Alex Megos Repeats Thor’s Hammer (5.15a), Flatanger Cave
Alex Megos spent a marathon (for Megos) 38-minutes of climbing on his redpoint burn, but after only three days of effort, he made the first repeat of Thor’s Hammer (9a+/5.15a) in Norway’s Flatanger Cave.
Alex Megos spent a marathon (for Megos) 38-minutes of climbing on his redpoint burn, but after only three days of effort, he made the first repeat of Thor’s Hammer (9a+/5.15a) in Norway’s Flatanger Cave.
Thor’s Hammer links the first two pitches of a project bolted by Magnus Midtbø into a 180-foot, overhanging monster. Adam Ondra claimed the first ascent in 2012, calling it 9a+ (5.15a). But he mentioned that the grade could be “easy 9b (5.15b),” on his 8a Scorecard. He gave it the softer grade because it came together quickly for him, he said, and he found better beta than Midtbø.
“Felt harder then the other routes I’ve done in that grade,” Megos posted on Instagram. “Took me three days to link the over 60 [meter] pitch, which is always between 55 and 85 degrees steep!”
Last week, Megos bagged the first ascent of Wunder des Tages (9a/5.14d)—a 60-degree overhanging route in Frankenjura, Germany. The crux move was a dyno off a mono-pocket to the lip of the cave, Megos says.