Megoswad

[jwi]

Alex Megos has done the first ascent of the old Sharma project "Ratstaman Vibrations" at the grade of 9b. Rat staman because it is on Face de Rat, apparently.

Here is Charles Albert and Seb Bouin trying it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IefAza76V70

 

[Kingy]

Awesome! I bet he's playing it safe on the grade...

 

[Duma]

He only says "in the 9b range" on his IG post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgrxsJ0qkKM/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I'd take that as an approximation, but I guess it could be translated as in the 9b grade?

 

[Kingy]

I guess it could mean its most likely 9b but could be 9a+ or 9b+ if his gradeometer is off. Seb looks to find it hard in the vid!

 

[jwi]

He only says "in the 9b range" on his IG post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgrxsJ0qkKM/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I'd take that as an approximation, but I guess it could be translated as in the 9b grade?

As usual, my rôle is to distort facts posted on Instagram.

 

[Simon Lee]

:lol:

 

[jwi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNo8Xd7bANo

 

[SA Chris]

Forgot there was a Megoswad, seen on his FB page

The full ticklist of my three week trip to Margalef:
- The Full Journey 9b (FA)
- Chan Chan Bastards 9a+/b (FA)
- Pink Patatas 9a+ (FA)
- Red Ram 9a+ (3rd go)
- Gancho Perfecto 9a/+
- The Journey P1 9a
- Patatas Pantera 9a (FA)
- Perfecto Passat 9a
- Pink Pantera 8c+
- Patatas el villano 8c+ (FA)
- Patatas Satan 8c+ (FA)
- Off the Tractor 8c
- Patan Satan 8c
- Patan el villano 8c (Flash)

https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderMegosSportler

 

[Kingy]

Incredible ticklist! I wonder who's been chipping Cafe Columbia :spank: Seems like some wierd shenanigans went down on that wall

 

[jwi]

Time to revive?

Interview by Fanatic Climbing about Megos's new 9b/+ in Margalef:
https://fanatic-climbing.com/alex-m...egos-frees-tuareg-blanco-9b-at-margalef-intw/

Sounds like a pure strength endurance test piece!

 

[remus]

@jwi can you work out the joke with the name? I assume there's some spanish subtlety Im missing? It seems like it was called El Touareg Blanco as a project, I wonder if Megos is referring to it differently on purpose?

 

[jwi]

Not at all. The spanish sources refers to the route as Touareg Blanco, which I think is an OK-ish name, (Touareg is a VW model). Tuareg Blanco doesn't seem acceptable to me, but it is apparently Iker Pou's nick-name (it's irony, I assume). Spelling mistakes happen.

(Addendum: My Spanish is really shaky as well and consists of 25% actual knowledge and 75% guesswork based on French grammar and vocabulary with a helping of English vocabulary. )

 

[blaciqui]

My two cents…

Tuareg is a tribe from the Sahara desert, one of their characteristic (probably common with many of the habitants of that desert) is that they wear big turbans.

In the report they say that is a bolting joke. Many people they put their shirt around their face/mouth while bolting because of the dust. I am assuming that’s why they call him Tuareg blanco( white Tuareg) which is a typical comparative joke in Spanish, not sure if you have that in English. It’s like saying “el Obama blanco” o “el Churchill negro”.

Talking about route names the other day I saw that somebody climbed a route called “el subnormal del antihydral”( this one is more tricky to translate).Fuking love it.

Is there not a thread about cool route names?

 

[jakaitch]

9a flash

 

[jwi]

Wow. Looked easy as well.

When it comes to real™ sport climbing (first go, outdoors) there's Adam Ondra, then Alex Megos, then no-one, then no-one, then Schubert I guess, then the other great climbers of 2010s (Patxi, Ramon, Magnus).

O tempora o mores.

 

[Fiend]

O tempora o mores.

Couldn't agree more

 

[remus]

Wow. Looked easy as well.

When it comes to real™ sport climbing (first go, outdoors) there's Adam Ondra, then Alex Megos, then no-one, then no-one, then Schubert I guess, then the other great climbers of 2010s (Patxi, Ramon, Magnus).

O tempora o mores.

Of the 32 times 8c+ or harder has been onsighted 25 of those were Ondra.

 

[lukeyboy]

Of the 32 times 8c+ or harder has been onsighted 25 of those were Ondra.

Completely unsurprising yet still jaw dropping

 

[jwi]

Schubert has flashed two 9as and at least one 8c+ as well. In my book, flashing Xa+ is at least as impressive as onsighting a well-ticked, easy-to-read Xa.

 

[Duma]

That puts the gap between ondra and the rest rather than megos and the rest then surely?

Ondra
...
Megos
Schubert
Patxi etc al.

Also are you saying that the rest of the current crop are worse at OS/flash than the best of 15 years ago? Or just no better?