UKC

19-year-old German climber Alexander Megos has just onsighted a 9a sport route!

Reported on Desnivel is the news that Alex has onsighted the Spanish route of Estado Critico at Siurana.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67936

In reply to UKC News:

Wow. I thought Ondra had already done this. Could he have a rival at last?!

jcm

In reply to UKC News: Good to see someone going for an onsight on something so hard - he might make a decent trad climber one day!

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Related story

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67077

In reply to UKC News: where are you getting your facts that Adam Ondra confirmed the grade of 9a, I have another source (8a.nu) saying "Adam Ondra did it in 2007, when he just had turned 14, he commented, "NEVER 9a, 3.GO"
???

In reply to Haydn Jones: Hi Haydn, Thanks for your comment.

How's your Spanish:

"El debate sobre la cotación sufriría una transformación en 2010. Adam Ondra rectificaba entonces su opinión anterior cuando hablaba acerca del encadenamiento de Golpe de estado 9b, una vía que añade una entrada más directa a Estado crítico y que fue el primer 9b del checo. En aquel momento, la rotura de una presa le llevó a modificar su apreciación de la dificultad, que sería de un 9a claro para Estado crítico."

Desnivel

Thanks,

Jack

In reply to Haydn Jones: When repeating Golpe de Estado Ondra said that hold breakage had made Estado Critico into a 9a. (I think).

In reply to Haydn Jones:
Quote attributed to Ondra:
"The hold was not a resting jug, but it helped. Before Estado Critico was
more of an endurance problem, now there is a definite crux (but for
Golpe it is not the crux). Estado Critico is now significantly harder,
from 8c+ to 9a. Golpe de Estado is harder just a little. I had been
really worried about this move, but the move itself felt easier while
linking than normally while working. But I fell one more time even
higher. If Chris had had doubts about the classification, so now it’s
surely at least 9b."

In reply to UKC News: It's 'Estado Critico' please!

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor: cheers, so hold breakage has made it 9a, cheers for clearing up the confusion!

In reply to UKC News: Well done Alexander.

In reply to UKC News: Wow, impressive. I don't keep tabs on everyone but still amazing that he can fly so far under the radar that so many folk this side of the sea have no heard of him with that kind of ability.

Guess Ondra will just have to man up and do the first 9a+ on sight

In reply to UKC News:

This is a seriously impressive achievement, nice one to him!

However, does it not seem slightly strange that someone who took four days to redpoint a 9a and has not (I think) done a 9a+, suddenly onsights a 9a?

In reply to Shadowmaster: Presumably the 9a you're referring to is The Fly. It's basically a boulder problem with a few bolts to make it safer, not really comparable in style to something like Estado Critico. I imagine it has more in common with pure Imagination, the 8c+ in the RRG that he flashed.

In reply to Shadowmaster:

Not especially. The Fly in Rumney is very bouldery from what I recall reading about it in the past. Probably very sequency. I imagine this Spanish 9a is more endurance and probably 'easier' to onsight - although easy here is of course relative. Still impossible for 99% of climbers.

Besides, he's 18 the lucky bstard. Probably developing super quickly.

In reply to SARS:

That does make sense to be fair, it still seems slightly odd though as he hasn't done a 9a+ or many 9a's, and the onsights one.

Especially compared to someone like Ondra who has done 9b+!

In reply to Shadowmaster:
Alex Megos has been coming to(and winning)the European Youth Cup competitions at Ratho for the last few years, and is a bit of a machine - not surprised the he has the fitness, strength and onsight ability to send this route on the back of his recent form...

In reply to Shadowmaster: it's quite possible that he doesn't spend much time trying to red point hard things, And focuses more on onsighting.

I remember hearing about this guy when I was in kalymnos a couple of years ago. The French guy in the shop was talking about him as though he was going to be the next big thing. He'd been onsighting multiple 8cs out there at the age of 15, and was apparently very keen to stay under the radar.

Also check out Alex's performance at the North Face Festival last year at Kalymnos. Although there wasn't a 'winner' as such (it wasn't organised that way), overall he outperformed (in a quiet and understated way) all the (very considerable) fellow competitors. So this recent news is no surprise... a brilliant performance; well done, Alex.

In reply to UKC News:

Not a bad effort.

There was a brief interview with him in last month's Rock & Ice in which he effectively dismissed 'older climbers' (in his words, older than 30!) as not being able to do hard routes. I wonder what he made of Sharma's recent success on 'La Dura Dura'!

In reply to Fraser:

As a potential global first, this was probably "not a bad effort" indeed. Not letting him off easily, are we? This is sport climbing after all...

In reply to gritstoner:

I forgot the smiley, sorry.

In reply to Fraser:

Some more on the lad and his climb. Sounds humble and he's having fun. Must be the best climber then?

http://dmmclimbing.com/news/2013/03/the-worlds-first-9a-onsight