Chris Sharma is undoubtedly the strongest and most famous rock climber of his time. For the past decade, he has consistently redefined the boundaries of his sport, and, at 25 years old, the Santa Cruz, California, native embarked on a new quest to seek the planet’s greatest uncharted climbs. His first stop, in September 2006, was off the coast of Mallorca, Spain, where, without a rope, he climbed a spectacular route on a massive rock arch surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. This deep water solo tested Sharma time and time again over the course of several visits.

When interviewed during filming in Mallorca, Sharma deemed the route, which he named Es Pontas, more challenging than all the climbs he’d ever done. “What makes this climb so difficult is that you’re upside down, you’re hanging on your arms and on your fingertips the whole time,” Sharma said. “On top of that the wall is absolutely blank for seven feet. You have to actually just leap through the air and stick another hold.” That critical hold is just the size of three of Sharma’s fingers, and that explosive upward leap, on the underbelly of a steep overhang, is, Sharma said, “a pure, all-four-points, cut- loose dyno. I’ve probably tried that move a hundred times.” Every time he missed the one handsized pocket, he plummeted 50 feet into the sea below.