Bibliographie (climb)
Sport climbing route in France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bibliographie 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. The route was bolted in 2009 by Ethan Pringle, and was first ascended by Alexander Megos on 5 August 2020. Megos initially graded the route as 9c (5.15d), the highest difficulty at that time. The route was repeated on 24 August 2021 by Stefano Ghisolfi, who graded the route as 9b+ (5.15c), which has become the consensus grade for Bibliographie, making it only the fifth-ever climb in history at a grade of 9b+ (5.15c).
| Bibliographie | |
|---|---|
Sector Biographie on the Corniche de Céûse cliff, which contains Realization and Bibliographie | |
  Map showing the approximate location of Bibliographie | |
| Location | Hautes-Alpes, France |
| Coordinates | 44.49797°N 5.948°E |
| Climbing area | Céüse |
| Route type | |
| Rock type | Limestone |
| Vertical gain | 35-metre (115 ft) |
| Pitches | 1 |
| Technical grade | 9b+ (5.15c) |
| Bolted by | Ethan Pringle, 2009 |
| First free ascent (FFA) | Alexander Megos, 5 August 2020 |
| First female free ascent (FFFA) | Janja Garnbret, 6 June 2026 |
| Known for |
|
As one of the most repeated of the smaller number of 9b+ (5.15c) graded routes in extistance, Bibliographie became a "benchmark" for the techical grade amongst elite climbers, with consensus that it is at the grade (e.g., as opposed to Change whose grade has softened to 9b+/ with further repeats). In June 2026, Janja Garnbret made the first female free ascent of the route, which was only the second-ever ascent by a female at the grade of 9b+ (5.15c).
History
Bibliographie was bolted by the American climber Ethan Pringle in 2009, and it lies just a few metres to the right of Chris Sharma's famous 2001 Realization/Biography route.[1] Megos first started working on the route in June 2017, and was still unsuccessful after a four-week visit in September of that year.[2] In June 2018, after 16 days of work,[1] he freed the 9b+ (5.15c) route Perfecto Mundo, in Margalef, and decided to go straight to Céüse, but again without success.[3] In 2019, he concentrated on climbing competitions and only spent three days in Céüse.[3] During the COVID-19 pandemic, all climbing competitions were canceled, so Megos refocused on Bibliographie again.[3]
On the last day of a trip to the crag, and after having fallen lower down on the route,[4] Megos made the first free ascent of Bibliographie on 5 August 2020.[3][2][4] On 6 June 2026, Slovenian climber Janja Garnbret made the first female free ascent, which was also the second-ever female ascent of an 9b+ (5.15c) route in history.[5]
Grade
Megos spent 60 days working on Bibliographie, which led him to suggest a grade of 9c (5.15d) (i.e. it had taken him much longer than the 16 days needed for Perfecto Mundo, which was by then a consensus 9b+ route),[6] making Bibliographie the second-ever route at the grade, after Adam Ondra's Silence.[2][7] At the time, Megos told Rock & Ice that grading such a route was particularly hard given he started with no beta, and had no other opinions to rely on; he added: "I am very curious about what the future of the route will look like, and grateful for other people’s opinions".[1]
Other climbers unsuccessfully attempted Bibliographie including Jakob Schubert, Stefano Ghisolfi and Dave Graham.[8] On 24 August 2021, Stefano Ghisolfi made the first repeat of Bibliographie but graded the route as 9b+ (5.15c);[9] Ghisolfi had previously repeated Megos' Perfecto Mundo, which was a consensus 9b+, and also Adam Ondra's Change, which was also considered a 9b+ (although later softened to 9b+/).[6] Megos consulted and publicly agreed with Ghisolfi,[10] making 9b+ (5.15c) the accepted grade for Bibliographie;[6] the fifth-ever climbing route to have such a grade.[7][11]
As one of the most repeated of the few 9b+ (5.15c) graded routes in existance, Bibliographie has become to be considered a "benchmark" for the grade of 9b+ (5.15c).[12]
Ascents
Bibliographie has been ascended by:
- 1st Alexander Megos, 5 August 2020.[1][2][3]
- 2nd Stefano Ghisolfi, August 2021.[6][13][9]
- 3rd Sean Bailey, September 2021.[7][14]
- 4th Sébastien Bouin, June 2023.[15][16]
- 5th Jorge Díaz-Rullo, October 2023.[17][18]
- 6th Janja Garnbret, June 2026.[5][12]
First female free ascents (FFFA):
- 1st. Janja Garnbret, 6 June 2026.[5][12]
See also
- History of rock climbing
- List of grade milestones in rock climbing
- Silence, first climb in the world with a potential grade of 9c (5.15d)
- La Dura Dura, second climb in the world to be graded 9b+ (5.15c)
- Realization/Biographie, first climb in the world with a consensus grade of 9a+ (5.15a)
- Action Directe, first climb in the world with a consensus grade of 9a (5.14d)
- Hubble, first climb in the world with a consensus grade of 8c+ (5.14c)