Chris Omprakash Sharma (born April 23, 1981) is an American rock climber. In 2007, NPR wrote that Sharma had been described as the world's best rock climber. He is known for being the world's first climber to redpoint a 9b (5.15b) route (Jumbo love, 2008) and the second to climb a 9a+ (5.15a) and a 9b+ (5.15c) route (Realization in 2001 and La Dura Dura in 2013). He is also known for climbing the world's first 9a+ (5.15a) and 9b (5.15b) deep-water solo routes (Es Pontàs in 2007 and Alasha in 2017). He bolted and first ascended many of the hardest lines of the Cataluña region in Spain. In 2015, he opened the gym Sharma Climbing BCN in Barcelona.
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History
Sharma was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, the son of Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma. He started rock climbing when he was 12 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 ?. A year later, he completed the first ascent of Necessary Evil 5.14c (8c+) in the Virgin River Gorge, the highest-rated climb in North America at the time.
Sharma then moved to Bishop, California, where he climbed The Mandala, a boulder problem graded 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 French tradition that equippers and not climbers name routes. 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 (9a+), 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 (9b) for the grade.
In 2007 he moved to Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain.
The 2008 film King Lines on IMDb follows Chris through various climbs throughout the world and offers his reflections of his past, climbing and life.
In 2013, Sharma opened his own gym Sender One Climbing, located in Santa Ana, California.
In August 2015 he married his fiancée, Jimena Alarcon.
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Notable ascents
Boulders
V15 (8C):
V12 (8A+) (possibly harder when climbed by Chris Sharma):
Redpointed routes
9b+ (5.15c):
9b/+ (5.15b/c):
9b (5.15b):
9a+ (5.15a):
9a (5.14d):
5.14c (8c+):
Onsighted routes
8c (5.14b):
Deep-water solo routes
9b (5.15b):
9a+ (5.15a):
Awards
- U.S. Bouldering Nationals
- 1997 UIAA World Cup - Kranj
- 1999 X Games - Bouldering - Gold Medal
- 2000 Wasatch Open Bouldering Competition
- 2001 18th Annual Phoenix Bouldering Contest
- 2001 Munich Bouldering World Cup
- 2002 Ford Gorge Games
- 2003 Earth Treks Roc Comp
- 2004 Earth Treks Roc Comp
- 2004 ABS Nationals
- 2007 Mammut Bouldering Championships
- 2008 Mammut Bouldering Championships
- 2009 Ilerbloc Open Internacional
- 2010 Earth Treks Roc Comp
- 2010 Psicobloc, Bilbao, Spain
Filmography
- Masters of Stone IV: Pure Force (1998)
- Free Hueco (1998)
- Rampage (1999)
- Inertia (2000)
- Dosage Vol. 1 (2001)
- The Road (2003)
- Pilgrimage (2003)
- Dosage Vol. 2 (2004)
- Best of the West (2005)
- Dosage Vol. 3 (2005)
- Big Game (2005)
- Depth Charge (2006)
- Dosage Vol. 4 (2006)
- King Lines (2007)
- Dosage Vol. 5 (2008)
- Progression (2009)
- The Scene (2011)
- Into the Light (2013)
- Point Break (2015)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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