Editing Chris Sharma (section)

==Climbing career==
===1996–2002 (to ''Realization'')===
From the outset, Sharma was considered a [[child prodigy|prodigy]] in the climbing world.<ref name=LAT/><ref>{{cite web |magazine=[[Rock & Ice]] | url=https://www.rockandice.com/videos/climbing/the-secret-climb-of-chris-sharma-and-stefan-glowacz-2/ | title=The Secret Climb of Chris Sharma and Stefan Glowacz | date=15 April 2021 | quote=... has teamed up with Chris Sharma, the California prodigy turned sport-climbing and bouldering visionary}}</ref><ref name="interview2013"/>  At age 14, he won the adult 1996 US Open Bouldering Nationals,<ref name=CL10/> and a year later aged 15, he freed [[Boone Speed]]'s project ''Necessary Evil'' {{Climbing grade|5.14c}} in the [[Virgin River Gorge]],<ref name="interview2013"/> the hardest [[sport climbing|sport climb]] in North America at the time.<ref name=CL10/><ref name=UKC1>{{cite web| url=http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=4894| title=Exclusive Interview: Chris Sharma Talks 9b+| first=Jack| last=Geldard| date=August 2012| publisher=UKClimbing| access-date=September 25, 2017 | quote=Chris Sharma, the 31 year old American sport climber, is perhaps the most famous rock climber in the world.}}</ref> The following year, Sharma won silver at the biennial [[1997 UIAA Climbing World Championships|UIAA World Championships]] at [[Paris]],<ref name=PM7/> and gold at the [[Kranj]] leg of the [[IFSC Climbing World Cup|UIAA World Cup]], both for [[lead climbing]].<ref name=KJ/>  Still 16, he suffered a serious knee injury that sidelined him for over a year.{{efn|In various interviews, Sharma describes that this period had a profound effect on his outlook on life and climbing and that he spent time reading into [[Zen|Buddhism]] and meditation techniques, noting that "You learn to be patient, sit tight, and not add more mental strife to an already difficult situation".<ref name=CL5/><ref name=RI5/><ref name=CL50/>}}<ref name=CL5/> Aged 18, Sharma moved to [[Bishop, California]], and began a US [[bouldering]] revolution with his 1999 film ''Rampage'',<ref name=OUT5>{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]] | url=https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/best-climbing-mountaineering-films-of-all-time/ | first=Andrew | last=Bisharat | date=6 September 2022 | accessdate=18 October 2022 | title=The 20 Best Climbing Films of All Time|quote=Number 18. Rampage (1999)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | website=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/videos/rampage-full-film-with-chris-sharma/ | title=Rampage: Full Film With Chris Sharma | date=2 April 2020 | accessdate=20 June 2022}}</ref> and in February 2000, completed the first ascent of ''[[The Mandala]]'', a world-famous boulder problem.<ref name=CL10/><ref name=CH/>

On 18 July 2001, aged 20, Sharma completed the extension of the {{climbing grade|8c+}} route ''Biographie'' in [[Ceüse]] in [[France]], and named it ''[[Realization (climb)|Realization]]''; the route was the first consensus {{climbing grade|9a+}} in the world,{{efn|name=OA|It is possible that it was not the actual first-ever 9a+ route to be climbed, as in 2008 Czech climber [[Adam Ondra]] estimated that [[Alexander Huber]]'s 1996 ascent of ''Open Air'' was at {{Climbing grade|9a+}}.<ref name=GR7>{{cite web | url=https://gripped.com/news/chris-sharma-turns-40-today-happy-birthday/ | date=23 April 2021 | accessdate=22 December 2021 | title=Chris Sharma Turns 40 Today, Happy Birthday! | website=Gripped.com}}</ref><ref name=CM>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/groundbreaking-515-gets-second-ascent/ | title=Groundbreaking 5.15 Gets Second Ascent | first=Dougald | last=McDonald | date=15 June 2012 | accessdate=22 December 2021 | magazine= [[Outside (magazine)|Outside]]}}</ref> Climbing author Andrew Bisharat notes in a 2016 essay on climbing re-grades, that "The other interesting point about Open Air that’s worth mentioning is that the route reportedly contains some rather flaky holds that have broken off over the years. So was the Open Air that Ondra climbed the exact same route that Alex Huber climbed? Maybe, but probably not."<ref>{{cite web | website=EveningSends | first=Andrew | last=Bisharat | url=https://eveningsends.com/setting-and-revising-the-record-in-climbing/ | date=4 April 2016 | title=Setting and Revising the Record in Climbing
| accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref>}} and has since become an important route in the history of [[sport climbing]], with ''Climbing'' magazine noting that "technical rock climbing jumped in its evolution".<ref name=CL10/><ref name=CL5/> It was the first confirmed increase in grades since [[Wolfgang Gullich]]'s ascent of ''[[Action Directe (climb)|Action Directe]]'' {{climbing grade|9a}}, a decade earlier.<ref name=NG/><ref name=GJK>{{cite web | magazine=GearJunkie | url=https://gearjunkie.com/climbing/hardest-climbing-grade-controversy-explained | title=Climbing Controversy: Behind the Decades-Long Conflict Roiling the Sport's Elite | date=9 March 2022 | accessdate=22 June 2022 | first=Sam | last=Anderson}}</ref>  Sharma's ascent of the route was captured in [[Big UP Productions|Josh Lowell]]'s 2002 film, ''Dosage Volume 1''.<ref name=OUT4>{{cite magazine | accessdate=22 December 2021 | magazine= [[Outside (magazine)|Outside]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/jonathan-siegrist-sends-biographie-5-15a-aka-realization/ | date=3 June 2014 | title=Jonathan Siegrist Sends Biographie (5.15a) AKA Realization}}</ref>  Days later, Sharma won the Munich leg of the [[IFSC World Cup]] in [[bouldering]], only to be disqualified on testing positive for marijuana.<ref name=LAT/><ref name=PM11>{{cite web | website=PlanetMountain | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/competitions/bouldering-world-cup-2001-munich-the-results.html | title=Bouldering World Cup 2001, Munich, the results | date=25 July 2011 | accessdate=18 June 2022}}</ref>

===2002–2008 (to ''Jumbo Love'')===

After ''Realization'', Sharma considered quitting climbing and went on Buddhist pilgrimages. A 2003 trip to [[Mallorca]], Spain to meet [[Miquel Riera]], a pioneer of [[deep-water soloing]], led him to "fall in love with climbing all over again".<ref name=CL5/><ref name=RI5/> Sharma largely abandoned competitions,{{efn|name=comp|In a 2011 interview with ''Climbing'' magazine editor Jeff Achey, Sharma said "Personally, that’s not ever really been my deal. I mean, competitions are fun, but 15 minutes after the competition they take the holds off. It's way more important for me to put up new routes and develop my vision in rock climbing. Create a legacy, create something lasting. No one remembers who won the freakin’ World Cup in 1997, but people know who put up ''[[Action Directe (climb)|Action Directe]]''.<ref name=CL30/>}} to focus on "King Lines", a term he adopted for iconic routes that motivated him.{{efn|name=KL}}<ref name=CL30/>  In 2004, Sharma solved the boulder problem ''Practice of the Wild'' {{boulder grade|v15}}, and in 2005 solved the dramatic roof of ''Witness the Fitness'' {{boulder grade|v15}}, followed by redpointing ''Dreamcatcher'' {{climbing grade|9a}}, regarded as one of North America's most iconic sport climbs.<ref name=CL10/> In 2006, he made an early repeat of ''[[La Rambla (climb)|La Rambla]]'' {{climbing grade|9a+}}, and in 2006, after 50 attempts,<ref name=CH/> stuck the [[Crux (climbing)|crux]] [[Glossary of climbing terms#dyno|dyno]] of ''[[Es Pontàs (climb)|Es Pontàs]]'' in Mallorca, the [[Deep-water soloing#Notable ascents and milestones|world's first-ever]] {{climbing grade|5.15a}} DWS route.<ref name=CL10/><ref name=CL20/> Some of Sharma's climbs from this era are in the iconic and award-winning 2007 climbing film, ''King Lines''.<ref name=CL10/><ref name=CL20/><ref name=OUT1>{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]] | url=https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/best-climbing-mountaineering-films-of-all-time/ | first=Andrew | last=Bisharat | date=6 September 2022 | accessdate=18 October 2022 | title=The 20 Best Climbing Films of All Time|quote=Number 11. King Lines (2007)}}</ref><ref name=GR4>{{cite web | website=Gripped | url=https://gripped.com/profiles/watch-chris-sharmas-most-spectacular-climb-es-pontas-remastered/ | title=Watch Chris Sharma's Most Spectacular Climb Es Pontás, Remastered | date=25 April 2021 | accessdate=18 June 2022}}</ref>

In 2007, Sharma moved to [[Lleida]], a town near the [[Spanish Pyrenees]], in [[Catalonia]], Spain,<ref name=CL5/> and over the next five years, created an unprecedented series of new {{climbing grade|9a+}} to {{climbing grade|9b}} sport climbs,<ref>{{cite web | website=8a.nu | url=https://www.8a.nu/news/ondra-and-sharma-totally-dominate-the-9b-stats-28444 | first=Jens | last=Larssen | title=Ondra and Sharma totally dominate the 9b stats | date=8 September 2013 | accessdate=22 June 2022 | quote=Beside Ondra and Sharma, we have not seen any dramatic redpoint progress since 1991!}}</ref> predominantly in Catalonian limestone crags (namely [[Oliana]], [[Siurana (Tarragona)|Siurana]], [[Santa Linya]] and [[Margalef]]), starting with the {{climbing grade|9a+}} classic of ''Papichulo '' in May 2008.{{efn|name=9a}}<ref name=CL5/>  In September 2008, Sharma made a trip back to the United States and climbed the world's first-ever consensus {{climbing grade|5.15b}} route when he freed Randy Leavitt's {{convert|250|ft|m|adj=mid}} bolted route,<ref name=Jumbo/> ''[[Jumbo Love]]'' in [[Clark Mountain (California)|Clark Mountain]] in California.<ref name=CL10/>

=== 2008–2013 (to ''La Dura Dura'') ===
Sharma said that after climbing ''Jumbo Love'', he needed to change his approach.<ref name="interview2013"/>  His previous breakthroughs had been on routes established and bolted by other climbers who had given up on them,{{efn|''Necessary Evil'' {{climbing grade|5.14c}} was shown to him by its creator [[Boone Speed]] (who became a mentor to Sharma), ''Realization'' {{climbing grade|5.15a}} was created and developed by French climbers [[Jean-Christophe Lafaille]] and {{ill|Arnaud Petit|fr}}, while ''Jumbo Love'' {{climbing grade|5.15b}} was bolted by Randy Leavitt who invited Sharma to try it as a potential 5.15b/c.<ref name="interview2013"/><ref name=Jumbo>{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/sharma-working-clark-mountain-mega-proj/ | title=Sharma Working Clark Mountain Mega-Proj | date=9 October 2013 | first=Dougald | last=McDonald | accessdate=18 June 2022}}</ref>}} and now he needed to find his own limit saying: "I wanted to push myself to the next level. Where is that? I had to discover it. That was a big process in itself. So I bolted all these routes [in Spain]. And a lot of them ended up being that next level".<ref name="interview2013"/> The period saw Sharma bolt and free numerous new extreme {{climbing grade|9b}}-graded "King Lines", including ''{{ill|Golpe de Estado (climb)|lt=Golpe de Estado|fr|Golpe de Estado}}'' (2008), ''Neanderthal'' (2009), and ''First Round First Minute'' (2011), each a major project in itself and since regarded as important classics, with Sharma saying "That's the thing about being on the cutting edge. You have to invent it".<ref name="interview2013"/>

In 2011, Sharma invited the then 19-year-old climbing prodigy [[Adam Ondra]], to try an [[Oliana]] route he had bolted in 2009 called ''[[La Dura Dura]]'', which Sharma himself had given up on saying "I never saw myself being able to climb it.", and "I figured it would be for the next generation".<ref name="interview2013"/> For the next year, the two climbers worked the route in a collaborative process that saw Ondra make the first ascent in February 2013, and Sharma make the first repeat in March 2013.<ref name="interview2013"/> ''[[National Geographic]]'' called their collaboration a defining moment in the sport of rock climbing, when the title of "world's best climber" had begun to pass from one generation to the next.<ref name=NG>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/adam-ondra | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723145125/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/adam-ondra | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 23, 2021 | date=13 November 2013 | accessdate=21 June 2022 | magazine=[[National Geographic]] | title=Adventurers of the Year: Climber Adam Ondra | first=Fitz | last=Cahall}}</ref>  Both Ondra and Sharma declared the collaboration to be a very positive experience with Sharma saying post his March ascent: "It was a healthy process for both of us, we fed off each other's motivation and through him, I think I became a better climber myself".<ref name="interview2013"/><ref name=PM>{{cite web| url= http://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/chris-sharma-the-la-dura-dura-interview.html |website=PlanetMountain.com |title=Chris Sharma, the La Dura Dura interview |date=26 March 2013 |accessdate=28 December 2021}}</ref> Their collaboration was documented in ''Reel Rock 7'' (2012), and ''La Dura Complete'' (2013).<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.climbing.com/videos/la-dura-complete-the-full-story-of-the-hardest-rock-climb-in-the-world/ | title=La Dura Complete: The Full Story Of The Hardest Rock Climb In The World | date=26 March 2014 | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] |accessdate=29 December 2021}}</ref><ref name=OUT8>{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]] | url=https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/best-climbing-mountaineering-films-of-all-time/ | first=Andrew | last=Bisharat | date=6 September 2022 | accessdate=18 October 2022 | title=The 20 Best Climbing Films of All Time|quote=Number 6. Reel Rock 7 (2012)}}</ref>

===Post 2013===

At {{climbing grade|9b+}}, ''La Dura Dura'' would hold the rank of "world's hardest climb"{{efn|Ondra confirmed that ''La Dura Dura'' was harder than the world's only other 9b+ route, ''Change'', which was climbed by Ondra in 2013 in Norway.<ref name="interview2013"/> In August 2022, French climber [[Seb Bouin]], frequent climbing partner of Ondra, made the third ascent of ''Change'' and felt that the discovery of a [[Glossary of climbing terms#knee bar|kneebar]] made the grade it {{Climbing grade|9b/9b+}} (5.15b/c), thus making ''La Dura Dura'' the world's first-ever 9b+.<ref name=ClimbingStephenPotter>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/seb-bouin-5-15c-change/ | title=Seb Bouin Gets Third Ascent of the World's First 5.15c | first=Stephen| last=Potter| date=8 August 2022 | accessdate=18 November 2022}}</ref>}} until Ondra climbed ''[[Silence (climb)|Silence]]'' at {{climbing grade|9c}} in 2017, and while Sharma would put up several more "King Lines" over the next 5 years, it marked the high-point in terms of his hardest route.<ref name=CL10/>  In 2015, he freed ''El Bon Combat'', considered at the time to be close to {{climbing grade|9b+}}, and in 2016 he [[free solo|soloed]] ''Alesha'', the world's first {{climbing grade|9b}} DWS route.<ref name=CL10/><ref name=CL5/>  One of Sharma's unfinished  projects was a potential {{climbing grade|9c}} route in Oliana beside ''La Dura Dura'' called ''Le Blond'', named in memory of [[Patrick Edlinger]]; it remains unfinished.<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/people/interview-chris-sharma-talks-le-blond-training-and-5-15d/ | date=21 March 2017 | accessdate=19 June 2022 | title=Interview: Chris Sharma Talks Le Blond, Training, and 5.15d | first=Kevin | last=Corrigan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | website=ClimberNews | url=https://www.climbernews.com/hardest-climbs-in-the-world/ | title=Hardest Climbs In The World: Highest Climbing Grades + Routes | date=29 March 2021 | accessdate=19 June 2022}}</ref> In March 2023, aged 41, Sharma made the first redpoint of ''Sleeping Lion'', a {{climbing grade |9b+}} route beside ''[[La Rambla (climb)|La Rambla]]'' in Spain, which he described as the hardest thing he had done in over eight years.<ref name=CL100/> After completing the second ascent of the route in January 2024, [[Alexander Megos]] proposed that ''Sleeping Lion'' be downgraded to {{Climbing grade|9b}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Deuto |first=Christopher |date=2024-01-18 |title=Alex Megos on the Second Ascent of Chris Sharma’s 'Sleeping Lion' |url=https://www.climbing.com/news/alex-megos-sleeping-lion/ |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=Climbing |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Pardy |first=Aaron |date=2024-01-24 |title=Alex Megos' Second Ascent of Sharma's Sleeping Lion |url=https://gripped.com/video/alex-megos-second-ascent-of-sharmas-sleeping-lion/ |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> At the same time in 2023, noting that neighboring ''Golpe de Estado'' has never had a third ascent, Sharma wondered if it was a really {{Climbing grade|9b+}} graded route, which would have made it the world's first-ever at that grade.<ref name=UKC45/>