Alex Megos has just made the second ascent of “King Capella” in Siurana, Spain. The route was first climbed last March by young Brit Will Bosi and was his first 9b+ / 5.15c.
Alex has spent the past few weeks in Siurana, which is home to some of the best high grade routes in the world. He’d already “checked out” the route straight after Will’s first ascent. Last year he said he’d made all the individual moves but not linked them so he was sure to return.
It took Alex nine days of attempts and he hasn’t yet commented on the grade. However, he did say he used “slightly different beta than Will – taking a very wide pinch, which felt a little easier to me than what Will did. He couldn’t do the move the way I did it though, so I guess it’s personal preference. Very curious to hear what other people think!” – Insta Post
That seems to be a polite way of saying he found it easier than Will and would probably give it a lower grade – but also that consensus is the best way of getting a grade written in stone. Will said he took about ten sessions and used the famous “La Capella” route just to the right to judge the difficulty.
Alex has since posted up a full uncut video of the route in 4K – though it’s still hard to make out where the actual holds are before he touches them.
Will Bosi made history by being the first British climber to achieve the 9b+ grade when he climbed “King Capella” back in March 2020. The route was originally bolted by David Brasco who has also bolted many great routes in the area. It would be good if the grade holds up, though we’d expect others in this popular area to give it a crack during the cold season.
“King Capella” is a short and sharp route – literally as Alex found when he got two gushing splits trying it. It’s a 15 meter set of stacked boulder problems on very small and sharp crimps that Megos says suited him well. It’s one of just six 9b+ routes and is one of the hardest climbs in the world.
Photos courtesy of Esteban Lahoz and Jenya Kazbekova.
