We caught up with Sharma long enough to ask him about living with fame, the fine line between the possible and impossible, and his struggles to find balance amidst the never-ending road trip. 

What was the trip to Ceuse last summer all about?
We wanted to shoot a little bit more for King Lines. We were sitting around trying to figure out a place to go. It was summertime so it’s hard to find cool temps or a place to climb hard sport routes, but in Ceuse it’s the best time of year. I knew there were a couple of projects. I told Josh and Corey. I had tried this line six years ago. It was a line that Arnaud Petit bolted. I remember trying it. It had this huge dyno in it. 

When I walked up this time, I saw that maybe the pure line was a direct start. Petit had kind of traversed into the dyno on a line of pockets out right and then left. If you go straight up it takes this beautiful tufa to this thin face and then finishes straight up the dynos. So, I went and rebolted the whole line and started trying it. Coming there I didn’t have any expectations. I just wanted to try some new routes on a really spectacular wall. It turned out be a pretty classic route.  The movement in it was just so amazing. It’s so unique; so few routes have that many jump moves and even the climbing getting up to the dynos is classic. 

Six years ago you sent Realization. The same crew was there for that. Was it pretty cool to be back there with the same crew?
We were there with Dave and Ethan Pringle. We were all there. It was good time. 

Obviously you spent sometime at Ceüse through the years. What makes that place so special? Why do you keep coming back?
It just has spectacular climbing – amazing limestone with holds on it.  It’s got a good approach. It’s just the full experience of hiking and climbing. I just feel really healthy and fit. The cliff itself has these incredible blue streaks and it’s basically on top of a mountain. There are these lines that are just barely possible and then there are all these classic routes from 5.12 to 5.15. It has some futuristic potential for hard projects.