Adam Ondra’s having a reasonably good vacation season on rock. Tuesday, he punched out one of many ‘proudest achievements’ of his absurdly profitable climbing life.
For awhile, it appeared just like the world’s strongest rock climber was both fading or underperforming. Whereas Seb Bouin spent most of 2022 repeating routes at Flatanger, Norway, and in California, and establishing gaudy routes of his personal, Adam Ondra appeared considerably dormant.
Nicely, that ceased to be the case abruptly.
Yesterday, the Czech icon pocketed an onsight of “Water World,” 9a/5.14d in Slovenia’s Osp Cave. The success served to comply with up on a V15/16 first ascent on Nov. 23, and a 5.15c first ascent he referred to as the second-hardest route of his life on Nov. 20.
Describing “Water World” to 8a.nu, Ondra assessed it’s “probably not the toughest” climb on the grade, but in addition gave the opinion that the motion is unobvious.
In the identical 8a.nu publish, the outlet tallied the 29-year-old’s onsights on the 5.14a (8b+) threshold and more durable: 193. The subsequent-closest climber on the checklist? 8a.nu pointed to Piotr Schab, who has 31 — and nil more durable than 5.14b.
“Water World” marks the fourth time that Ondra has onsighted 5.14d, however it’s the primary time he’s pulled it off in 8 years. In 2014, he ticked two onsights on the grade: “Il Domani” in Baltzola, Spain, and “TCT” in Gravere, Italy (which Stefano Ghisolfi had solely just lately completed placing up). His different onsight on the grade is “Cabane au Canada,” although he has “recommended” it is likely to be 5.14c, in response to Gripped.
Ondra can be the one human ever to flash 5.15a. He set that (ridiculously excessive) normal on “Tremendous Crackinette” in Saint-Léger du Ventoux, France, in 2018.
Talking to the situations and character of his “Water World” first ascent on Instagram, Ondra referred to as it a “uncommon second” and “certainly one of my proudest achievements.”
In an article on Explorersweb this spring, I recommended that Adam Ondra is likely to be buying and selling within the limelight for the dad life. As a substitute, he’s dwelling in each worlds fairly comfortably.
