{"id":5731,"date":"2023-01-17T21:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/?post_type=relatos&p=5731"},"modified":"2025-12-15T20:29:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:29:20","slug":"alex-megos-bibliographie-interview","status":"publish","type":"relatos","link":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/relatos\/alex-megos-bibliographie-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Bibliographie \u2013 The Alex Megos Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Alex Megos<\/a> clipped the chains of Bibliographie <\/em>on August 5th, he finished an uncharacteristically-long journey, which he wasn\u2019t sure he\u2019d ever complete. But it wasn\u2019t the end goal that truly mattered. Through the experience, he says, he learned to love the process instead of chasing the send like a carrot on a stick. The fact that he also made history by establishing the second 9c\/5.15d in the world, after Silence<\/em>, was only a bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His longest project to date, the German climber dedicated approximately 60 days over the past three years to work the steep and sustained, 35-meter line next to the famous Biographie<\/em> at C\u00e9\u00fcse, France. \u201cTrying it over the past three years, I definitely did have some doubts whether I would be able to climb it or not,\u201d he says. The route stacks a 9a (5.14d) on top of a section of 8b+ (5.14a), with an 8A+ (V12) crux in the middle. Lacking good rests, it\u2019s a feat of endurance to link it all together from the ground. \u201cIt took me about three years to get past the boulder problem, with some beta adjustments and everything,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then I still fell seven times this past week in the upper part.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the evening on the last day of his trip, he pitched off relatively low on the route compared to his previous high points. \u201cIt definitely wasn\u2019t looking good,\u201d he wrote on Instagram<\/a> following his ascent, but still he decided to give it an infamous \u201cone last go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI passed the crux in the middle of the route, and found myself on the poor rest before the final hard section,\u201d Megos wrote. \u201cTwice prior to this burn I had fallen on the last hard move of the route, so I wasn\u2019t feeling super confident. Nonetheless I started off after the rest with full pace and only briefly slowed down to adjust one hold and to get it perfectly. I passed my \u2018trouble move\u2019 seemingly effortlessly and despite being completely pumped out of my mind, I was able to pull off the sequence of the last four moves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Megos suggested a grade of 9c (5.15d) overall, given the difficulty and level of effort required compared to Perfecto Mundo (9b+\/5.15c)<\/a><\/em>, which makes Bibliographie the world\u2019s second climb of the grade.

\u201cIndependently from the grade, this has been a very valuable experience for me. It marks a personal milestone in my climbing life, one I would have not been able to complete without the support and help of all of my friends and family,\u201d he wrote. \u201cDeep gratitude and thanks goes to all of you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spoke with Megos to learn the details about Bibliographie<\/em>, how he stayed motivated for so long, and what he learned from the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q&A with Alex Megos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When did you first try the project, and what was your first impression?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tried the project for the first time in June 2017 when I was there on a trip with Miguel Casar<\/a>, a friend of mine from Mexico, and Liam Lonsdale<\/a>, a friend of mine from the U.K. On that trip, we spent a week in C\u00e9\u00fcse and I tried the project for around six days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I went up it for the very first time, I realized that it was possible, but thought it would be super hard. I couldn\u2019t do all of the moves. There were a few crux moves in the middle of the route, which I couldn\u2019t do on the first two or three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us more about the climb, the style, and the movements of the route.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route is located in Biographie sector of C\u00e9\u00fcse, directly to the right of Biographie <\/em>itself. It\u2019s around 35 meters long, and has about 28 meters of hard climbing, with 60 hard moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first part of the route is relatively juggy, but with very big moves. I would say, up to the crux in the middle, the route is about 8b+ [5.14a]. There is one rest in the first part, but 10 moves before the crux. Then, about halfway up, there\u2019s the boulder problem in the middle, consisting of four moves. I would say the boulder problem itself is around 8A+ or V12, maybe, but it\u2019s always hard to say how hard boulder problems are on routes. After that, it felt to me that you still have to climb 9a [5.14d] to the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the route is very consistent\u2014there are no real, good holds\u2014and it takes a lot of endurance. There\u2019s one poor rest about 15 moves before the last hard move, but that\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSometimes the odds are against you, but it doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t have a chance.\u201d \u2014 Alex Megos, feet cutting, run out, and in the crux of one of the hardest routes in the world. Photo: Ken Etzel.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re known to flash or send routes very quickly, and you spent far more time on this climb than any other previous project. Why did you dedicate so much time to this one? What kept you so motivated?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I usually don\u2019t project for that long, but this line, from the first day when I started trying it, was absolutely amazing. It\u2019s my style of climbing. I really enjoyed the moves, I really enjoyed working on it, and that\u2019s why I stuck with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In your Instagram post<\/a>, you mentioned Bibliographie<\/em> required more specific training than Perfecto Mundo<\/em>. In what ways, and how did you train for it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I wanted to say in my post was that I actually specifically trained for Bibliographie <\/em>whereas for Perfecto Mundo <\/em>I pretty much didn\u2019t do specific training. Perfecto Mundo <\/a><\/em>I did in 2018<\/a>, and I drove from a bouldering world cup in Switzerland straight to Spain and then tried it. So, beforehand, there wasn\u2019t really any specific training going on. Whereas for Bibliographie <\/em>I always dedicated some time before my trips to C\u00e9\u00fcse to train endurance. I didn\u2019t really train for the specific moves\u2014I didn\u2019t build any replicas of any sections\u2014but I focused more on endurance training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You also wrote that this was a valuable experience for you, independently from the grade. How so? What did you gain or learn from the overall experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it was a very valuable experience for me because, like most climbers, I\u2019m very goal oriented. I usually want to climb something, I put in the work, and I\u2019m always focusing on the send. But with this project, I didn\u2019t necessarily believe all the time that I could actually climb it. I was much more focused on the process than the end goal\u2014that\u2019s what I had to learn. With this project there were times where the goal seemed absolutely irrelevant and the process was all that mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWith this project there were times where the goal seemed absolutely irrelevant and the process was all that mattered.\u201d\u2014 Alex Megos<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


Do you think 9c+\/5.16a is humanly possible, and if so, possibly within your reach?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, of course 9c+ is humanly possible. It\u2019s only one grade harder than what people have climbed to date, so technically it should be possible. Whether it\u2019s possible for me or not, it\u2019s hard to say. I wish to believe that I could climb harder than Bibliographie<\/em>, but who knows?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the moment there is no next. I think it all still depends on how the current situation is going to play out in the next few months and whether there will be further travel restrictions due to coronavirus. So, for the moment I am quite satisfied, and I\u2019ll just go and climb a little bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, the big question\u2014Are there any other vegetables for power, or just carrots?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, other vegetables give you power, too, but carrots are just the best. It\u2019s like with colors, you know? Other colors are beautiful, but yellow\u2019s just the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Putting in the time\u2013Megos trains during an off day from climbing. Photo: Ken Etzel.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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