Alex Megos Onsights 5.14b at the Red River Gorge
He adds the Kentucky route to his long list of first-go ascents
Alex Megos recently onsighted Severance 5.14b (8c) in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Severance was established by Jonathan Hörst in April of this year. It is a classic Red River Gorge-style climb: steep, pocketed, and gym-like.
“For all of you who like watching a bit of a ‘left right left right’ on pockets through an overhanging wall,” joked Megos on Instagram about his uncut footage of the climb. Hörst had this to say about the line on his 8a.nu after his FA: “Hard climbing on pockets for the entirety of the steepness. Awkward intro boulder to nice jug pockets to a rad crux boulder. Haven’t seen a boulder like this at the red. Hard to grade, could be [5.14a] but [I don’t know] it took me a good amount of goes.”
Megos has had a good year of hard sends on rock. He started 2025 in Margalef with a first ascent of Tuareg Blanco 5.15b/c and a flash of Mr. Big 5.14d. In Buoux, France, he finished up a longstanding open project, making the first ascent of Le Grand Saccage 5.15a/b. He also onsighted Dévers Sévère 5.14b/c and flashed Agincourt 5.14b and La Chiquette du Graal 5.14a. In Flatanger, Norway he projected B.I.G. 5.15d and redpointed two 5.15a routes, Iron Curtain and Kangaroo’s limb.
Last year, Megos got the second ascent of Chris Sharma’s Sleeping Lion in Siurana in January, downgrading the line from 5.15c to 5.15b. He also ticked two of his hardest redpoints ever with his ascents of Adam Ondra’s Change 5.15b/c and Move 5.15b/c.
