...and here we go again. Dani wrote on his blog that Chris had said he had given Golpe de estado 9b, and immediately, the second I saw it, I happily passed the news along. Admitedly I didn't check with Chris, and now it turns out, through Daila's blog, that he isn't at all sure about what grade to give, although he told BigUp "I think it's harder than pretty much all the other 9a+ routes, but we'll see...". When I asked him to comment on the route today, he said "Yeah, I'm still not totally sure on the grade, but it is comparable in some ways to Jumbo love, except the bottom is probably harder and the top a bit easier and less overhanging. I'll have to try some other routes to compare a bit more before I'm sure about the grade".
The problem now is it's already all over the web. Media has already given it a grade as with so many other of Chris' boulders or routes in the past. Let's just hope he really gives it 9b...
Photo: Chris Sharma on Golpe de estado, courtesy of BigUp productions There's also a video.