Adam Ondra Climbs Two 5.14d’s While Training for the World Cup
Adam Ondra makes a first ascent of Back Road (5.14d) and a repeat of the the classic Underground, also 5.14d while preparing for the World Cup.
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Although Adam Ondra recently sent two 9a’s—a first ascent in Rovereto, Italy, Back Road (5.14d) and an ascent of the steep classic, Underground (5.14d)—he seems to be paring back his outdoor climbing a little lately. The reason? It could be the hard training he was doing in preparation for this year’s World Cup season. Two weeks ago he told 8a.nu, “Two months of hard training is over, let’s see if it pays off.”
Last year, Ondra made history when he sent La Dura Dura (5.15c) in Oliana, Spain, considered the hardest sport climb in the world. Ondra’s outdoor resume is nothing less than impressive: 906 routes between 5.13b and 5.15c with 413 of those being onsights. But Ondra has also excelled at competitions, becoming the first athlete to win lead climbing (2009) and bouldering (2010) in the IFSC Climbing World Cup.
Tomáš Mrázek climbing the classic, Underground (5.14d) in Arco, Italy, which Ondra repeated on April 19.