Astonishing as it may seem, Alex Megos is still yet to climb a confirmed 9b route! Then again, when you can knock out 9a+ on your second attempt, why bother with anything harder? During a recent stop in his native Frankenjura, Alex managed to make the first ascent of 'Supernova' for which he is offering the grade of 9a+/b. The route is located in the extraordinarily steep 'Planetarium' area and took Alex 5 days to complete. If the grade is confirmed, this will be Alex's hardest ascent to date. The young German hasn't been the only one making the headlines. In Norway, both Ethan Pringle and Dave Graham have hopped aboard the send train and ticked the incredibly long Adam Ondra route 'Thor's Hammer' (9a+/5.15a). Meanwhile in Rodellar, para-climbing champion Urko Carmora has repeated the 8a+/5.13c route 'Paideia'. A little further afield, David Lama has established a new 9a route in the Baatara Gorge, Lebanon and a little closer to the ground, Alex Puccio, now well on her way back from injury, has flashed 'Mysterious Ways' (8A/V11) in Rocky Mountain National Park.
To end the week, we've got one of the entries from our Rise of the Drones film competition, featuring US climber Megan Mascarenas bouldering in Yosemite National Park. To watch more films from the festival go to the
Rise of the Drones page
Alex Megos Climbs His Hardest Route To Date | Climbing Daily, Ep. 588