Lowell's King Lines footage is vintage Sharma. Adrift on a giant slate-gray wall punctuated by blue-water streaks, Sharma launches from finger divots that would barely pass as footholds for the rest of us, sighting and then hanging distant pockets. There is something both graceful and barbaric in Sharma's climbing. He couples a child-like playfulness with ferocious grit that leaves even his peers in awe and the rest of us inspired to reach a little higher and hang on a little longer. 

This last 12 months might be Sharma's most productive yet. He ticked La Rambla Direct's (5.15a) second ascent, onsighted 5.14a's at Rodellar, and put up the landmark Es Pontas. Each route seems to lay the groundwork for the next. Even as a self-proclaimed "old man" of sport climbing, Sharma still thinks he hasn't reached his full potential.

"It's all about finding a line that motivates me," says the soft-spoken Sharma. "I'm not the type who can train, be doing something now so that in three months I'll be strong enough to try I route. I just go try a line a million times. The training occurs on the route." This kind of approach demands a nomadic lifestyle, with the destinations dictated by temperature and season. Between red-eye transatlantic flights, he lives out of a small backpack for days on end and spreads a sleeping bag across his friends' floors.

"It might sound like a cliché, but in Chris' case, home has been the road," says photographer and friend Rich. "He doesn't care where he sleeps. What he eats. He has no strict training regime. That's certainly not the norm for professional athletes. It's pretty incredible that he has been able to sustain this." 

For the last decade, we've watched Sharma grow from prodigy into the undisputed king of climbing. It's a role that sometimes seems at odds with his humble demeanor. These days Sharma appreciates his globetrotting lifestyle, but looks forward to a future where he is a little more settled. This fall, he plans on moving to Mallorca to be closer to Europe's famed limestone crags and the futuristic-deep water solos above the Mediterranean's aquamarine waters.