Adam Ondra Claims 5.15a/b and 5.14d First Ascents in One Weekend
“It was one of the best days of climbing ever … World record maybe?” he told UKC. With two 5.14b onsights and one 5.14d first ascent in one day, it just might be.
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Adam Ondra, unstoppable as ever, swept through Slovenia and Croatia this weekend in a classic tour de force.
At Slovenia’s Misja Pec Ondra made quick work of Vicious Circle (5.15a/b), which he bolted and projected last spring and fall. The route follows
a left start to his 2008 Sanski Par (5.14d) before pulling into a steep roof finish. The new route is now the country’s hardest.
“[Vicious Circle] weighs in around 9a+/b [5.15a/b]… You climb 16 moves of 8c+ [5.14c] into a bad rest and finish with Sanski Par,”Ondra
told UKC. “In total 30 moves with one bad rest into an easier finish
of another 20 moves.”
A photo posted by Luka Fonda (@lukafonda) on
With one project down, Ondra moved on to Medveja, “a new secret zone in Croatia,” according to his conversation with UKC. After warming up by onsighting
two 5.13b’s, he jumped on The Core, the country’s hardest route.
Klemen Bečan made the first ascent of The Core and proposed 5.14d for the grade. Ondra onsighted the route and downgraded it to 5.14b/c, writing
on his 8a scorecard: “Amazing route for sure, but for me at most 8c/c+.”
He also sent Outdoorfingerspiele to bag his second 5.14b onsight of the day.
To top the day off, Ondra made the first ascent of More (5.14d) in three tries, Croatia’s first and only route of the grade.
“It was one of the best days of climbing ever … World record maybe?” he told UKC. With two 5.14b onsights and one 5.14d first ascent in one day,
it just might be.
Watch Adam Ondra on some of Europe’s lesser-known 9a’s