Jonatan Flor Sends Chilam Balam 5.15a/b, First Climbed in 2003
It was one of the hardest routes in the world when first climbed, originally graded 5.15c
Chilam Balam was famously climbed in 2003 by Barnabé Fernandez at 5.15c, but the few who’ve repeated it have pegged it at 5.15a/b. Jonatan Flor just redpointed the endurance test-piece.
Chilam Balam is located at Villanueva del Rosario in Málaga, Spain, and includes 85 metres of climbing, 235 moves and around 25 kneebar rests.
Fernandez’s grade was far harder than anything that had been climbed at the time. Because he refused to name his belayer or talk to media about the route, many didn’t believe his claim that he climbed it.
Adam Ondra made the second ascent in only three days and suggested 5.15b. About the route, he said, “There are two underclings, the footholds are bad, you need to be fast and at the same time really precise and the move that follows is really powerful. I was really lucky that I didn’t fall there and I couldn’t believe that I latched the two-finger pocket because I was so pumped. But I did.”
It was then repeated by Seb Bouin, Dani Andrada, Edu Marin and Norwegian Sindre Saether in 2019 after 85 days of projecting. It took Flor 20 days of work, and came a few months after he repeated La Rambla 5.15a. Also at Villanueva del Rosario, Flor made the seventh ascent of La Planta de Shiva 5.15b in 2020.
Chilam Balam
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