La Dura Dura

American climber Chris Sharma had been pushing the standards of sport climbing, freeing Realization in 2001, the first consensus , and then freeing Jumbo Love in 2008, the first consensus . Sharma bolted La Dura Dura in 2009, saying: "If you're going to spend so much time on something, the line must really be worthwhile and it's difficult to find something that is at your limit and also fits your style"; and also, that "it was a beautiful, if blank-looking, streak of blue and white limestone". Sharma did the second ascent on 23 March 2013. Ondra said that Change suited his style better and only took him five weeks to complete, whereas La Dura Dura was "more straightforward climbing, but you really need to get everything wired 100%", and that: "I'd say that for me La Dura Dura is a better achievement because it fits my style less". which was subsequently updated in 2013 to include their ascents (reissued in 2014 as La Dura Complete). Both Ondra and Sharma declared the collaboration to be a very positive experience with Sharma saying post his March ascent: "I'd practically written the route off and when we decided to work it together he [Ondra] brought it back to life. It was a healthy process for both of us, we fed off each other's motivation and through him, I think I became a better climber myself". == Route ==

The most technically difficult part is the first 10-metre section, which Ondra and Sharma described as "really bouldery" with 15 moves that would constitute a climb on their own. Ondra described this first section as requiring big reaches on crimpy holds and underclings, which lead to a "huge span rightward onto a crimp, and dyno from there onto a good hueco". In all, Ondra broke this first section into four separate boulder problems, that a separated from bolt-to-bolt, with approximately four moves for each one of them, and that had respective bouldering grades of: , , , . After the bouldering section is a 10-metre section with a 4-metre climb to a kneebar, which Ondra described as "super-awkward and tricky" and "Not a proper no-hands rest, but it is possible to cool down a little". After the kneebar, the next 6-metres are described as "really intense", with "a shoulder-breaking dyno into big reaches on pinches and crimps with two 'stop' moves right below the jug". Both Ondra and Sharma took many falls in this section. This is the halfway stage but with the cruxes and hardest parts completedthe final 20-meters is at . ==Legacy==

La Dura Dura became the world's first repeated and thus confirmed climb (Ondra's Change was recorded as the first 9b+, and that route was not repeated until 2020 by Italian Stefano Ghisolfi who confirmed the grade); and for years it was listed as the "world's hardest climb" (Ondra had said it was harder than Change), In August 2022, French climber Seb Bouin, and climbing partner of Ondra, made the third ascent of Change and felt the discovery of a kneebar graded it (5.15b/c), thus making La Dura Dura the world's first 9b+. The climbing media have speculated on why La Dura Dura had not had a third ascent (even by 2022, when the 9b+ route from 2020, Bibliographie, was repeated twice). Outside called the effort a "near Shakespearean drama". == Wildfire ==

On 19 June 2022, a wildfire broke out in a nearby field that badly affected the Oliana crag that holds La Dura Dura with reports of holds breaking off and lower sections completely destroyed; the full extent of the damage is as yet unclear. However, in a series of Instagram posts released in early 2024, Chris Sharma indicated that he had resumed his efforts on his longstanding project "Le Blond." Despite Le Blond being immediately adjacent to La Dura Dura on its right, no mention was made of damage to the crag. == Ascents ==

La Dura Dura has been ascended by: • 1st Adam Ondra, 7 February 2013 • 2nd Chris Sharma, 23 March 2013 ==Filmography==

• Ondra and Sharma's 2012 attempts: • Ondra and Sharma's 2013 ascents: ==See also==