Alex Megos

Alexander Megos
	Megos at the 2018 World Championships
Personal information
Nationality	German
Born	12 August 1993; Erlangen, Germany
Occupation	Professional rock climber
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight	57 kg (126 lb)[1]
	Climbing career
Type of climber	Bouldering, Lead climbing
Highest grade	Redpoint: 9c (5.15d); On-sight: 9a (5.14d); Bouldering: 8C (V15);
Known for	Being the first climber to onsight 9a (5.14d) and the second to redpoint 9c (5.15d)
World Championships
	Updated on August 15, 2019.

Alexander Megos (born 12 August 1993) is a German rock climber. He was the first climber to on-sight (climb without prior practice or advice) a route graded 9a (5.14d). He has climbed multiple notable hard routes and boulder problems, including one 9c (5.15d) route (Bibliographie), one 9b+ (5.15c) route (Perfecto Mundo), two 9b (5.15b) routes (First Round, First Minute and Fight Club), and some boulder problems with a confirmed 8C (V15) rating. Megos has won many international competitions.

Climbing career

Megos started climbing at the age of six. With his father, he climbed multi-pitch routes up to 300 m at the age of ten. From the year 2006 on, Megos trained in the national base "Franconia" of the climbing association Bavaria and later at the Federal Base sports climbing in Erlangen, Nuremberg. [2] There he was looked after by Patrick Matros and Ludwig Korb, who both still train and coach Megos today. In 2007 Megos got his first 8a (5.13b), in 2009 he climbed his first 8c (5.14b) with "Drive by shooting" and in 2011 his first 9a (5.14d) with "San Ku Kai".

Since 2006, Alexander Megos actively participates in climbing competitions. He won two (Youth) European Championship titles (2009 and 2010) and a (Youth) Vice World Champion title in 2011. [3] In 2009 he won every single competition in the EYC series. [4] In 2017 he was European runner-up in bouldering and won on July 21, 2018 his first lead World Cup in Briançon (France). [5]

After graduation in 2012, he focused on rock climbing. On March 24, 2013, he sent the route Estado Critico in the Spanish climbing area Siurana completing the world's first 9a on-sight. In August 2013, Megos climbed R.E.D. 9a the hardest route of the Australian continent and the hardest boulder problem Australian continent Wheelchair. [6] Due to the unusual length for a boulder he assessed the difficulty of Wheelchair not on the usual boulder scale, but on the French scale for a climbing route with (9a +). [7]

Alexander Megos is known for extremely fast repetitions of hard rock climbing routes. From mid-April to mid-June of 2014, he did 9 routes of which the grades ranged from 9a+ (5.15a) to 8c+ (5.14c) in his home climbing area, the Franconian Switzerland, including "Modified" 9a+ (5.15a), one of the hardest routes in the Franconian Switzerland. He also managed a redpoint attempt of the famous "Action Directe", just within two hours which is a record time. [8] In addition, he secured the only one-day tour of the top route "Biography / Realization" (9a+ (5.15a)) in Ceüse, France. [9]

In June 2014, Alexander Megos together with Roger Schäli, did the first ascent of the 20-pitch route "FLY" 8c (5.14b) in Staldeflue (Switzerland), which is one of the hardest big-wall climbing routes in the world.[10]

On October 1, 2015, he climbed the route "Supernova" in Franconian Switzerland and by doing so he probably established the first route in grade 11+ (UIAA) (9a + / 9b French) in German-speaking countries. [11]

His send of the route "First Round First Minute" in December 2015 was his first of grade 9b (5.15b).

On May 9, 2018, he secured the first ascent of the route "Perfecto Mundo" in Margalef (Spain), a long-attempted line bolted by Chris Sharma. Megos and Sharma had tried it together several times in the days before his visit and graded it 9b+ (5.15c).

In 2017, he won the silver medal in both the Bouldering European Championships, in Munich and the IFSC Lead World Cup in Kranj, Slovenia, also in 2018 he won bronze at the IFSC Lead World Cup in Chamonix,[12] and one week later won Gold in the Briancon World Cup.[13] Later in the year he won bronze in the Lead World Championships.[14] He followed this up with a silver in the 2019 Lead World Championships. Moreover, by reaching the finals of the combined event of the World Championships, he secured a qualification spot for Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympics.

Megos also has a background in the La Sportiva Legends competitions, where he has competed multiple times and placed 2nd and 3rd. In 2018 he won first place.[15] He currently holds the high point of Black Diamond's The Project, which is widely considered one of the world's hardest indoor routes.

In May 2020 Megos established "Upgrade U" 8C, the hardest boulder problem of his home climbing area, the Frankenjura.[16]

In August 2020 Megos sent his long term project "Bibliographie" 9c (5.15d) in Céüse after working on it for 60 days. [17]

Notable ascents

Redpointed routes

9c (5.15d)

Bibliographie - August 5, 2020 - First Ascent [18] - Route bolted by Ethan Pringle [19]

9b+ (5.15c)

Perfecto Mundo - May 9, 2018 - First Ascent - Route bolted by Chris Sharma[20]

9b (5.15b)

Fightclub - First Ascent.[21]
First Round First Minute - Third Ascent. First Ascent by Chris Sharma.[22]

9a+/b (5.15a/b)

Supernova - First Ascent.[22]

9a+ (5.15a)

Demencia Senil - First Ascent by Chris Sharma.[23]
La Rambla - Megos climbed it on his second try.[24]
Realization - First Ascent by Chris Sharma. Megos climbed it in one day, on his third try.[25]
Corona - Third Ascent.[24]
Classified - First Ascent.[24]
Modified - First Ascent.[26]
First Ley - Megos also sent a variation called La Ley Indignata 9a (5.14d), possible first ascent.[22]
Thor's Hammer - First Repeat. First Ascent by Adam Ondra.[27]
Geocache - First Ascent. Repeated by Adam Ondra.[28]
Becoming - First Ascent.[29]
Super Crackinette - First Ascent.[30]
Jaws 2 - Sent on third try.[31]

9a (5.14d)

Action Directe - Megos sent this route in just two hours. Action Directe was the world's first 9a, and continues to be a benchmark for the grade.[32]
La Sensación del Bloque - March 2017 - FA of the first South American 9a in Valle de los Condores, Chile.
Dreamcatcher - Fourth Ascent. Climbed in one day, other previous ascents by Chris Sharma, Sean McColl and Ben Harnden took multiple days.[33]
Era Vella - Second Try. Subject to much controversy about whether it is 9a(14d) or 8c+(14c).[34]
Speed Intégrale" - Voralpsee, Switzerland in two days, 2017 [35]
Coup de grâce" - Val Bavona, Switzerland second go, 2017 [36]

Other Famous Ascents

Pure Imagination: 8c+ (5.14c). Flash.[37]
Fly: 8c (5.14b). Megos made the first free ascent of this twenty pitch big wall in Switzerland.[25]
Hubble: 8c+ (5.14c) - Megos became the first to climb both Action Directe and Hubble by sending Hubble in June of 2016.[38]

Onsighted routes

9a (5.14d)

Estado Critico - World's first 9a onsight.[37]
TCT[39]

8c+ (5.14c)

Victimes del Passat[23]

Boulder problems

8C / 8C+

Wheelchair - First Ascent. Although Megos suggested a 9a+ sport climbing grade because of its length, this Wheel of Life variation is not a sport climb. It is a long boulder problem, harder than Wheel of Life, and possibly worth a 8C+ (V16) rating.[32][40]

8C (V15)

Story of Two Worlds - First Ascended by Dave Graham in 2005, repeated by Megos in December 2020.[41]
Dreamtime - Ascended by Megos on December 18, 2020. [42]
Upgrade U - First Ascent May 2020, rated 8C and accepted as the hardest boulder problem in the Frankenjura.[43]
Half Life - Second ascent April 2020, Frankenjura, Megos confirmed as 8C
The Finnish Line - Summer 2017 - Second ascent of hard testpiece established by Nalle Hukkataival in Rocklands, South Africa. The grade is still controversial, but consensus seems to grow on 8C (V15).[44]
Wheel of Life: - First Ascent by Dai Koyamada. Megos suggested a sport climbing grade of 9a (5.14d), but this not a sport climb. It is a long boulder problem, rated 8C.[40]
Lucid Dreaming - Third Ascent of Paul Robinson's boulder, originally graded 8C+ (V16).[22]

8B+ (V14)

Never Ending Story[25]
Bad Boys for Life - First Ascent.[25]
Montecore:[45]
Riot Act[45]
Double Demerit - First Repeat.[46]
Sky[47]
Trainspotting - First Ascent.[48]

Rankings

Megos in the 2018 World Championships lead finals

Climbing World Cup

Discipline	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Lead	55	37	35	-	-	-	-	-	22	6
Bouldering	-	-	-	73	-	-	-	-	28	55
Speed	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Combined	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	38

[49]

Climbing World Championships

Youth[50]

Discipline	2009 Youth A	2010 Youth A
Lead	8	2

Adult[50]

Discipline	2018	2019
Lead	3	2
Bouldering	25	25
Speed	109	75
Combined	11

Climbing European Championships

Discipline	2010	2017
Lead	23	-
Bouldering	-	2
Speed	-	-

[50]

Number of medals in the Climbing World Cup

Lead

Season	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
2017		1		1
2018	1		1	2
2019		1	1	2
Total	1	2	2	5