UKC

Adam Ondra tears up the gritstone in a single day and nearly does Hubble too!

Watch him in this video from Lyon Equipment as he onsights 3 E7s in a day...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68903

In reply to UKC News:

Great effort by such an inspiring climber. The talk he gave in London was great

In reply to UKC News:

onsight or flash?
definitely sounded like some useful beta being shared there!

In reply to nolan:

Almost certainly a flash since Neil showed Adam how cams worked before he set off.

But what has he ever done on North Yorks grit?

In reply to nolan:

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

In reply to UKC News:

It makes one wonder what he could achieve on grit given time to work on it. Burbage Impossible Groove, anyone?

In reply to UKC News: Ondra onsighting E7 is neither unexpected nor surprising, although the I haven't read the story so maybe it probably says that. He onsights 9a so English 6c is, to paraphrase Ben Mooon "approaching a rest".

In reply to UKC News:
I think he's put that one to bed, "What's he ever done on grit" doesn't really apply. Nice job from a top climber!

In reply to UKC News: A fine effort by a great climber which is more than can be said of the video editor as he/she has managed to edit out all the interesting bits of the respective routes.

In reply to CharlieBrown:

Yes. To be frank, it's a ******* insult both to Ondra and the viewers. When you're filming the greatest climber in the world on a grit classic, you don't do that wanky speeding-up-the-film thing. We want to see how he climbs, not whether the editor has some software from fifteen years ago.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

It's a basically a 2 minute promo/advert. Have you considered the film maker might be keeping more footage for a proper film or that maybe that's all the decent footage they were able to get from a few hours of his visit? Are you willing to pay the film maker for a longer more considered piece?

In reply to TobyA:
I think that is the form with Adam Ondra, we have the Wizzard's Apprentice, then the flatanger project.

In reply to TobyA:
'Getting decent footage' involves pointing a video camera at him for ten minutes, which they've done, AND THEN NOT F***ING ABOUT WITH THE FOOTAGE WITH STUPID EDITS, which is the part where they've fallen short. They've taken more trouble than was needed, not less.

If they're going to keep back the un-f*cked-about-with footage for a decent film, all well and good. I'm not holding my breath, though.

jcm

In reply to UKC News:

Interesting that he failed on a UK 8c+ (Hubble, for the third day) while on-sighting 9a in Spain. Yeah he had only 40 minutes but he'd been on it twice before and 8c+ is a grade he has regularly on-sighted now.

Seems by current continental grading Hubble would deserve 9a, making it the first 9a in the world. Ben Moon felt Hubble and Action Directe were the same grade. After making quick progress on AD he pulled a tendon so never completed the route though.

And if John Gaskins graded Violent New Breed at 2 notches above Hubble then that would suggest that its 9b. Done in 2004 would that be the first of its grade in the World too?

Maybe 8c+ is pretty tough with wet holds.

In reply to stp:

>Seems by current continental grading Hubble would deserve 9a, making it the first 9a in the world.

Well, hasn't Ondra said that himself?

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

pretty sure the grade got bumped up in the new guide. dave graham reckoned 9a, adam ondra reckons 9a and he should know!

In reply to stp:

Ondra confirmed it as 9a.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:


I find the prospect of a full length film of Ondra on British rock quite appealing.

In reply to UKC News:

I wonder if anyone explained the whole "what have you done on grit?" thing to him?!

Huh? Adam confirmed the grade of Hubble as 9a, but didn't actually send?

In reply to owensum:

Send what? Is he supposed to be posting something? A parcel?

In reply to owensum:

Yes.

Yup exactly. To send a route means to deliver the goods.

I think Adams pushing his reputation a bit too far here. His opinion on grade is purely speculative at this point.

In reply to owensum:

OK but I bet when he does do it he still goes with the 9a

In reply to owensum:


That Adams... he just can't seem to stop pushing.

Mick

In reply to UKC News:

Is there an unofficial you tube video of Adam Ondra doing these routes, the only version I have seen so far is pants!

In reply to owensum:

If someone hasn't finished a route then their information is incomplete, but not nonexistent. If he's put as much effort in to it as he'd normally put in to successfully redpoint a 9a in a similar style but he still hasn't nailed it then he can reasonably say that in his opinion it's (at least) 9a.

If he'd said that it was at most 8c+ without finishing it then that'd be more speculative... it's the difference between "at most" and "at least".

Oh yeah, and like everyone else has said, impressive day out!

In reply to owensum:

Hi Owen, remember meeting in Bishop? Hope you're well.

I disagree with this myth that you can't hold an opinion on the grade until you've done a route. Looking at your profile for example, it says you've flashed v4 and worked v5. So if you tried a problem graded v4, but couldn't do it that day, you might blame the conditions, it not being your style, general ineptitude etc.. and not question the grade. Trying the same v4 for a second day though, a grade you have flash, and still failing on it, I think would be good grounds for suggesting an upgrade. What if you then went and tried this hypothetical v4 a dozen times without success, even though you had climbed harder grades faster? Sure, it might be down to a specific weakness / height / style issue , but unless you know something I don't, I think we should give the worlds best climber the benefit of the doubt that he would b sufficientlye self-aware of his climbing style to take account of this.

In reply to owensum:

If you read the article which accompanies the video, it does say he hit the last hold 3 times with 10 minutes rest between goes. So although he didn't actually finish the route, I'm pretty sure he's still in a better position than most people to comment on the grade.

In reply to owensum:


He is probably in a better position than anyone else in the world, including those who have actually done it, to grade it.

In reply to Robert Durran:


Well, yeah, but apart from that.

jcm

See also the current DMM film of Alex Megos, where Alex says that the Malham / Raven Tor climbing style - all undercuts and sidepulls, all the time - is unlike anything else in the world.

In reply to Mike Nolan:


Exactly. These armchair gimps, foof.

Its also worth mentioning that he tried the route whilst it was wet.

I think there is a black and white difference between "speculative" and "confirmed". If he confirmed the grade, he would have to have climbed the route.

Speculative can occupy a full spectrum of grey, from me looking at an 8c+ and thinking "blimey that looks hard", to the worlds best sport climber very nearly sending the route after several tries in sub-optimal conditions.

But I maintain that in order to "confirm" a grade, you must send it. You never know, maybe his beta wasn't completely dialed in, maybe a small adjustment on the red point send would make it feel easier. You never know til it goes.

Alright Andy! Thanks yeah doing fine, too bad we couldnt rendezvous at stanage last year. I get your point, I guess Im just being a pedant cos thats what the internet is for

In reply to owensum:


Arguably any grade is only an upper limit anyway, since all the above sorts of things could be true even for a climber who does climb something...

In reply to owensum: You don't have to repeat a route to confirm the grade. If Ondra thinks Hubble is 9a, then it's 9a. He has done more routes of that grade and above than anyone else on the planet. His opinion counts. Yours doesn't.

Andy F