Take a search through all of Chris Sharma’s hardest climbs. The table contains his hardest sport ascents, boulder problems, and deep water solos.

Climb	Type	Suggested Grade	Date Of Ascent	Notes
Sleeping Lion	Sport Route	9b+	28th Mar 2023	FA. Chris’ second 9b+, climbed almost exactly 10 years after La Dura Dura. Instagram Post
La Dura Dura	Sport Route	9b+	23rd Mar 2013	The first confirmed 9b+. Video
Jumbo Love	Sport Route	9b	11th Sep 2008	UKC Interview
Golpe de Estado	Sport Route	9b	17th Dec 2008	FA. Instagram Post
Neanderthal	Sport Route	9b	18th Dec 2009	FA. UKC Interview
First Round, First Minute	Sport Route	9b	19th Apr 2011	FA. Video
Fight or Flight	Sport Route	9b	5th May 2011	FA. On the same day Chris climbed Chaxi (9b). Video
Stoking the Fire	Sport Route	9b	6th Feb 2013	FA. Video
El Bon Combat	Sport Route	9b	7th Mar 2015	FA. Video
Biographie	Sport Route	9a+	18th Jul 2001	FA. Video
Chaxi	Sport Route	9a+	5th May 2011	Climbing Narc Post
Demencia Senil	Sport Route	9a+	Feb 2009	FA
Pachamama	Sport Route	9a+	29th May 2009	FA. Video
Analógica	Sport Route	9a+	Feb 2010	FA
First Ley	Sport Route	9a+	28th Feb 2010	FA. UKC Post
Papichulo	Sport Route	9a+	May 2008	FA
Gancho Perfecto	Sport Route	9a+	2008	FA. Video
La Rambla Extension	Sport Route	9a+	2006	Third Ascent. Video
La Novena Enmienda	Sport Route	9a+	2007	Video
Joe Mama	Sport Route	9a+	Oct 2016	UKC Post
Dreamcatcher	Sport Route	9a	Sep 2005	FA. Video
Three Degrees of Separation	Sport Route	9a	15th Jul 2007	FA. Planet Mountain
Samfaina	Sport Route	9a	2010	FA
Era Vella	Sport Route	9a	2010	FA
The Fly	Sport Route	9a	30th Oct 2003	Chris dropped the last move on his flash attempt.
La Reina Mora	Sport Route	9a	Dec 2022	Instagram Post
Necessary Evil	Sport Route	8c+	17th Mar 1997	Chris made the FA of the hardest route at the time only 3 years after he started climbing, aged 15.
Es Pontas	Deep Water Solo	9a+	26th Sep 2007	FA. Video
Alasha	Deep Water Solo	9a	Sep 2016	FA. Video
Black Pearl	Deep Water Solo	9a+	7th Nov 2023	One of Sharma’s hardest DWS routes Instagram Post
Witness the Fitness	Boulder	8C	Mar 2005	FA. Video
Practice of the Wild	Boulder	8B+	Aug 2004	FA
Catalan Witness the Fitness	Boulder	8B+	2nd Jan 2016	FA
Dreamtime (pre break)	Boulder	8B+

To many climbers in the early 2000s, Sharma is the definition of a living legend. A prodigy from a young age, it did not take long for him to make his way onto the forefront of the climbing scene. After only three years of climbing at age 15, he was already one of America’s top climbers. From there, he never slowed down, spending the next two decades ticking off and establishing the world’s hardest climbs. In the modern age, there is certainly some room for debate over who holds the position of the world’s best climber. In the Sharma era, there was never any question – he was the king, and arguably still is, in my opinion anyway. Read on to learn all about the living legend of Chris Sharma.

Learning the Ropes

Chris Sharma grew up in Santa Cruz, California, and started climbing in the Pacific Edge gym at twelve years old. Self-described as “one of the first climbing gym generation kids” he was filled with natural talent from his climbing genesis. Only two years into the sport, he won the 1996 Open Bouldering Nationals and beat all of the country’s strongest adult competitors. One year later, he climbed the country’s hardest sport climb (at the time): Necessary Evil 8c+ (5.14c).

He went on to spend the rest of his teenage years crushing the competition scene, before moving to Bishop at age 18. From here, the rest is history – years and years of groundbreaking achievements and absolute domination.

Competition Climbing

Although Sharma is best known as an outdoor climber, he also has an impressive stack of competitive achievements under his belt. His 1996 national gold put him in the limelight of American climbing. The following year, at age 16, he got a silver medal in the 1997 Paris Lead World Cup and a gold at the Kranj World Cup.

He competed in various competitions throughout the next several years and typically ended them with a medal in his hand. Notably, in 2001 he won the Bouldering World Cup in Munich but was subsequently, and controversially, disqualified after testing positive for marijuana. All these achievements, however, took the sideline to Sharma’s true passion; outdoor climbing.

Notable Ascents

It would take an entire book to fully cover Sharma’s outdoor climbing career. He broke through every glass ceiling imaginable of his time, establishing the world’s first 9a+ (5.15a), America’s first 9b (5.15b), and making the second ascent of the first 9b+ (5.15c). Saying he took the sport to the next level would be an understatement. Even today, at the age of 41, he is still crushing.

Sport Climbing

After climbing Necessary Evil just three years into climbing, he never slowed down. In 2001, he made the first ascent of Biographie without proposing a grade. This later became widely considered the world’s first 99a+/5.15a). In 2008, he made the first ascent of Jumbo Love, 5.15b, a steep and imposing route on Clark Mountain. This was Chris Sharma’s hardest climb at the time and the first consensus (9b/5.15b) for some time. He later bolted and made the second ascent (next to Adam Ondra) one of his two hardest climbs ever done, La Dura Dura (9b+/5.15c).

His second (9b+/5.15c) happened very recently on the 28th of March 2023, where Chris made the first ascent of Sleeping Lion, a line which he’d be working on for 2 years. This climb was not just an incredible achievement, but it was a testament to what can still be accomplished at an age when most athletes would be considered to have passed their prime.

This just scratches the surface of his sport-climbing career though. Sharma also established a huge variety of easier climbs, like the famous Dreamcatcher, 5.14d in Squamish, established or repeated more than ten other routes 5.15a or harder and onsighted several 5.14bs. His name is synonymous with hard sport climbing history.

Bouldering

Sharma was a jack of all trades (a master of all), and although his most impressive achievements are on a rope or over the ocean, he has also established and ticked off an array of difficult bouldering problems throughout his life. He kicked off his bouldering career with a first ascent of the Mandala (V12/8A+) at age 18. This is now recognized worldwide as a gnarly highball testpiece.

Following this, he went on a bouldering rampage and established hundreds of problems across the American West which can be seen in the classic and aptly-named climbing film Rampage. The most notable problems of chairs Sharma’s bouldering tick list include Witness the Fitness (V15/8C) in the Ozarks, Arkansas, and Practice of the Wild V15 in Magic Wood, Switzerland.

Deep Water Solo

Later in his career, Sharma discovered his favorite discipline of climbing: Deep Water Solo. This style of climbing involves climbing ropeless above water, a beautifully minimal style of climbing. And in classic Sharma fashion, he brought the discipline global notoriety with his ascent of Es Pontàs 9a+/5.15a in 2007, and nearly a decade later, again in 2016, he established Alasha 9a/5.14c. Both these routes represent some of the hardest Deep Water Solo lines in the world to date.

These ascents are made even more impressive when the nature of the discipline is considered. There is no hang-dogging or working the moves on a deep water solo route. Each attempt either ends with a send or a free fall into the water below.

Business & Personal Life

Sharma also has had an impressive career outside of the sport. Currently, there are four Chris Sharma climbing gyms – Sender One is in Santa Ana California, Sharma Climbing BCN in Barcelona, Sharma Climbing Gava, and Sharma Climbing Madrid.

The Climb TV Show

This year (2023) Sharma took a sharp turn in his career from pro climber/gym owner to reality TV host with his HBO series, The Climb. In this series, mid-level climbers with ambitions of going pro compete in various challenges incorporating all disciplines of outdoor climbing for the reward of a cash prize and PrAna sponsorship. Chris currently lives in Barcelona with his wife and two children.

Header image ©Nate Christenson / Red Bull Content Pool

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