4 December 2006). "Sharma Repeats La Rambla". Climbing. Retrieved 16 June 2022. Sharma is now the only climber in the world to have climbed multiple routes confirmed at 5.15a, beginning with his landmark send of Realization (5.15a) at Ceüse, France, in 2001.
^"Paige Claassen seizes Dreamcatcher 9a in Squamish". PlanetMountain. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2022. Ever since Dreamcatcher was first ascended in 2005 by Chris Sharma on the Cacodemon boulder at The Chief above Squamish in Canada, this diagonal rail of holds has rapidly evolved into one of the most iconic sport climbs in North America
^"Adam Ondra Claims Second Ascent of Sharma's Three Degrees of Separation (5.14d), Céüse". Rock & Ice. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2022. Three dynos and 80 feet of 5.14d climbing later, Adam Ondra clipped the chains on Three Degrees of Separation for its first repeat, eight years after Chris Sharma established the line. As the second person to climb the route, Ondra suggested a harder grade.
