UKC

Less than two weeks after making the fourth ascent of Change (9b+), in Hanshelleren Cave, Flatanger, Norway, Alex Megos has made just the third ascent of another Adam Ondra Flatanger testpiece, Move, 9b+.

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It’s interesting how people’s views can change, only last year in an interview on The Struggle podcast he said: “I feel like if the first ascent of a route has been done without a knee pad, then that’s the style we should try and repeat it in”. 

I wonder how many people felt like their efforts were being looked down on by him only to now see him doing the exact same thing.

Is that a direct quote? I remember him commenting something like that, but he posted something on a similar topic where he says

So I always interpreted his view to be critical of people using new methods/tech to make things easier, but then still taking the original grade without comment.

Here, with regards to Move, he has acknowledged how the kneepad helped, and adjusted his grade opinion accordingly, while respecting Adam's original decision. His view may have changed, but I'm not sure it's changed much/he's not being particularly hypocritical.

Yes if you go on YouTube and search ‘Alex Megos knee pads’ you’ll find the clip from The Struggle podcast.

Why would anyone think their efforts were being looked down upon by him or anyone else? And who gives a sh1t anyway? He had an opinion. If his opinion has changed, then I'd say that was a good thing, given that only trying to attempt classic routes using the technology and the norms of the day is fundamentally pretty limiting. That's not to say that the style something was first done in shouldn't deserve respect, especially if it's harder than using more modern techniques, but living in and perpetuating the norms of the past is a road to nowhere.

Agreed.

And in the struggle podcast clip, he goes on to say about preserving style of FA: "Obviously most people don't want to do that, that's fine". Don't think he was really looking down on anyone!

Changing ones opinion in order to learn can often be refered to as growth. But when a person "from youtube", which prior opinion got recorded for replay does it, screw him!

Think also, he might thing that in Flatanger adapting the style of kneebaring is nearly as essential as on tufa, but on other oldschool climbs where it ends up being a kneescum, when it was climbed for decades in the old style, it changes the character of the route.