Jernej Kruder Repeats Chris Sharma’s Es Pontas 5.15
Jernej Kruder has made the second ascent of Chris Sharma’s Es Pontas 5.15. The steep route climbs an arch rising from the sea in Mallorca. Sharma never suggested a grade, but 5.15b is a possibility.
Kruder made the second ascent of Pontax 5.14b, which is the direct finish of Es Pontas a few weeks before. Both routes went 11 years without a second ascent. After Kruder sent, many top climbers congratulated him on Instagram, including Sean McColl and Jan Hojer.
Below is clip of Kruder working the big moves of Es Pontas, which was featured in the film King Lines as the “king line.” One of the cruxes is a big dyno 10 metres above the water. It took Sharma over 100 attempts to stick the dyno and Kruder stuck it on his first try. He noted that during his projecting, he didn’t stick the dyno every attempt. Below is a near miss.
Sharma is currently projecting a potential 5.15d called Le Blond in Oliana, Spain. Watch Chris Sharma on Es Pontas below.