Gripped Magazine
Sachi Amma Climbs Chris Sharma’s Sleeping Lion 5.15b
On March 15, Japanese climber Sachi Amma redpointed Sleeping Lion 5.15b (9b) at the El Pati crag in Siurana, Spain. Opened by Sharma in March 2023, Amma’s ascent is the line’s fifth. The route is characterized by stacked double-digit boulder problems separated by poor rest positions.
Sharma originally proposed 5.15c (9b+) for Sleeping Lion. His first ascent came nearly 10 years after he completed his first 5.15c, La Dura Dura in Oliana. Alex Megos made the second ascent of the route in January 2024, instead suggesting a grade of 5.15b. “In the end it took me 8 days and I would suggest [5.15b], as both the [5.15c’s] I did took me at least twice as long,” said Megos. “Very happy to hear what other repeaters will say in the future!” Jorge Díaz-Rullo made the third ascent a month after Megos, believing the route to be hard 5.15b. Stefano Ghisolfi made the fourth ascent of the route in March last year, also calling it 5.15b.
“Sleeping Lion felt like a massive mirror reflecting the emotions hidden deep inside me,” said Amma. “Anger, sadness, loneliness. But also joy and excitement. The route has been a significant journey for me as a climber. In early March, heavy rains soaked Siurana, and at El Pati — where Sleeping Lion is located — water seeped down the cliff for ten days. As the end of my trip quickly approached, I kept my eyes on a single ray of light.
“Then came March 15. The sun came out, the wall dried, and a strong wind blew. It felt strange. I deeply believed it was time — that I could climb Sleeping Lion. Late in the evening, close to sunset, surrounded by friends who had supported me all along, and warmly watched by climbers from around the world who had gathered at the base, I completed Sleeping Lion. It felt as if the entire valley — the whole world — was celebrating with me.”
Sleeping Lion joins Amma’s long list of other hard sport climbing ascents. In 2019, he redpointed Sharma’s Stoking the Fire 5.15b at Santa Linya. The year prior, he made the first ascent of Soul Mate 5.15b near Tokyo. Back in 2015, he clipped the chains on Sharma’s Fight or Flight 5.15b in Oliana.
Alex Megos on Sleeping Lion
Jorge Díaz-Rullo on Sleeping Lion
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