Alex Megos Sends 5.15c With First Ascent of ‘Perfecto Mundo’

Alex Megos joins the climbing elite with the first ascent of Perfecto Mundo, a 5.15c.

I’m incredibly relieved. This has been an important process in my climbing career and clipping the anchor of “Perfecto Mundo”, my first 9b+ as well as getting the FA was an incredible experience. Thank you to @chris_sharma for bolting this thing and the good sessions over the last couple of weeks and big thanks to my good friend @steghiso for belaying me on the send, for being a big source of motivation and a great inspiration to me. And last but not least thank you @ken_etzel for being up there every day with me and capturing all this. @patagonia_climb @patagoniaeurope @patagonia @redbullgermany @goretexeu @tenayaclimbing @sterlingrope @dmm_wales @entreprisesclimbing @cafekraft_nuernberg @frictionlabs @fazabrushes @multicamper_adventure #stylefirst #carrotsforpower

A post shared by Alexander Megos (@alexandermegos) on May 9, 2018 at 11:30am PDT

The grade 5.15c has proved exceedingly elusive for climbers, with only two climbers sending the grade. Adam Ondra sent La Dura Dura, a 5.15c, in 2013 with Chris Sharma sending the same climb shortly thereafter. For five years, nobody else managed to climb at that level – until now.

On May 9, German climber Alex Megos, 24, attained the first ascent of the Perfecto Mundo, which both Sharma and Megos claim rates 5.15c. Sharma bolted the climb, located in Cataluna, Spain. But nobody – including Sharma himself – had climbed it cleanly without falls until Megos.

For context, 5.15c is the pinnacle of high-end sport climbing, the moves nearly impossible, the grips tiny. Only one climb, Adam Ondra’s Silence, first climbed in September 2017, is graded harder.

Alex Megos Sends Perfecto Mundo

Perfecto Mundo involves a steep, overhanging roof that levels out to more vertical climbing with powerful moves. The most difficult section is near the top, after a series of fatiguing overhung moves. The climber must dynamically move from a mono pocket to a pinch and try desperately to hold on.

The video below displays Megos projecting the climb:

Megos Climbs 5.15c

The German phenom has long been hailed for his climbing prowess, having made first ascents of 5.15b and multiple 5.15a climbs. He’s known for his ability to onsight climbs, sending routes graded 5.14d on his first try.

The large gap in people climbing at this grade reveals just how difficult it is to climb 5.15c. Fewer than five climbs exist graded that hard, and Ondra is the only climber to send multiple at that grade.

Stefano Ghisolfi, another climber projecting Perfecto Mundo, claims the first part is 5.14b to a rest.

“Then the main section starts,” he said, “about 10 intense moves with the crux that is a jump from a mono to a pinch, which is the hardest move.”

Congratulations go out to Megos on this career-defining accomplishment. It’s hard to say when the next climb at 5.15c will occur. These days, it could be weeks or years.