Alexander Megos flashes Underground 9a at Arco

Yesterday at Massone in Arco German rock climber Alex Megos managed to flash Underground, Italy’s historic 9a established by Manfred Stuffer in 1998.
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German rock climber Alexander Megos. Born on 12 August 1993, Megos shot to fame in 2013 with the world’s first 9a onsight, Estado Critico at Siurana in Spain. After his first 9a+ a few days later - La Rambla on only his second attempt - his first 9b came in late 2015 with his repeat of First Round First Minute at Margalef. The following year he established his own 9b, Fight club in Canada, while 9b+ dates to 2018 with his Perfecto Mundo. In August 2020 he made the first ascent of Bibliographie at Céüse, the second 9c in the world.
Thomas Ballenberger

So there you have it. The route which some time ago was the hardest in Italy, the line that fuelled the dreams of at least two generations of climbers and which all the world’s best have at least given a go, has been pulverised by the man on the moment, Alexander Megos.

Relying on the beta given to him by Cesar Grosso, the German sent the historic Underground in the cool underbelly of Massone at Arco in a brace of shakes, claiming the hardest flash in Italy to date. Initially graded 8c+, over time the route has been upgraded slightly. After his ascent in 2000, Japan’s Yuji Hirayama suggested 8c+/9a, while in 2002 the ace climbers Tomas Mrazek and Christian Bindhammer both suggested 9a

Megos is on fire - last month he established the world’s second 9c sport climb, Bibliographie at Céüse in France, only to make the swift second ascent of the 9a+/b L'étrange Ivresse des Lenteurs a few days later - and obviously the 27-year-old is no newcomer to feats of this sort; in 2013 at Siurana in Spain for instance he became the first person in the world to onsight 9a.

Megos’ flash yesterday proves once again just how far climbing has progressed in the last few decades. Underground was first ascended by Manfred Stuffer in 1998. Megos at the time was a mere five years old.




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