Chris was born in Santa Cruz, California (USA) in 1981. He started climbing at
12 years of age, won the National Bouldering Championship at 14, and just a year later made the first ascent of ‘Necessary Evil’ 5.14c (8c+) the first route of this grade in the USA and the hardest in the country at the time. In 2001 he made the first ascent of the Ceuse (France) project, Biographie, renaming it ‘Realization’ and thus establishing the world’s first 9a+ (5.15a). Since then Chris has never stopped pushing the limits in creating routes of outstanding character and difficulty — ‘Jumbo Love’ and ‘Golpe de Estado’, both 5.15b (9b) and ‘La Dura Dura’, 5.15c (9b+), being just a few of his most memorable achievements.
Highlights
La Dura Dura – 9b+ (5.15c) Second Ascent
El Bon Combat – 9b/+ (5.15b/c) First ascent
Jumbo Love – 9b (5.15b) First Ascent
Golpe de Estado 9b (5.15b) First ascent
Neanderthal – 9b (5.15b) First ascent
First Round First Minute – 9b (5.15b) First ascent
Fight or Flight – 9b (5.15b) First ascent
Stoking the Fire – 9b (5.15b) First ascent
Realization – 9a+ (5.15a) First ascent
Papichulo – 9a+ (5.15a) First ascent
Demencia Senil – 9a+ (5.15a) First ascent
Pachamama – 9a+ (5.15a) First ascent
Power Inverter – 9a+ (5.15a) First Ascent
Catxasa – 9a+ (5.15a) First Ascent
La Rambla – 9a+ (5.15a)
Dreamcatcher – 9a (5.14d) First Ascent
Era Vella – 9a (5.14d) First Ascent
Alasha – 9b (5.15b) Deep-water solo route. First ascent
Es Pontàs – 9a+ (5.15a) Deep-water solo route. First ascent
Practice of the Wild – V15 (8C) First Ascent
Witness the Fitness – V15 (8C) First ascent
Catalan Witness the Fitness – V15 (8C) First ascent
