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.”