Olympic medal or 9c? Alex Megos’ dual quest

It’s almost warm in Arco, and the olive trees of Massone provide welcome shade for the climbers who are still numerous during this off-season. There are Italians, of course, as well as the elite group of climbers sponsored by the American brand Patagonia, which is currently organizing a gathering of its athletes there. While Sean Villanueva climbs (without roaring this time) with Luka Kranj, the most British of the Chamonix rope teams, Matt Helliker and Jon Bracey, test the columns of Massone. Dörte Pietron and Laura Thiefenthaler climb the pitches as if they were preparing for an expedition to Patagonia.

We also meet quite a few Germans who find this a year-round climbing spot not too far from Munich. The Bavarian capital is less than a four-hour drive away. The Frankenjura is barely further, especially in a Golf R from Erlangen. It is from this temple of German climbing that Alex Megos hails.

Lake Garda, fall 2025. ©Ulysse Lefebvre

The iconic climber in the yellow T-shirt is no exception to his rule today. He arrives a little late. The mark of a star? More likely a sign that the super-strong climber has once again pushed himself to the limit and taken his time on an extreme route, in this case Excalibur, the famous 9b+ in Arco, first climbed by Stefano Ghisolfi in the winter of 2023, then by Brooke Raboutou last spring, making it the first 9b+ in women’s climbing. Megos’ fingers are still warm.

Alex Megos’fingers after attempting Excalibur (9b+) in Arco, Italy. ©UL

The latest news about Megos, who is currently cutting back a little on his climbing time, is the publication of his autobiography Frei am fels, or “Free on the Rock” (published by Edel Sport, in German only for the moment). One question comes to mind almost naturally. Thirty-two is a bit young for a biography, isn’t it? “Yes, of course…” he smiles. “But there will surely be other chapters.”

This book is a kind of freeze frame at a moment when one of the best climbers of his generation takes stock of his younger years. It must be said that what really made him stand out was twelve years ago, with the first 9a onsight in climbing history, Estado Critico in Siurana. He was only 19 years old.

As for writing it himself, Megos is very clear: “Absolutely not! I can barely write,” he says with a laugh. Then he clarifies: “Andreas Thamm wrote it. Someone who doesn’t come from the world of climbing. And that was important. He didn’t have the filters of climbing. “ So instead of writing, Megos talked. A lot. ”On the phone, by email, in person. He asked me lots of questions, then sent me the chapters. I corrected them and approved them. In six months, the book was finished.” And that was that.

You’d think it was just a minor detail for him. In fact, he has planned everything so that promotion takes up as little of his time as possible: “I’m going to the Frankfurt Book Fair [editor’s note: the world’s largest book fair], but after that I’ll do everything online. There’s no way it’s going to take away from my climbing time!”

A yellow T-shirt with anti-gravity powers. ©UL

From birth to the Olympics

The overall angle of the book is fairly classic: “It starts with my childhood and my early days as a climber. Then come the highlights of my life and career. The story ends in the book with the Paris 2024 Olympics. Finally, I talk about the projects that are driving me at the moment.”

The Paris Olympics, precisely: what memories can he have of them, having failed to reach the final in the lead climbing event after a slip that was as unexpected as it was irreversible? “It’s a good memory, even though I messed up. I thought I had a chance… A week after the competition, I would have said it was a bad experience. But looking back, I had a great team experience with Yannick (Flohé) and Lucia (Dorfel) in a good atmosphere. It was better than in Tokyo, because at the time, there were no spectators due to COVID.”

The Massone cliff: sun on the rock and shade of its olive trees. ©UL

9C social club

The 9C is perhaps even more important than for other climbers of his (high) level. Need we remind you that he was the first to propose this extreme rating with Bibliographie, in Ceüse in 2020. But the route was downgraded by Stefano Ghisolfi to 9b+. Megos then went from being the first climber to free a 9c to being, still today, one of the top climbers who has not achieved this ultimate grade. Will he join Ghisolfi, Ondra, Schubert, and Bouin in the very exclusive circle of 9c climbers? We will no doubt find out in the next chapters.

Even though he is trying his hand at B.I.G. in Norway, Megos seems more interested in the idea of checking off his own 9c. And for that, there is the Frankenjura: “I’m aiming for a line that was equipped about twenty years ago. It has never been freed, and I’ve just found an alternative foothold to the one usually used in the crux. That could be the key to freeing it.“ The route has no name because ”You don’t name projects in Bavaria until you’ve succeeded!” Megos is working on it. He may even have already found a name for it.

I can’t help but ask him for his opinion on his closest competitors, those who make headlines in the media and tackle the world’s most difficult routes.

Since we’re talking about the French, what does he think of Seb Bouin? “Seb has incredible endurance and motivation to try his projects over and over again.”

Jakob Schubert? “An Austrian machine with incredible strength.”

Adam Ondra? “Not the strongest physically, but an unparalleled perfectionist with an incredible ability to adapt and make the most of his abilities.”

Stefano Ghisolfi? “A friend. I was invited to his wedding. He’s also a monster of endurance, left, right, left, right…”

And what about his own qualities? “I’m the best, of course!” says the man wearing a drachma bearing the image of Alexander the Great around his neck. No, I think I’m mainly very flexible as well as powerful.”

Alex confides his desire to return to Pic Saint-Loup to try Wolf Kingdom, Seb Bouin’s 9b+. Hearing him talk about his extreme projects, one wonders if he still enjoys climbing below 9a. “Of course! When I arrive at a climbing site, I climb all the routes from 8a to 9a. But I’m not just looking for difficulty, I also really like historic routes.”

So what does Alex Megos do when he’s not climbing? “Fingerboarding!” he replies without hesitation. In other words, finger pull-ups… to improve his climbing. And when he’s not training, he manages his YouTube videos and his small wooden hold company, which is halfway between climbing holds and artistic carpentry. In short, Alex Megos is a man with a busy schedule, driven by his passion for climbing in all its forms.

In fact, he has to go. If he can protect the skin on his fingers, which has been badly damaged by Excalibur (even a small 6c just to take three action photos for Alpine Mag is already too much), he has another idea in mind for the next few days in Arco, which is not necessarily any less challenging: Beginning, a 9a+ route, again by Stefano Ghisolfi, the local climber. He will climb it a few days after our interview.

All that remains for Megos is to set his own extreme route or shine in the most prestigious competitions. These may be the last few pieces missing from his dizzying list of achievements. But the German also knows that it’s very risky to chase two rabbits at once. Between an Olympic gold medal and a 9c, he’ll probably have to make a choice.