The Climb was an 8-episode reality TV series that pitted 10 amateur climbers against each other in multiple climbing scenarios and styles. The winner received $100,000 USD and a $100,000 USD sponsorship from outdoor gear producer, prAna. The show starred professional rock climbers Chris Sharma and Meagan Martin and featured actor Jason Momoa.
Momoa met Sharma in the mid-1990's while boulder climbing at Hueco Tanks, TX. The Climb is a collaboration between Sharma, Momoa's production company, On the Roam, and the Intellectual Property Corporation. [1] HBO Max greenlit The Climb in July, 2021. [2] Climbing locations included Mallorca, Wadi Rum, and Barcelona. [3]
Season 1 aired on HBO Max in January, 2023. The ten episodes featured amateur climbers Robyn Ragins, Cat Runner, Alice Hafer, Dominique (Dom) Barry, Tiffany Soithongsuk, Andre (Deco) Braga, Bradford (Brad) Burns, Mario Stanley, Maiza Lima, and April Welch. Cat Runner won the grand prize after outclimbing Dom Barry. [3] [4]
Episode Number | Name | Original Air Date | Location | Climb Type | Eliminated |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Deep Water Solo | January 12, 2023 | Majorca, Spain | Deep Water Solo | April Welch |
2 | The Precipice | January 12, 2023 | Majorca, Spain | Free Climb | Maiza Lima |
3 | High Ball | January 12, 2023 | Albarracin, Spain | Bouldering | Mario Stanley |
4 | The Cave | January 19, 2023 | Albarracin, Spain | Free Climb | Brad Burns |
5 | First Ascent | January 19, 2023 | Wadi Rum, Jordan | Free Climb | Tiffany Soithongsuk Deco Braga |
6 | The Crack | January 19, 2023 | Wadi Rum, Jordan | Crack | Alice Hafer |
7 | The Spire | January 26, 2023 | Barcelona, Spain | Multi-pitch | Robyn Ragins |
8 | El Diablo | January 26, 2023 | Majorca, Spain | Deep Water Solo | Dom Barry |
Season 1 was criticized on climbing websites for various reasons, including: choice of climbing destinations; rating of difficulty of climbs; editing the video footage of climbs; placement of anchors; the presentation to the audience of how difficult/easy climbing is; and when climbers chastised Deco for not finishing a climb after realizing he had qualified. [5] However, the show was also praised for things like: presenting many different types of climbing; blending a competition with an easy-to-watch-and-understand TV show; showing the camaraderie between climbers; and showcasing Chris Sharma. [6]
Although Momoa appeared in each episode, it was noted that he wasn't present during the climbs due to the need for hernia surgery. [7]
Solo climbing, or soloing, is a style of climbing in which the climber climbs a route alone, without the assistance of a belayer. By its very nature, it presents a higher degree of risk to the climber, and in some cases, is considered extremely high risk.
Sport climbing is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber clips into pre-drilled permanent bolts for their protection while ascending a route. Sport climbing differs from the riskier traditional climbing where the lead climber has to insert temporary protection equipment while ascending.
Chris Omprakash Sharma is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of Realization/Biographie, the world's first-ever redpoint of a consensus 9a+ (5.15a) graded route, and ushered in what was called a "technical evolution" in the sport. Sharma carried the mantle of "world's strongest sport climber" from Wolfgang Güllich, and passed it to Adam Ondra.
Realization, also called Biographie, is a circa 35-metre (115 ft) sport climbing route on a limestone cliff on the southern face of Céüse mountain, near Gap and Sigoyer, in France. After it was first climbed in 2001 by American climber Chris Sharma, it became the first rock climb in the world to have a consensus grade of 9a+ (5.15a). It is considered an historic and important route in rock climbing, and one of the most attempted climbs at its grade.
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Deep-water soloing (DWS), also known as psicobloc, is a form of free solo climbing where any fall should result in the climber landing safely into deep water below the route. DWS is therefore considered safer than normal free solo climbing, however, DWS brings several unique additional risks including trauma from uncontrolled high-speed water entry, injury from hitting hazards above and below the water while falling, and drowning in rough or tidal seas, and is thus considered riskier than normal bouldering.
Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series Baywatch: Hawaii (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the Syfy science fiction series Stargate Atlantis (2005–2009), and Khal Drogo in the first two seasons of the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2012). He went on to play the lead roles in the Discovery Channel historical drama series Frontier (2016–2018) and the Apple TV+ science fiction series See (2019–2022).
Leo Houlding is a British rock climber and mountaineer.
Climbing is the human activity of ascending a steep object with the hands and/or feet.
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