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Ondra Impresses Again

12 June 2012

Once again Czech climber Adam Ondra has been pushing at the boundaries of sport climbing with a new 9a+, another onsight 8c+ and coming within a whisker of onsighting one of climbings most iconic sport routes.

The new 9a+ was a project at Ceuse bolted by Sylvain Beissier and then attempted by French climbers Sylvian Millet and young talent Enzo Oddo both of whom have repeated Realization/Biographie 9a+ at the same crag. Ondra required 3 days of attempts before success on 'Jungle Boogie'. In an interview with Planetmountain.com he describes the route as '16 meters of non-stop climbing, followed by another 12 meters of easier terrain... the first section climbs micro holds without any rests. You need to climb it as quickly as possible, it's a real sprint, and I fell twice off the last hard move which I thought was absolutely impossible to fall off!' Ondra feels the route is a similar grade to 'L'étrange Ivresse des Lenteurs' a hard 9a+ that he established on the same cliff in 2010.

Only a day after that first ascent Ondra attempted to onsight the signature route of Ceuse, and perhaps world sport climbing, Biographie/Realization. This line was initially bolted by French alpinist Christophe Lafaille, with the first section being climbed by Arnaud Petit at 8c+. The full route was eventually climbed by American Chris Sharma, after several years of efforts, and renamed Realization. One of the world's first 9a+s the full line is now often referred to as Biographie. Ondra made it through the first 8c+ section onsight and only fell on the upper crux within metres of the route's end.

A few weeks later Ondra visited the French crag Entraygues where he redpointed Con de de Choc 9a and then onsighted Deltaplane Man Direct 8c+. This is his ninth 8c+ onsight. 


Jagged Globe