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Said Belhaj is First Swedish Climber to Send 5.15

Swedish climber Said Belhaj has sent Chris Sharma’s 2008 route Papichulo 5.15a at Oliana in Spain. Not only is this his hardest route, but it’s the first time a Swedish climber has ticked a 5.15. Belhaj is 35 years old and has been climbing hard since he was 15. As an onisght climber, he has never put much time into Papichulo but has tried it over the years. Watch this short film about Belhaj training for the one of the most-climbed 5.15s.

In his write-up on his blog here, he wrote, “Since 2008 ”Papichulo”, along with ”Biographie” in Céüse, has become one of the most repeated routes in the 9a+ range in the world. Both were FAd by Chris Sharma and are concidered modern classics. I usually prefer hard routes that are beyond the radar and popularity, mostly because I don’t like standing in line to try. But there is a reason why these lines are so popular: the obvious beauty, the rock quality, the moves and rhythm.”

"All these accidents that happen
Follow the dots
Coincidence makes sense only with you
You don't have to speak
I feel
Emotional landscapes
They puzzle me
The riddle gets solved
And you push me up to
This state of emergency
How beautiful to be!
State of emergency
Is where I want to be."
-Björk
Thanks to my sponsors & Carlos Cabrera for the support, @j0ekinder for convincing me to not show this route any respect, @chris_sharma for his vision and hard work. Full story of climbing "Papichulo" on www.said-Belhaj.com ? @thinline_photography @petzl_official #Petzl #petzlteam @lasportivagram #c2verticalsafety @redbullsweden @lyofood #lyoteam #clifbarsweden @clifbarsweden @verve_climbing #verveclimbing @kaskofsweden #kaskofsweden #climbskin #Oliana #climbing_photos_of_instagram #amuerte

A photo posted by Said Belhaj (@said_belhaj) on

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