It took the German rock jock 9 days’ work to become the first climber to finish a route the legendary Sharma bolted 10 years ago.
Pro climber Alex Megos is proving himself productive this summer, especially in France. Soon after claiming a World Cup medal in Briançon last week, Megos beelined it for Ceuse to work on his most recent project, “Rastaman Vibrations.”
On Sunday, July 31 — just 2 days after his return to Ceuse — Megos cashed in. He celebrated his first ascent of the long-silent route with an Instagram post, in which he hinted at a grade “in the 9b [5.15b] range.”
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How to Rotpunkt an Unsent Chris Sharma Route
In his post on Instagram, Megos describes the 35m sport climb as “one of those mythical routes.” Though he kept the line on his radar for several years, it always took a back seat to other projects (“Bibliographie,” for instance).
It’s understandable why Megos would hold the route in such high regard. When sport climbing legend Chris Sharma bolted it a decade ago, Megos was but an impressionable teen. And if it was prohibitive enough to spit off Sharma, it must be pretty damn stout.
Megos tied in at the base of “Rastaman” for the first time in 2021. He worked the route for 2 days and reported then that he was able to climb it in three parts on his second day. He next returned to it in early July of this year after competing in the Chamonix World Cup.
