In 2023, Chris Sharma climbed Black Pearl, the hardest deep water solo route of his career. His new video shows him making the first ascent on the cliffs of Port de Sóller in the DWS hotspot of Mallorca.
A “progress in the field of deep water soloing” was called Chris Sharma at that time the route Black Pearlafter he finally succeeded in making the first ascent of his Kingline in November 2023.
Now shows a Video on Reel rock previously unreleased recordings of the now 43-year-old, as he moves step by step, session by session through his Deep Water Soloing Project struggles – and in doing so, takes more than a few involuntary dips.
Truly one of the best routes I've ever climbed.
Chris Sharma on Black Pearl
Dyno-Crux in a two-finger pocket
The 40-meter-long tour is located on the cliffs of Port de Soller on the northwest coast of Mallorca. Very close are Es Pontas (9a +) and Alasha (9a) two of the hardest DWS routes in the world.
Black Pearl, which has only been climbed by Sharma so far, might be even a bit harder. The US climber and regular Mallorca resident invested a full four years in his masterpiece.
In the video, you can follow Sharma's journey to freeing his most difficult DWS project to date – including numerous falls during the crux jump into a two-finger pocket.
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Credits cover photo: Chris Sharma