Alex Megos manages the first ascent of The Full Journey (9b) in the Spanish climbing mecca of Margalef. The day before, within a few hours, he landed Off the Tractor (8c), Patan el villano (8c, flash) and Patatas el villano (8c +, FA).
The German professional climber Alexander Megos. is in top form and puts this in Margalef demonstrated in an impressive way. In the sector Raco de la Finestra, where he already played in 2018 Perfecto Mundo (9b +) left a touchstone, he managed the first ascent of The Full Journey.
The Full Journey: Difficult despite a good resting point
Megos already had an eye on the von in April Tom Bolger pierced line thrown. "I knew that despite the good snap-in point at the deflector of the first part, it wouldn't be easy to put the two lengths of The Full Journey (9b) together."
In his first week in Margalef he was able to repeat the first pitch. It took another six days of trying before he was able to add the second part. The first pitch of The Full Journey (9b) is pure endurance, mostly on two-finger holes, with a hard one-finger pull in the middle, says Megos. "In the second part, a boulder awaits with a pretty nasty dead point move into a one-finger hole and a few more hard moves."
"In the second part, a boulder awaits with a pretty nasty dead point move into a one-finger hole and a few more hard moves."
Alexander Megos.
Hard hole climbing: Exactly Megos' style
Alexander Megos describes the difficulty of his most recent first ascent as follows: "If there weren't a good resting point between the two lengths, the route would definitely be next level." But even with the rest she is still tough enough. That's why Megos suggests grade 9b as an evaluation. "Both parts suit me quite well in terms of style, so I'm curious to see what repeaters say about the difficulty."
"If there weren't a good resting point between the two lengths, the route would definitely be next level."
Alexander Megos.
Successful day in new sector
The fact that Alexander Megos is currently quite strong was already evident the day before when Tom Bolger showed him a newly developed sector. Within a few hours he got the repetitions of Off the tractor (8c) Patan el Villano (8c, Flash) and the first ascent of Patata el Villano (8c +).
What the physical condition of Alex Megos is due to can only be guessed at. The joint training with Christopher Hanke certainly contributes to it. And as the most recent video of the two shows, Megos also "optimized" some weight before he left for Spain.
That might interest you
- Route Setting in the Crossfire – Does Competitive Climbing Have a Problem?
- Bibliography climbed on Kilterboard | Video with Megos, Hanke & Midtbo
- Alexander Megos as a guest in the studio | Action Talk TV
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Credits: Cover picture Meri Mendez
