Ascent Log
| Climber | Suggested Grade | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Sharma | Declined to offer grade | 26th Sep 2007 | FA. “Finding and climbing Es Pontas was definitely a pivotal experience in my life that sent me on an entirely new path in my life and in the world.” Video |
| Jernej Kruder | 9a | 1st Nov 2016 | Video |
| Jan Hojer | 9a? | Oct 2018 | UKC Article |
| Jakob Schubert | 21st Oct 2021 | Instagram Post |
Climb Profile
At the peak of his climbing career, Chris Sharma had a unique opportunity that climbers are not often awarded. Using his sponsorships and the proceeds from competitions he had won, he traveled the globe in search of that next great line. One after another, every climb that he battled with fell mightily at his feet, bowing to a man who – at that time – was fast becoming known as the strongest rock climber in the world.
Still, the truly amazing thing about Chris Sharma is his unostentatious hunger for beautiful rock climbs. He has this drive to perpetually be climbing new and hard lines – not out of ego or a desire to leave a lasting legacy, but because the movement enchants him. As he puts it, “It’s all about finding something that you’re really motivated on, obsessing over it, and then once you get to the top, celebrating for a little while and then moving on to the next thing.” That ‘next thing’ for him was Es Pontas.
Mallorca, Spain is home to some of the most technically difficult rock climbs in the world. The reddish limestone looming over the coastal waves is often overhanging and perfect for deep water soloing (climbing ropeless above a body of water). In the early 2000’s, deep-water soloing was a newer discipline in the climbing world. When Chris Sharma started visiting this area, he and his friends would literally swim for miles along the coastline, braving rough seas and swarms of jellyfish in search of possible lines in the sea cliffs.
Miguel Riera, a Mallorca local and deep-water soloist, turned Sharma onto many of his favorite lines in the region. As they climbed more and more together, they became fast friends. Eventually, Sharma started to probe Riera’s knowledge of harder and harder lines. Sharma was looking for “the hardest climbs in the world” for deep water soloing. Almost as an afterthought – believing that it would probably never be climbed – Riera took him to The Arch.
The Route
Chris Sharma would later call the route up the inside of the great arch Es Pontas in honor of the formation itself. It begins, just as with every deep-water solo, from where water meets rock and ascends a consistent overhang of vicious crimps, desperate jugs and seemingly no feet. The first crux is about 35 feet above the water and involves an all-points-off seven-foot dyno, cutting away from the wall entirely and reaching up with one hand to a pocket. Sharma worked this move, alone, more than 50 times before he stuck it.
By no means is the dyno the end of the climb; in some ways, it is just the beginning. The rest of the climb continues out from the crest of the arch, through a savage arete (which Sharma would later describe as the technical crux) and onto a thin, dead vertical face to the top. The difficulty of the route, notwithstanding, imagine trying to make these moves 50 feet above the water. Deep water soloing is still soloing, and the water can be only slightly more forgiving than the ground. In Sharma’s own words, “I’ve heard of people collapsing their lungs, breaking their ribs. It’s not that hard to break your back.”
Wall of Glory
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First Ascent: Chris Sharma
26th Sep 2006
Sharma spent nearly three years and four separate trips to Mallorca projecting Es Pontas, from 2003 until he finally sent it in September of 2006. Though he declined to give it a grade, it was obviously the hardest deep-water soloing route in the world at the time.
Second Ascent: Jernej Kruder
1st Nov 2016
Since the first ascent in 2006, the route remained unrepeated for a decade before Slovenian climber, Jernej Kruder, made the second ascent after 39 attempts. Along with Jan Hojer, Kruder had been working the DWS line for over a month. When speaking on the grade of the route, Kruder agreed with Sharma and declined to offer a grade for the route:
“I’ll just stick with Chris’ words: This thing is so specific. For sure it’s about 9th grade, but there are so many different factors. Like the dyno. If there are 200 people in the world climbing 9a, maybe just 10 percent of them can do it. Then there is the fear factor. The mind battle of trying it all over again without knowing if you’re able to do all the moves or not.”
Kruder also claimed the second ascent of Pontax, and 8C line Sharma, which exits on the opposite side of the arch.
Third Ascent: Jan Hojer
3rd Oct 2018
Depsite working the line with Kruder in 2016 it wasn’t until two years later, German climber Jan Hojer, made the third ascent. Hojer broke the news of his second repeat on his Instagram page:
“Ever since I watched KingLines for the first time, I’ve been dreaming about this moment… Climbing the last easy part with nothing underneath me but the sea and 20 meters of air, was the most free I ever felt on a route… I want to thank everybody who supported me during the process! Without my sponsors, friends and family it would have been so much harder to keep coming back, dealing with the countless falls💦 Special thanks to @kruderjernej who I tried this route with for almost a month in 2016! And of course to @chris_sharma who supported us from the get-go with advice and good vibes! When a legend like him comments on your Instagram posts, giving up is not an option anymore 😂”
Es Pontas Legacy
Jakob Shubert made the fourth – and, as of now, the last – ascent of the visionary line in 2021, dubbed “THE quintessential deep-water solo.” Through general consensus, each of the climbers who successfully sent the route (after Sharma) have put it somewhere in the neighborhood of 5.15b.
Es Pontas is one of those routes that bring meaning and definition to the first ascensionist’s career. While Chris Sharma has many other notable sends on his report card, Es Pontas may just represent a culmination point in his life’s work. Shortly afterward, Sharma got married and had his first child. Things changed dramatically for this titan of the climbing world, and will continue to change. One thing that remains is his unbridled passion for hard projects. Another is his lasting ability to inspire us, almost without even trying.
Header Image ©Sönke Bieh/Flckr
Chris Sharma Profile Image ©Nate Christenson / Red Bull Content Pool
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