Es Pontàs 5.15 DWS Repeated by 2 Crushers
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Es Pontàs, often hailed as one of the most iconic and audacious rock climbs in history, is a 20-meter (66-foot) deep-water solo (DWS) route on a stunning limestone sea arch off the coast of Mallorca, Spain. Darius Rapa and Sam Richard both just repeated it
First attempted by legendary American climber Chris Sharma in 2004 after being shown the line by local pioneer Miquel Riera, it traverses the severely overhanging underbelly of the arch from base to apex, featuring razor-sharp crimps, desperate pinches, and two massive dynos—jumps spanning up to seven feet—over 35 feet above the churning Mediterranean Sea. In 2005, Sharma established a variation called Pontax (graded 8c/5.14b) with an easier exit, but the full direct line proved far more elusive, demanding months of obsessive projection amid jellyfish-infested swims and relentless falls into the sea.
Sharma's triumphant first ascent came in September 2006, after over 50 failed dyno attempts and countless plunges, earning it a retroactive grade of 9a+/5.15a—the world's hardest DWS at the time and one of the earliest routes at that elite level overall. Captured in the acclaimed 2007 film King Lines, the send not only cemented Sharma's status as a visionary pioneer but also skyrocketed the popularity of DWS, transforming it from a niche Mallorca pursuit into a global discipline.
Remarkably unrepeated for a decade until Slovenian Jernej Kruder's 2016 ascent, it has since seen just two more sends—by Jan Hojer in 2018 and Jakob Schubert in 2021—solidifying its reputation as a "King Line" of unparalleled beauty and brutality.
Christian Core, who took the above photo, said, "I used three flashes and one incredibly strong powerful lamp. One flash behind the left big rock, showing the arch. The guy low on the left keeps the lamp, otherwise Darius in the dark wasn't seeing the rock and holds. Darius was climbing without any lamp, we used one powerful on the left holder by the guy. It was late, at the beginning of stars, around 8 pm. It was and incredible team work with everyone, I loved every second."
Chris Sharma FA