Chris Sharma Climbs Super High DWS in Spain
Chris Sharma helped put the sport of deep water soloing (DWS) on the map with his big climbs in Southeast Asia and Europe.
In Mallorca, where featured limestone walls rise from the sea, 36-year-old Sharma has opened a new 5.14+ he calls Big Fish.
Sharma noted on social media after his climb, “Yesterday I was able to complete a new psicobloc (DWS) line in Soller, Mallorca that I’ve been eyeing for many years. It’s one of the most aesthetic, biggest and hardest deep water solos I’ve ever done.”
You can see photos of the crux sequence that is well over 20 meters high by scrolling through the photos below.
In 2006, Sharma made the first ascent of Es Pontas, which climbs a big arch over the sea in Majorca. Earlier this year, he made the first ascent of Pont d’Arc in Ardeche, France, at 5.14.
In 2016, he made the first ascent of Alasha in Mallorca, which he described after, “If it had bolts on it, it probably wouldn’t be a 9b (5.15b).
“But when you’re 20 metres up with no bolts, it takes the same amount of effort.” The route is named after his daughter. Watch Sharma in this 2016 film about DWS.
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