Could Chris Sharma Become an Olympic Climber at Age 47?

Last fall, I started hearing rumors that Chris Sharma was trying to qualify for the Olympics. I immediately wondered: Isn’t he too old? Not like, actually old, but Olympic old? Then again, Lindsay Vonn had recently announced that she was reemerging from retirement to vie for a spot in the 2026 Winter Games (when she would be 41 years old).

Then, in June, the Climbing Gold podcast shared an interview with Sharma about his Olympic aspirations. It turns out the first person to send 5.15 was indeed eyeing a go on the world stage in his late 40s. But while the interview aired on June 13, I knew that it had been recorded months earlier, because it was prior to the April announcement from the International Olympic Committee that the disciplines of Lead and Boulder would be split for the 2028 Games.

So was Sharma still considering a path to the 2028 Summer Games? And what does the road to Gold (or just Team USA) look like for this legend? We caught up with Sharma from his home near Barcelona, Spain, where he waxed poetic about why the Olympics would be a “full circle” moment. He also got honest about whether he thinks he has what it takes, revealed his current project, and explained why—above all else—he exists to “keep the psych alive.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

Climbing: Where are you at in your journey to the Olympics? Are you still on that trajectory?

Chris Sharma: I’ve been climbing for 32 years now. I competed at the Nationals last October. It was really cool to be there and interact with all the climbers. I thrive on being in the mix. When I see a group of strong climbers, I want to see what they’re doing. It gets me fired up.

Being at the Olympics was super inspiring. I just want to be a part of that. I competed a couple of times. To be surrounded by other people that are climbing at a very high level is super motivating. The best way to get better as a climber is to climb with other people that are climbing at even higher levels than you.

Climbing: What was it like re-entering the competition climbing world after such a long period away?

Sharma: It was my first opportunity to be in that world in a long, long time. My first national competition was when I was 13, but I won the Nationals when I was 14 years old back in the day. It was like 1995. I competed in World Cups when I was 15 and 16, and I felt like I’d gotten that experience. I was kind of happy to move on with other things in climbing. But definitely climbing being recognized as an Olympic sport—it’s something I never had the opportunity to do.

It would be amazing to be there. There’s a really high level [in competitive climbing] right now. I’m not sure if I’m capable of qualifying. [pauses] Although I do think I’m capable, to be honest with myself.

Climbing: What is the biggest thing holding you back from really trying to qualify for the Olympics?

Sharma: One of the challenges is that I’m juggling lots of different things. I have a family and two young kids and a business. I built an amazing climbing gym, so I have this amazing training facility. Right now, it’s summertime and I’m all over it. But when the team trials came around, it was the middle of March and it was perfect weather to go rock climbing out here in Spain—I have these amazing projects I’m super inspired by. It’s really hard for me to drop that and fly across the world to compete at this team trial event.

It was great to take the temperature, see what the new style of routesetting is like. In general, it’s a style that I could get better at. I have the facility to do that, which is super cool. But yeah, the challenge is I still love rock climbing so much.

Climbing: When do you think you’ll make a decision on whether to keep pursuing the Olympic team?

Sharma: I’m not forgetting about it. I’m definitely keeping it as a possibility, nor am I sacrificing the other things that I want to do in my life. I was actually planning to compete [in Lead] in Salt Lake City next month for the National Cup Series, but I might not have to as far as being able to qualify for the next Nationals and team trials. I may or may not decide to do that event, depending on family schedules and everything.

Climbing: If you don’t come to Salt Lake City in August to compete in Nationals, what would be the next event you’d need to hit to qualify for the Olympics?

Sharma: The team trials, so 2026 is an important year for that. I don’t think I could sacrifice the time on the rock. It’s always worked for me, more or less, to do things my way and mix it with rock climbing. Ultimately, the most important thing is to keep the psych alive, right? That’s the key. Hopefully, that will coalesce with qualifying for the Olympics.

Climbing: How does a path toward the Olympics help you keep the psych alive?

Sharma: To be in California, where I’m from, almost 40 years after I started climbing—that would be an incredible, full-circle experience. But, I’m not dwelling on that too much. I’m not sure if I’m that committed. I’m open to putting myself in the position where it could possibly happen. So, why not? I’m not writing it off or writing it in. I’m just continuing to follow my path as a climber and see where that takes me.

Climbing: What would an Olympic bid do for your climbing?

Sharma: The main thing is just to continue to grow and progress as a climber and be involved and interact with the new generations of climbing. It’s a positive thing for me, but I think it’s also a positive thing for them. Like when I was there at the Nationals, getting that chance to interact was really cool on both sides. If I’m going to be there, I want to climb. I love watching, but I would rather be climbing.

Climbing: It’s like reverse mentorship, where you can feed off the stoke of the next generation.

Sharma: Yeah it’s cool in a way. It’s a healthy exercise. As we go through life, we build up these images of ourselves. It can be vulnerable to go back into that arena. There’s definitely a level of freedom to approach it in a way where you’re fine with whatever happens. I don’t really feel that much pressure. If I don’t do good then it’s not the end of the world.

I don’t feel like people are going to look at me too differently. But there’s always going to be a level of ego involved in whatever we do. We want to approach things in a fresh way, coming from an authentic, inspired place. I don’t want to recapture my 20s or something like that. I’m in a different place in my life, but I feel kind of liberated to have the opportunity to get fresh motivation and inspiration from this new generation. To be able to be a part of that and maybe still be at a level where I can actually partake is incredibly inspiring.

Climbing: What inspires you about returning to this arena of competition?

Sharma: Doing those couple of events and just being at the Olympics reminded me that you are directly sharing your climbing with a large group of people. Most of the time, our climbing takes place in these remote locations—thankfully, it’s like that. But to do that live and direct in front of an audience is a very potent feeling. It’s cool to interact face-to-face with people—the crowd, the other climbers, especially in an age where so much of everything is virtual, right?

To be able to be in the flesh and blood with people and share our passion of climbing together is a very cool experience.

Climbing: It’s cool that the pressure of competition and performing in front of a live audience seem to be such a positive thing for you, since it can be a challenge for younger climbers earlier in their careers where so much is riding on their performance.

Sharma: Yeah, but at the same time, climbing is a pretty clear life path of mine. It’s certainly how I define myself. And in that sense, you want to do a good job. You want to do yourself justice. So I definitely don’t want to just flail around. You want to go there and do what you know you’re capable of doing.

That’s the cool thing, too, about a competition—it brings things to a head. When you go out climbing, you’re like, “Oh, maybe today, or maybe next week.” It’s like, “No, it’s today.” It often brought out a positive side for me. So in the past, I have thrived on that pressure more than I’ve felt the negative effects of it.

Climbing: What about competing alongside climbers that are a couple decades younger than you—does it make you feel younger or older by comparison?

Sharma: Both. It’s cool that I can still hold my own in some ways. Obviously, when I talk to these different climbers, we’re back in isolation and they’re in a completely different place in their life than I am. But climbing is cool like that. More and more, we’re seeing that you can continue to climb at quite a high level late in life. Climbing is our shared language. It’s like when you go to a foreign country and meet people that might not speak the same language, but you connect. Being able to climb together with the new generation of climbers is super inspiring. It’s just cool to continue to be a part of the evolution and play a role in whatever way.

Climbing: If you could go back 30 years into your brain as a 14-year-old, what would surprise you most about where climbing has ended up today?

Sharma: Definitely just to see how it’s grown. It was such a niche activity back then and now everyone knows about it. That’s really neat to see. When I won the National Championships when I was 14, I thought maybe that was as good as it was going to get and it was going to kind of fizzle out from there. Thirty years later, I’m still at it and going hard. I didn’t expect that.

Climbing: You’ve got a couple retreats coming up in Spain—one showing climbers around your favorite routes in Catalonia, and one focused on deep water soloing, which has this allure, especially for anyone who’s never done it before. What would you say to someone who’s never tried deep water soloing about why they should give it a go?

Sharma: Deep water soloing is such an esoteric type of climbing that most people don’t really know much about. They see it and they’re like, “Wow, that’s amazing.” I’ve basically dedicated the last 20 years to it. Whenever I have the opportunity to initiate someone into that world, it’s really cool. Oftentimes, I’ll be climbing side by side with them on these retreats or whenever groups of friends come out from California. We’re way off the deck cruising around and we’re literally having a conversation on the wall together. Obviously, deep water solo implies being on your own, but oftentimes it’s actually together. Seeing the look on their face—they’re in this totally unique position they’ve never been in before. It’s an opportunity for people to experience climbing like they never have before.

Climbing: How does your experience and mindset in comp climbing contrast with what you get out of deep water soloing?

Sharma: It’s the exact opposite. It’s complete freedom—totally abstract. There aren’t even any real routes to follow. It’s just a blank canvas. And it’s totally spontaneous and just very natural. I think it’s more free than any other type of climbing. Usually, when I’m sport climbing as well, I’m working towards these objectives, these projects, and it feels like I’m on a mission or something. I have this goal. And I do on deep water solos as well, but a lot of the time, I’ll just be moving around, just enjoying moving on the wall. Coming from Santa Cruz, combining the mountains and the ocean is the ultimate thing for me.

Climbing: Aside from your Olympic aspirations, do you have any projects you’re working on right now?

Sharma: I’m really focused on just trying to enjoy life and enjoy climbing. I have one project that I’m looking at right now. It’s about 200 feet and it’s about 60 degrees overhanging.

Climbing: Does your project have a name or a grade yet?

Chris Sharma: It doesn’t have a name. It’s a route in the Santa Ana area and I’ve been working on that this year with Matty Hong. That’s something I’m really fired up about. Most of what I’m doing these days is climbing locally because as far as juggling my climbing and family life, it makes a lot more sense to do day trips. I live in a place where there’s world-class climbing within a couple hours’ drive. I did a really amazing new deep water solo last December called Vision Quest (5.14d/9a). That was one of the hardest deep water solos I’ve ever done.

Climbing: What about on the business side—any new ventures or films you’ve been working on?

Chris Sharma: I’ve spent a lot of time over the years producing the show The Climb and doing this climbing gym business and stuff. These are all amazing things, but ultimately they take me away from being able to go climb. The true luxury of free time to just go climb is priceless. I’m 44 and I can still push my limits—I want to use my time to do that and enjoy it along the way.

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