A top European climber has showcased his skill at the start of an exciting UK tour by completing a notoriously challenging route in northern England.
Alex Megos ascended the iconic Peak District sports climb, Sean’s Roof in Blackwell Dell, which is graded an “expert” 5.14a (or 8b+).
The 31-year-old from Germany said: “The route only has about seven or eight moves but it was harder than I expected.
“The wet conditions did not help. In the end, it was a classic climb and very good.”
He used a technique known as lead climbing, with a rope for safety, on the huge overhanging limestone boulder located at the side of a busy road.
You can watch Alex's successful attempt here...
What is Sean's Roof?
It’s almost 30 years ago that British rock climber Jerry Moffatt, now 61, recorded the first climb of Sean’s Roof, which was then graded at 5.14b. It was later sightly downgraded to 5.14a.
The second person to successfully complete the same route was Mark Leach, another of Britain's top climbers in the 1980s, some three years later in 1988. Unlike Jerry and Alex, Mark climbed without ropes and, at the time, it was acclaimed as the world’s hardest free-solo route. Free-solo means climbing without routes, or bouldering.
Who is climber Alex Megos?
Alex, who started climbing aged just six, specializes in sport climbing, bouldering and competition climbing. By the age of 10, he was ascending multi-pitch routes of up to 1,000ft (300m) with his dad.
He is now renowned worldwide for his gutsy route ascents and has successfully competed at European, world and Olympics level.
In 2013, he became the first climber to on-sight (this means climbing the route first time and without previous attempts) a 9a (5.14d) graded route. He has made the first free ascent of some of the hardest sport climbing routes in the world, including two 9b+ (5.15c) routes Perfecto Mundo in Spain and Bibliographie in France.
Alex has also climbed in the La Sportiva Legends competitions, scoring a win in 2018. He holds the high point of the Black Diamond Project, which is considered one of the world's hardest indoor routes.
His UK tour is called Road Rage and will comprise a series of YouTube films about climbs in famous and off-piste areas.
He said of Sheffield and the Peak District: “This is one of the most iconic climbing spots of the past and present.”
