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FRI NIGHT VID: The Age of Ondra

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 UKC News 11 Oct 2019
The Age of Ondra This week's Friday Night Video follows the world's best rock climber: Adam Ondra. The Reel Rock film Age of Ondra follows Adam as he attempts to redpoint his 9c route Silence, tries to onsight a 9a+ and climb Canada's hardest route in a day. Throughout the film, we find out how Adam maintains and improves his incredible level and what has fuelled him from such a young age.

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 Rad 11 Oct 2019

Like many, I've been inspired and awed by Ondra for a decade or more. Recently, I've been impressed with the way he's developed as a person. He is always making time for his fans and showing respect for the climbing areas, climbers, cities, countries, and cultures he visits. I love that he speaks a lot of languages, including Czech, English, Spanish, some German, French, and perhaps more. He shows a love of learning and a willingness to put the work in to achieve his ambitions. I wondered how he'd handle the disappointment of his Olympic qualification failure in August, given his emotional outbursts of just a few years ago. It was nice to see he didn't blame officials or route-setting or rules and just vowed to work hard to qualify at a later date.  Class. In a world where character seems to matter less and less, I'm glad to see Adam becoming a good example for climbers in what he does off the rock, not just what he does on the rock. 

 TobyA 11 Oct 2019
In reply to Rad:

> I love that he speaks a lot of languages, including Czech, English, Spanish, some German, French, and perhaps more.

I agree with everything else you say about Adam, but that bit above I think just describes your average well educated young (non-British) European person! Not particularly unusual - my better half has Finnish as her mother tongue, speaks English and French fluently, and gets by in Swedish and Spanish. She has even done beginners level Russian and although she claims she can't remember any, she has an annoying habit of reading things in Cyrillic followed by "I think that means...".

I've never been to the Czech Republic but I suspect their language teaching at schools puts ours to shame, most European school systems seem to.

 Wft 11 Oct 2019
In reply to Rad:

Totally agree, he is a fantastic role model for climbing.

 planetmarshall 12 Oct 2019
In reply to TobyA:

> I agree with everything else you say about Adam, but that bit above I think just describes your average well educated young (non-British) European person!  

I may be misremembering but I could have sworn being in a restaurant in Kalymnos and Alex Megos, who was sitting at another table, was conversing with the waiter in what sounded at least to me like fluent Greek.

 AlanLittle 12 Oct 2019
In reply to Rad:

> I've been impressed with the way he's developed as a person. He is always making time for his fans

Can only agree with this. He was the "token non tech inspirational" keynote speaker at a tech conference I attended last year. He did a great talk and then spent a decent chunk of time chatting with people over coffee, including giving a random amateur punter (me) some tips & recommendations about climbing for normal mortals outside the cave at Flatanger. My autographed conference name tag is now pinned underneath my beastmaker.

Also enjoyed Alex Honnold's perspective in the first film: "of course he's going to f*cking climb the Dawn Wall. It's only 5.14d"

Post edited at 10:07
In reply to planetmarshall:

Megos is half Greek.

 TobyA 12 Oct 2019
In reply to Natalie Berry - UKC:

> Megos is half Greek.


So are you saying he is cheating Nat?

I know Megos speaks English well, I bet he's fine in French as well like most educated young Germans seem to be, then probably he picked up Spanish at the crags for chatting up the Spanish sport climbing girls!

My kids are bilingual and never seemed to think about this or even notice it when they were younger, but since we moved to the UK and they started learning (for them a third) language at school they seem to find that as agonisingly slow and uninteresting as I found French and German in the 80s at my comp. Perhaps they've become fully integrated into British life in that they are finding learning another European language an almost insurmountably difficult task (I know you are a linguist, hence the "almost"!).

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 planetmarshall 12 Oct 2019
In reply to Natalie Berry - UKC:

> Megos is half Greek.

The clue was in the name, I guess!

 Doug 12 Oct 2019
In reply to TobyA:

not just the young, almost all the now elderly scientists I worked with from central Europe spoke several languages - German, French & English at least and also Russian for many. Plus their native language. The British & French were the most likely to be monoglots in my experience.

 Robert Durran 12 Oct 2019
In reply to Doug:

> not just the young, almost all the now elderly scientists I worked with from central Europe spoke several languages - German, French & English at least and also Russian for many. Plus their native language. The British & French were the most likely to be monoglots in my experience.

A more positive way to look at it is to just count ourselves lucky that, as native English speakers, there is little need for most of us to learn other languages, freeing up time and effort for learning and doing other more interesting stuff (yes, I know we probably don't do that very well either....... ).

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 Rad 12 Oct 2019
In reply to Robert Durran:

> A more positive way to look at it is to just count ourselves lucky that, as native English speakers, there is little need for most of us to learn other languages, freeing up time and effort for learning and doing other more interesting stuff (yes, I know we probably don't do that very well either....... ).

As Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

It certainly is convenient that a lot of people around the world now speak English, but at the same time we know that this is driving older native languages to extinction. Just communicating in English overseas sends the message that one language and culture is more important than another. I find that learning and trying to use the local language is a great way to connect with local people, enrich travel experiences, and show respect for the people and places we visit.

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 Spanish Jack 12 Oct 2019
In reply to Robert Durran:

That is in fact a very important point, learning out of necessity is way easier than just for fun. At least when we count the continental folk speaking English. Once you understand how to learn one language, the next one becomes easier as well. 

Blanche DuBois 13 Oct 2019
In reply to Robert Durran:

> A more positive way to look at it is to just count ourselves lucky that, as native English speakers, there is little need for most of us to learn other languages, freeing up time and effort for learning and doing other more interesting stuff (yes, I know we probably don't do that very well either....... ).

Jesus, is there any sector of society you aren't snidey about?  People who wear jeans, women, walkers, short people, etc., etc.  Now add to the list polyglots.  

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 Robert Durran 13 Oct 2019
In reply to Blanche DuBois:

> Jesus, is there any sector of society you aren't snidey about?  People who wear jeans, women, walkers, short people, etc., etc.  Now add to the list polyglots.

Do you ever actually try to understand a post before assuming it an attack on someone and responding unpleasantly? To describe my comments as being "snidey" towards polyglots is clearly ridiculous to anyone reading it with any degree of intelligence. 

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 Robert Durran 13 Oct 2019
In reply to Rad:

> As Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

I certainly agree with all of that. But then there's the carbon footprint..........

>  I find that learning and trying to use the local language is a great way to connect with local people, enrich travel experiences, and show respect for the people and places we visit.

That is undoubtedly true, but I just seem to forget words as fast as I ever learn them.

Obviously it is laudable and worthwhile to learn another language, but all I'm saying is that life is too short to do everything, so we have to make choices, and, as English speakers we are lucky enough to feel less compulsion to learn another language than others if other things interest us more.

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 Robert Durran 13 Oct 2019
In reply to Rad:

>  I wondered how he'd handle the disappointment of his Olympic qualification failure in August, given his emotional outbursts of just a few years ago. It was nice to see he didn't blame officials or route-setting or rules and just vowed to work hard to qualify at a later date.  Class.

I don't think any of his outbursts have ever been directed at anyone but himself in anger and frustration for failing. Anyway, along with the snarling and power screams, I love this side of his climbing (it just seems to show how very, very badly he wants to succeed) and I find it extremely inspiring. Of course, not all his emotion is at failures - his wonderful reaction to flashing the 9a+ in the second film was of unbridled joy

Brilliant set of films.

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 J Whittaker 13 Oct 2019
In reply to UKC News:

It could just be me but for some reason i can't watch parts 2 and 3. It just says "Null, if the owner of this video has granted you access please sign in"

 JLS 13 Oct 2019
In reply to J Whittaker:

Not just you. It’s something to do with Red Bull, owners of the content, having put blocks in place.

If you go to redbull.com (under TV) I think you will be able to watch them there...

Post edited at 10:25
 J Whittaker 13 Oct 2019
In reply to JLS:

Excellent, thanks JLS.

J.Corbott 14 Oct 2019

Q: what’s the difference between Ondra and god? 

A: not sure, but am I the only one uncomfortable with this level of ‘worship’? 

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 Puppythedog 14 Oct 2019
In reply to J.Corbott:

What is it that makes you uncomfortable about it? 

 Puppythedog 14 Oct 2019
In reply to J.Corbott:

What is it that makes you uncomfortable about it? 

In reply to J.Corbott:

> Q: what’s the difference between Ondra and god? 

> A: not sure, but am I the only one uncomfortable with this level of ‘worship’? 

Well, for starters, Ondra's existence isn't in much doubt, and you can admire his godlike powers of climbing without having to 'worship' him. 

J.Corbott 14 Oct 2019
In reply to Puppythedog:

The crick in my neck 

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In reply to J.Corbott:

> Q: what’s the difference between Ondra and god? 

> A: not sure, but am I the only one uncomfortable with this level of ‘worship’? 

I don't think God screams while He performs His Works. At least, I've never heard Him!

 Puppythedog 15 Oct 2019
In reply to J.Corbott:

I don’t get it?

J.Corbott 15 Oct 2019
In reply to John Stainforth:

That’s thunder and lightning. I learnt that from mammy in my favourite film Forest Gump

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 Robert Durran 15 Oct 2019
In reply to J.Corbott:

> Q: what’s the difference between Ondra and god? 

Ondra climbs harder.

 ChrisBrooke 15 Oct 2019
In reply to Robert Durran:

> Ondra climbs harder.

After all, what's God ever done on Grit?

(Sorry, I had to.....)

J.Corbott 15 Oct 2019

Everyone carry on then, nothing to see here 

 Robert Durran 15 Oct 2019
In reply to J.Corbott:

> I the only one uncomfortable with this level of ‘worship’? 

I have to confess that the first thing I did on arrival at Ratho the day after Ondra won the European Championship the other week was to go over and touch the very starting holds which Ondra himself had layed his hands on the day before. I felt quite blessed. 

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J.Corbott 15 Oct 2019
In reply to Robert Durran:

You’ve hit on something there. The holds could be sold as relics or magik tokens possibly bringing great powers to those blessed enough to purchase one. This is the basis to a whole new religion 

 Robert Durran 15 Oct 2019
In reply to J.Corbott:

> You’ve hit on something there. The holds could be sold as relics or magik tokens possibly bringing great powers to those blessed enough to purchase one. 

I'll be taking my allum key along tomorrow then.......

J.Corbott 15 Oct 2019
In reply to Robert Durran:

If it’s touched the holds it might achieve semi-relic status itself. I’ve started designing the Ondra chapel with the worlds first 9c shrine. Silence 

 Offwidth 16 Oct 2019
In reply to Robert Durran:

I loved the way when visualising the climb, move by move, he tries to visualise the expected emotions at each point as well. Proper dedication.

 AlanLittle 16 Oct 2019
In reply to Offwidth:

I've heard quite a few times that it's more effective to visualise realistically struggling and fighting rather than imagining yourself serenely floating upwards.

Removed User 16 Oct 2019
In reply to AlanLittle:

I myself like to try and pre-assign suitable curse words for each section of a climb.

 James Oswald 16 Oct 2019

Just tried to watch this and I get the error "unavailable due to copyright claim by sender films".

Anyone else get this?

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 JLS 16 Oct 2019
In reply to James Oswald:

See posts above.


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