Adam Ondra in crushing mode with Font 8C/8C+ and F9a onsight
- Wednesday 30th November 2022
Adam Ondra has a storming week or so making the first ascent of a Font 8C/8C+ and then on-sighting another F9a within days of making the first ascent of Zvěřinec at hard F9b+.
Having made the first ascent of what he believes to be the second hardest route he’s ever climbed, Zvěřinec F9b+ (click here for that report), Adam Ondra made the first ascent of Pohár Nesmrtelnosti (prodloužení) (Cup of Immortality Extension) at Font 8C/8C+ at Moravian Karst in the Czech Republic. Warming up by flashing a Font 8A+, Ondra switched crags and moved to Sloup to find the cave dry, his target a project he’d tried back in the spring. He explains…
“The original boulder problem (8A+ or 8B+ depending how low you start) ends in the middle of nowhere on last hold (which is not really good). Moves are so amazing though that it is still totally worth it. Last few moves to the logical rail from this last hold had been a mystery for a while before I unlocked the sequence with slippery kneebar this spring. Very difficult grade this section on its own, probably something like 8A or 8A+. In order to climb the obvious straight line with amazing flow at 8C/C+, you need to do this funky kneebar section after doing long and tiring 8B+ 💪”
Two days ago Adam was back in action in Osp, Slovenia. His target this time was a popular Klemen Bečan route, Water World (F9a). Describing it as, “One of my proudest achievements ☝️”, Ondra explains how his onsight came about.
“F9a's are still quite rare, F9a's that are good or at least possible to onsight are even more rare. This time it was one of those rare moments when the perfect route, conditions and shape got aligned 💪 An amazing line from @kbecan25 had attracted me for a while, and I am glad I was patient to catch the right moment 👌”
Although Alex Megos was the first climber of onsight F9a when he did Estado Critico in Siurana, Spain in March 2013 Adam Ondra has now onsighted four; Cabane au Canada, Switzerland in 2013 and then Il Domani in Baltzola, Spain and TCT in Gravere, Italy – both in 2014. He also flashed Super Crackinette (F9a+) in St Leger in 2018. Ondra has since suggested that Cabane au Canada might be F8c+ and not F9a.