Chris Sharma
Chris Omprakash Sharma (born April 23, 1981) is an American rock climber and considered one of the greatest in the history of the sport. In 2001, Sharma became the world's first climber to redpoint a consensus route, "Realization/Biographie", ushering in what was called a "technical revolution" in sport climbing. In 2008, Sharma redpointed the first route, "Jumbo love", and 2013 became only the second to climb a route "La Dura Dura". Sharma is also known for climbing the world's first and deep-water solo routes ("Es Pontàs" in 2007, and "Alasha" in 2017). Early life . Sharma was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, the son of Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma. His parents were devotees of the yogi Baba Hari Dass, and adopted the surname Sharma when they got married. 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. Climbing career. At age 14, Sharma won the US Bouldering Nationals, and at 15, he completed the first ascent of "Necessary Evil" 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. On 18 July 2001, Sharma completed the extension of the route "Biographie" in Ceüse in France, and named it "Realization"; the route was the first consensus in the world, and has since become an iconic and important route in the history of sport, ushering in a "technological revolution". Sharma subsequently established or completed routes at or above , including "La Rambla" and "Es Pontas" (a deep-water soloing project in Mallorca). In 2008, Sharma climbed the , "Jumbo Love", at Clark Mountain in California, proposing  a for the grade. The 2008 film "King Lines", follows Chris through various climbs throughout the world and offers his reflections of his past, climbing, and life. Sharma stated in 2013 that after "Jumbo Love" he felt something needed to change, and that he had climbed routes set out by others, including 5.15b, and yet felt his limits had not been tested. He climbed a number of other 5.15b routes ("Golpe de Estado", "Neanderthal" and "Catxasa"), each a project in itself, in order to understand what a route might feel like, which was beyond these, and began to search for  climbs harder than these, which would "change him" and which had not yet been recognized. In 2007 he had moved to Lleida, a town close to the Spanish Pyrenees, in Catalonia, Spain. He found an answer in the nearby hard limestone cliffs of Oliana, where he developed several 5.14+ and 5.15 routes over the next five years. By 2013, Sharma had spent considerable time attempting "La Dura Dura", an Oliana climb he described as "horrifyingly" difficult and perhaps "not for me", and had built up a close connection with Adam Ondra, then about 20 years old and seen as  the outstanding climber of the next generation. Sharma gave guidance to Ondra, and in turn felt motivated to work harder, by working on routes jointly with him. On March 23, 2013, just short of his 32nd birthday, Sharma completed the climb of "La Dura Dura". Legacy. Sharma has been considered as one of the best climbers in the history of sport climbing. Personal life. In 2013, Sharma opened his own gym, Sender One Climbing, located in Santa Ana, California. In 2015, he opened the gym Sharma Climbing BCN in Barcelona. In 2019, he plans to open Europe's largest climbing  gym in Madrid, Spain. In August 2015, he married his fiancée, Jimena Alarcón, and after living for years in Oliana, Spain, he moved to Barcelona. Notable ascents. Boulder problems. (possibly harder when climbed by Chris Sharma): Redpointed routes. (5.15b/c):