Alex Megos summarizes 2020

Alex Megos is one of the contenders being the 8a Sport climber of 2020. Besides doing the FA of Bibliographie 9c, the 27-year-old has also done nine routes 8c+/9a and harder as well as 25 boulders 8B to 8C. (c) Ken Etzel

Could you please summarize your climbing year 2020?
I started the year training at the gym in January and February. Then I went to Sheffield for the CWIF and right after that, the European championships in Moscow got cancelled. We all know what followed with the lockdowns and the pandemic. Since the Cwif I pretty much only climbed outside and trained not very comp specific. I haven't done speed since February. My year 2020 has been probably exactly what I needed. After my first full comp season in 2019, I felt like being able to dedicate 2020 to rock climbing again was just what I needed. It felt good to be back on rock.

I pretty much went back and forth between the Frankenjura and France for most of the summer to go to Ceüse and to compete in Briançon. After that, I did a couple of trips to Arco and one to South Tyrol. The autumn I spent in Ukraine and I also went to Turkey for a couple of weeks.

Which send was most special for you beside Bibliographie?
Doing the first repeat of L'Etrange Ivresse des Lenteurs 9a+ in Ceüse was special to me. I have tried it a few years ago without chalk and tick marks on the route and couldn't even reach the anchor. The bolts are very far apart and its hard climbing all the way to the anchor high above the bolt. Back then I thought I'll never try again. When I came back to try Bibliographie I wanted to try something else as a side project too and as I pretty much did everything else I decided to try L'Etrange again. Mainly because Stefano Carnati went up to put in quickdraws and he as well left some tick marks. I tried it 3-4 times and then already felt ready to give it some tries. On my 5th try, I fell on the last move. Then after Briançon I came back to Ceüse to film Bibliographie. I still had half an hour before we wanted to start filming and I just put my shoes on and climbed L'Etrange without checking it out again that trip.