Chris Sharma facts for kids
Sharma in 2008
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| Born | April 23, 1981 Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
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| Occupation | Professional rock climber | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 165 lb | |||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Jimena Alarcón | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on 20 June 2022. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chris Omprakash Sharma (born April 23, 1981) is an American professional rock climber. Many people think he is one of the greatest and most influential climbers ever. For about ten years, he was the best sport climber in the world.
His fame grew after he climbed a route called Realization/Biographie in 2001. It was the first time anyone had climbed a route with a difficulty grade of 9a+ (5.15a). This was a huge step forward for the sport. Sharma was seen as the world's strongest climber, a title he took over from Wolfgang Güllich and later passed to Adam Ondra.
In 2008, Sharma climbed Jumbo Love, the world's first route graded 9b (5.15b). In 2013, he became only the second person to climb a 9b+ (5.15c) route, La Dura Dura. Sharma is also famous for deep-water soloing (climbing over water without ropes). In 2006, he climbed Es Pontàs, the first deep-water solo route of its difficulty.
Sharma became very successful and was known for finding "King Lines." These were beautiful and difficult routes that inspired him to spend months or even years trying to climb them.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Climbing
Chris Sharma was born and grew up in Santa Cruz, California. His parents, Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma, were followers of a yogi named Baba Hari Dass.
Sharma started rock climbing at age 12 at a local climbing gym. He quickly became very good. He was part of the first generation of kids who learned to climb in gyms instead of starting on real rocks outdoors.
Climbing Career
A Young Star
From the beginning, everyone could see Sharma was a special talent.
- At age 14, he won the U.S. Open Bouldering Nationals, competing against adults.
- At age 15, he completed the first ascent of Necessary Evil in the Virgin River Gorge. At the time, it was the hardest sport climb in North America.
- At age 16, he won a silver medal at the World Championships in Paris.
When he was 18, Sharma moved to Bishop, California, a famous area for bouldering. In 2000, he made the first ascent of a famous boulder problem called The Mandala.
Climbing the World's Hardest Route
On July 18, 2001, Sharma, then 20 years old, climbed a route in Ceüse, France, that he named Realization. It was the world's first confirmed 9a+ (5.15a) route. This was a major event in climbing history. It showed a huge leap in how hard people could climb. His amazing climb was shown in the 2002 film, Dosage Volume 1.
Finding "King Lines"
After his success with Realization, Sharma looked for new challenges. He fell in love with deep-water soloing (DWS) during a trip to Mallorca, Spain. DWS involves climbing high cliffs over the ocean without any ropes. If you fall, you land in the water.
He began to focus on what he called "King Lines." These were routes that were not only extremely difficult but also looked beautiful and inspiring.
- In 2005, he climbed Dreamcatcher in Canada, which is now a very famous North American climb.
- In 2006, he climbed Es Pontàs in Mallorca. This DWS route goes through a giant stone arch over the sea. It was graded 5.15a (9a+), a first for deep-water soloing. This climb was featured in the award-winning 2007 film, King Lines.
Pushing the Limits in Spain
In 2007, Sharma moved to Lleida, Spain. The area has many limestone cliffs perfect for hard climbing. There, he established some of the world's most difficult routes.
In September 2008, he returned to the U.S. to climb Jumbo Love at Clark Mountain. This 250-foot-long route became the world's first to be graded 5.15b (9b) (or 9b). This once again proved he was at the very top of the sport.
Working with Adam Ondra
After climbing Jumbo Love, Sharma wanted to find the next level. He started preparing new, even harder routes in Spain. One of these routes, which he bolted in 2009, was called La Dura Dura (which means "The Hard Hard" in Spanish). He thought it might be too hard for him to ever climb.
In 2011, he invited a young Czech climber, Adam Ondra, to try the route with him. For the next year, they worked on it together. They motivated each other to keep trying. In February 2013, Ondra made the first ascent. Just one month later, in March 2013, Sharma completed the second ascent.
Their teamwork was seen as a special moment in climbing. It showed the "world's best climber" of one generation helping the star of the next generation. Sharma said, "Through him, I think I became a better climber myself."
Still Climbing Hard
La Dura Dura was graded 9b+ (5.15c), making it the hardest climb in the world at that time. Even after this, Sharma continued to climb at an elite level.
- In 2015, he climbed El Bon Combat.
- In 2016, he climbed Alasha, another very hard deep-water solo route.
- In March 2023, at age 41, he climbed Sleeping Lion, a route in Spain he had prepared himself. He said it was the hardest thing he had climbed in years.
Why is Chris Sharma a Legend?
Sharma is seen as one of the most important climbers in history. For nearly 20 years, he was considered the world's strongest sport climber. He changed what people thought was possible in rock climbing.
He is known for his calm and humble personality, but his climbing style is powerful and dynamic. He often lets other climbers suggest the grades for his routes. His calm attitude is sometimes linked to his Buddhist upbringing. He used meditation to help him focus on difficult climbs.
Sharma also helped make professional climbing a real career. He showed that a climber could make a living by finding sponsors and appearing in films. He focused on "King Lines" because he believed a climb should be inspiring, not just hard. This made his climbs exciting for people to watch.
Personal Life
Sharma founded a company that builds climbing gyms. He opened his first gym, Sender One, in California in 2013. He has since opened two more gyms near Barcelona, Spain, where he now lives.
In 2015, Sharma married Jimena Alarcón. They have a daughter, Alana, born in 2016, and a son, born in 2019.
Notable Ascents
Here are some of Chris Sharma's most famous climbs. Grades like 9a (5.14d), 9b (5.15b), and 9c (5.15d) are used to measure the difficulty of sport climbs. 9c is currently the hardest grade in the world.
Hardest Sport Climbs
- La Dura Dura (9b+ (5.15c)) – Climbed in 2013. He prepared this route and was the second person to climb it, after Adam Ondra.
- Sleeping Lion (9b+ (5.15c)) – First ascent in 2023. Another climber later suggested the grade might be 9b (5.15b).
- Jumbo Love (9b (5.15b)) – First ascent in 2008. This was the world's first 9b route.
- Realization (9a+ (5.15a)) – First ascent in 2001. This was the world's first 9a+ route.
Famous Deep-Water Solo Climbs
- Es Pontàs (9a+ (5.15a)) – First ascent in 2006. The world's first DWS route at this grade. It is one of the most famous and spectacular climbs in the world.
- Alasha (9a (5.14d)) – First ascent in 2016. He named it after his daughter.
Famous Boulder Problems
- Witness the Fitness (V15 (8C)) – First ascent in 2005. A very long and difficult climb on a 40-foot roof.
- The Mandala (V12 (8A+)) – First ascent in 2000. A classic boulder problem that helped make Sharma famous.
See also
In Spanish: Chris Sharma para niños
- List of grade milestones in rock climbing
- History of rock climbing
- Josune Bereziartu, greatest female sport climber of the 1990s and 2000s
- Wolfgang Güllich, greatest sport climber of the 1980s
