Action Directe, World’s First 5.14d, Turns 25
On Sept. 14, 1991, Wolfgang Güllich made the first ascent of Action Directe, the world’s first 5.14d. The route has a 16-move sequence with a crux dynamic move to a two-finger pocket. The route has been climbed with only 11 moves since the first ascent. Watch Adam Ondra send Action Directe:
Bolted on steep wall on the Waldkopf crag in Frankenjura, Germany, by Milan Sykora in the 1980s. The original route traversed in from the right, but Güllich bolted a direct start. The route’s name is said to be a result of the new direct start, but was also the name of a French revolutionary group responsible for assassinations and attacks in France between 1979 and 1987. Watch Dai Koyamada send Action Directe:
The fastest redpoint to date was by Alex Megos, who only needed two hours to send. He has since sent it at least five times, the most by any climber. For an extensive history of the route and Wolfgang Güllich, visit PlanetMountain.com. Of the 20 sends, one has been contested and for most climbers only 19 have sent the route.
Action Directe Sends
1. 1991: Wolfgang Güllich, Germany – First ascent
2. 1995: Alexander Adler, Germany
3. 2000: Iker Pou, Spain
4. 2001: Dave Graham, U.S.A.
5. 2003: Christian Bindhammer, Germany
6. 2005: Richard Simpson, U.K. (contested)
7. 2005: Dai Koyamada, Japan
8. 2005: Markus Bock, Germany
9. 2006: Kilian Fischhuber, Austria
10. 2008: Adam Ondra, Czech Republic
11. 2008: Patxi Usobiaga, Spain
12. 2010: Gabriele Moroni, Italy
13. 2010: Jan Hojer, Germany
14. 2010: Adam Pustelnik, Poland
15. 2011: Felix Knaub, Germany
16. 2012: Rustam Gelmanov, Russia
17. 2014: Alexander Megos, Germany
18. 2015: Felix Neumärker, Germany
19. 2015: Julius Westphal, Germany
20. 2015: Stefano Carnati, Italy
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
