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Henry Barber on first ascent of Savage Journey at Lost World, Mt. Wellington, Tasmania, 1975

In climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guidebooks) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First ascents are notable because they entail genuine exploration, with greater risks, challenges, and recognition than climbing a route pioneered by others.

History[link]

The details of the first ascents of even many prominent mountains are scanty or unknown; sometimes the only evidence of prior sumbiting is a cairn, artifacts, or inscriptions discovered at the top. Today, first ascents are generally carefully recorded and usually mentioned in guidebooks.

Related terms[link]

In rock climbing, some of the earlier first ascents, particularly for difficult routes, involved a mix of free and aid climbing. As a result, purist free climbers have developed the designation first free ascent (FFA) to acknowledge ascents intentionally made more challenging by using equipment for protection only.

Second ascents are also noteworthy in climbing circles, frequently involving improving on a pioneering route through lessons learned from it, experience which may span from technical improvements to having a better understanding of how much gear and provisions to take.

Another type of accent, also known as FFA (not the be confused with First Free Ascent as listed above) is the first female ascent. While not generally considered as important, this designation remains significant on some difficult, limit-pushing climbs, where the first female ascent may not happen until well after the FA, due to possible difficulties encountered by female physicality.

The term last ascent has been used to refer to an ascent of a mountain or face that has subsequently changed to such an extent – often because of rockfall – that the route no longer exists (e.g., the south-west face of the Aiguille du Dru in the Alps). It can also be used facetiously to refer to a climb that is so unpleasant or unaesthetic (due to loose rock, excessive brush, poor route selection, etc.) that no one would ever willingly repeat the first ascent party's ordeal.

See also[link]

• List of first ascents
• List of first ascents in the Alps
• List of first ascents in the Himalaya

External links[link]

• Alpinist Magazine – Peter Mortimer's First Ascent, Issue 17.

Chris Sharma
Born	(1981-04-23)April 23, 1981 Santa Cruz, California
Nationality	U.S. Citizen
Occupation	Rock Climber

Chris Omprakash Sharma (born April 23, 1981 in Santa Cruz, California) is an American rock climber.

History[link]

Chris Omprakash Sharma^[1] was raised in Santa Cruz, California,^[1] son of Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma.^[1] He started rock climbing when he was 12^[1] at the Pacific Edge climbing gym. Sharma went to Mount Madonna school and attended Soquel High School for one year.

At age 14, Sharma won the Bouldering Nationals.^[1] A year later, he completed a 5.14c climb, which was the highest-rated climb in North America at the time.^[1]

Sharma then moved to Bishop, California,^[1] where he climbed The Mandala,^[1] a bouldering problem rated V12.

In July 2001, Sharma completed the extension of the established route Biographie in Ceüse, located in the Hautes-Alpes Department of France and renamed it Realization, ignoring the European tradition that equippers and not climbers name routes outside the US. At the time of the first ascent, Biographie was widely considered to be the first consensus 5.15a (9a+) in the world. He has since established or completed many routes at or above 5.15, including La Rambla and Es Pontas (a deep water soloing project in Mallorca). In 2008 Sharma climbed the 250-foot line (76 m), Jumbo Love, at Clark Mountain in California, claiming 5.15b for the grade.^[2]

The 2008 film King Lines follows Chris through various climbs throughout the world and offers his reflections of his past, climbing and life.

He recently moved to Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain,^[3] where he opens new routes regularly.

Notable ascents[link]

• Necessary Evil (5.14c).^[4]

• The Mandala (V12). First Ascent, February 2000. Several holds have broken since Chris climbed the Mandala, including the crux holds. These changes have made the problem considerably easier, and it has been widely speculated that when the problem was first climbed, the grade was closer to V14.

• Realization (5.15a) / Biographie (9a+). First Ascent, July 2001. Heralded as the world's first 5.15a upon completion.^[5]

• Practice of the Wild (8C). First Ascent, August 2004. Repeated by Tyler Landman, Daniel Woods and Adam Ondra.

• Witness the Fitness (V15). First ascent, March 2005. A 40-foot roof (12 m) problem in the Ozarks. Repeated by Fred Nicole. (Broken and maybe unclimbable.)^[6]

• Dreamcatcher (5.14d). First Ascent. A granite route on the Cacodemon boulder in Squamish, British Columbia. The route starts on a technical slab that wedges the climber against the start of the overhang. Then a dyno to a sloping rail leads to a bouldery traverse across slopers and incut crimps. The crux of the route comes at the end with a deadpoint to slopers and a jug. Repeated by Sean McColl in 2009.^[7]

• Es Pontas. First ascent, September 26, 2007. A deep water solo in Mallorca, Spain, it features a 7-foot dyno (2.1 m) that took Sharma over 50 attempts to stick. This climb, featured prominently in the movie King Lines, remains unrepeated, and is speculated at around 9a+.^[8]

• Papichulo (9a+). First ascent. 45m route starting with four-bolt 5.13d to no-hands rest followed by continuous difficult climbing on blue limestone in Oliana, Spain.^[9]

• Jumbo Love (5.15b). First Ascent, September 11, 2008. First featured in the film King Lines as an unfinished line at Clark Mountain, this route is 250 ft long (76 m), and thought to be at least 5.15b. Sharma has called it his hardest ascent to date. In climbing it, he skipped up to three clips in a row due to the difficult sequences, which resulted in falls of 70 ft (21 m) or more. Unrepeated.^[2][10]

• Golpe de Estado (9b). First Ascent, December 17, 2008. Golpe de Estado (Siurana, Spain) is a direct version of Estado Critico (5.14c/d), linking a 5.14d start into 5.14c climbing with a poor rest in between. Repeated by Adam Ondra March 2010.

• Demencia Senil (9a+?). First Ascent, February 20, 2009. (Margalef, Spain). Repeated by Iker Pou Jan 2010, Ramon Julian Puigblanque Oct 2010.^[11][12][13]

• French Gangster (8c/5.14b). Onsight without chipped hold, possibly harder? Originally named American Gangster but renamed as a reference to Michael Fuselier, the French climber who allegedly chipped the hold. Hardest Route in China at the time.

• Pachamama (9a+/5.15a). First Ascent.

• Neanderthal (9b/5.15b). First Ascent, December 18, 2009.

• First Ley (9a+) in Margalef. First Ascent.^[14]

• Era Vella (9a/5.14d) in Margalef. First Ascent.^[15]

• Power Inverter (9a+/5.15a). First Ascent, December 2010 (Oliana, Spain).

• Catxasa (9a+/5.15a). First Ascent, January 2011 (Santa Linya, Spain).

• First Round First Minute (at least 9b, grade still to be confirmed). First Ascent, April 2011 (Margalef, Spain).

• Fight or Flight (9b). First Ascent, May 2011 (Oliana, Spain).

Awards[link]

• U.S. Bouldering Nationals^[1]
• 1997 UIAA World Cup - Kranj^[16]
• 1999 X Games - Bouldering - Gold Medal^[1]
• 2000 Wasatch Open Bouldering Competition^[17]
• 2001 18th Annual Phoenix Bouldering Contest^[18]
• 2001 Munich Bouldering World Cup^[18]
• 2002 Ford Gorge Games^[19]
• 2003 Earth Treks Roc Comp^[20]
• 2004 Earth Treks Roc Comp^[20]
• 2004 ABS Nationals^[21]
• 2007 Mammut Bouldering Championships^[22]
• 2008 Mammut Bouldering Championships^[22]
• 2009 Ilerbloc Open Internacional^[23]
• 2010 Earth Treks Roc Comp^[24]
• 2010 Psicobloc, Bilbao, Spain ^[25]

Sponsorships[link]

• Sanuk
• 1999 - prAna^[1]
• Sterling Ropes
• Evolv
• Petzl
• Nutriex
• Entre Prises Climbing Walls

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chris Sharma

Adam Ondra

Personal information
Nationality	Czech Republic
Born	(1993-02-05)February 5, 1993 Brno
Occupation	Rock Climber
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	58 kg (130 lb; 9.1 st)
Sport
Sport	Lead climbing, Bouldering
Achievements and titles
World finals	IFSC Lead Climbing World Cup: 1 IFSC Bouldering World Cup: 1 Rock Master: 1
Medal record IFSC World Championship Bronze Arco 2011 Lead climbing Silver Arco 2011 Bouldering Silver Qinghai 2009 Lead climbing IFSC European Championship Silver Imst/Innsbruck 2010 Lead climbing Silver Imst/Innsbruck 2010 Bouldering

Adam Ondra (born February 5, 1993 in Brno) is a Czech rock climber. He also participates in lead climbing and bouldering competitions.

Biography[link]

Adam at the IFSC Lead Worldcup Imst 2009

Adam started climbing at the age of six, his parents are climbers and they share their passion with him. In 1999 (at age six) at Rovinj in Croatia Adam climbed 6a/5.9 routes with bolts every half meter. In 2001 (at age eight) he onsighted 7b+/5.12c routes and in 2002 (at age nine) he onsighted 7c+/5.13 and redpointed 8a/5.13b. He onsighted 8a/5.13b routes in 2003 (at age ten). In 2004 (at age eleven) Adam climbed several 8a+/5.13c onsight^[1] and 8c/5.14b redpoints. In 2005 (at age twelve) he onsighted 8b/5.13d routes. Then he became famous on climbing magazines and in 2006 he managed to climb his first 9a/5.14d Martin Krpan at Misja Pec.

In 2007 and 2008 he won the IFSC Youth World Championship category Youth B.

In 2009, at age sixteen, he could compete in the IFSC Lead Climbing World Cup: in his debut year he won the World Cup beating Spanish Patxi Usobiaga and Japanese Sachi Amma.^[2]

In 2010 he won also the IFSC Bouldering World Cup beating Austrian Kilian Fischhuber and Japanese Tsukuru Hori, and becoming the first athlete in history to win both the disciplines (lead and bouldering).^[3]

In March 2011 during a trip in Spain Adam has become the second person ever to have onsighted 8c+/5.14c after Patxi Usobiaga. In a couple of days he onsighted five 8c+/5.14c routes (two of which in the same day).^[4]

His resume is impressive: 959 routes between 8a/5.13b and 9b/5.15b (443 onsights).^[5]

Medals[link]

Adam at the IFSC Boulder Worldcup Vienna 2010

IFSC Lead Climbing World Cup[link]

IFSC Bouldering World Cup[link]

IFSC Lead Climbing World Championship[link]

IFSC Bouldering World Championship[link]

IFSC Lead Climbing European Championship[link]

IFSC Bouldering European Championship[link]

Rock Master[link]

Single-pitch routes[link]

• 5 9b/5.15b routes
• 11 9a+/5.15a routes
• 41 9a/5.14d routes
• 89 8c+/5.14c routes (8 onsight)
• 107 8c/5.14b routes (23 onsight)
• 289 8b/5.13d and 8b+/5.14a routes (137 onsight)

Redpoint[link]

• 9b/5.15b :
  • La planta de Shiva - Villanueva del Rosario (ESP) - 22/04/11 - First ascent^[6]
  • Chilam Balam - Villanueva del Rosario (ESP) - 13/04/11 - Second ascent (however Bernabe Fernandez's first ascent is not confirmed)^[7]
  • Chaxi Raxi - Oliana (ESP) - 27/03/11 - First ascent of Chaxi direct start^[8]
  • La Capella - Siurana (ESP) - 16/02/11 - First ascent^[9]
  • Golpe de Estado - Siurana (ESP) - 13/03/10 - Second ascent of Chris Sharma's route (2008)^[10]