Ethan Pringle Repeats Jumbo Love (5.15b)
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5/18/15 – Ethan Pringle has done the second ascent of Jumbo Love (5.15b), the Chris Sharma mega-route at Clark Mountain, California. Pringle began working on the mammoth sport climb back in 2007, along with Sharma, who redpointed the climb in 2008. The approximately 250-foot pitch is generally believed to be the hardest sport route in North America.
Pringle, who will turn 29 this month, has returned to Clark Mountain numerous times and has been working on the route off and on this year since March. He climbed the route with one hang in mid-April and worried that the spring weather might soon get too warm for the climb, but on May 17, according to DPM Climbing, he clipped the chains for good.
Pringle has done numerous testpieces around the world, including an early ascent of Biographie (5.15a), the Chris Sharma climb at Ceüse, France, and the Wheel of Life, a massive boulder problem in Australia normally given a route grade of 5.14d or 5.15a. He has also climbed Cobra Crack (5.14b), the vicious overhanging finger crack at Squamish in British Columbia.
This following 3 Strings Media film from 2013 shows Pringle attempting the route.