UKC

A video of Adam Ondra attempting a new line he has just bolted at Flatanger, Norway.

If the route is possible, he estimates it might be 9b or 9b+.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67263

In reply to UKC News:

At first glance I thought he was on Mecca

In reply to UKC News:

jeez, pause at 3:01 in. What is that meathook he's holding up?! He's got 5 thumbs.

Cool to see some ultra-hard routes going up on granite

In reply to UKC News:

We sailed up that coast last summer - there is a long line of huge sea caves (well above the sea nowadays) there - the potential is almost endless.


Chris

Rephrase hardest sport route?

In reply to Milesy:

The route with the hardest climbing, then. And by some margin.

In reply to Milesy:

Or just, the world's hardest route.

In reply to Milesy: If it's a route where only one single person (or no-one) in the whole world can climb it, then worlds hardest route seems an entirely appropriate description to me....

In reply to hexcentric:

Technically Hardest Route then?

Could he climb the hardest E trad climb conversely (as it currently exists)? If not would that not make that the Hardest Route?

In reply to UKC News:

The crux where he falls off looks like such 3D climbing. Awesome.

In reply to Milesy:

He probably doesn't give a shit about an 8c+/9a on trad gear half way up a Scottish mountain...

In reply to Milesy:

This has been done many times before, lets not go down that road again.

As his on-sight grade is roughly 8c+ i reckon he could do an 8c+/9a on trad gear quite quickly.People question whether he'd be brrve enough etc but his background of Czech sandstone climbing and ground up new routing a 9a ( drilling on the way ) shows he's got a strong head, which is why i reckon he could.

BUT we'll never know unless he does. End of story.

Not questioning Ondra's ability, the guy is a machine! But the route itself looks crap from what the video shows. Im sure it is well beyond 99.9% of most climbers abilities, but surely difficulty does not dictate the quality of a route.
Unfortunately it seems to be the case with most new groundbreaking routes put up these days, especially within sport cliimbing.
Someone bolts a chossy section of overhanging limestone and gives it a ridiculuous grade, there is probably a reason no one has bolted the line before, becuase the route looks so bad. People seem to have forgotten there is more to climbing than switching your brain off and following a sequence of agony inducing crimps.

Give me some gritstone wierdness any day over this.

Rant Over.

In reply to biscuit:

I am not intending to go down that road again; Just bringing up that it seems short sighted to claim the hardest technical route as the overall hardest.

In reply to Milesy: Never mind that, now I realise that the reason I'm not climbing those grades is that I wear the same type of shoe on both feet.

In reply to Greedotheferret:

It's hard to know where to start with a comment like this. The climbing looked fantastic. Flatanger cave is one of the biggest in the world. The routes there climb interesting features on perfect granite. It simply does not get any better than this. Were you watching the same video?

In reply to JimmyKay: Ridiculous....classic Fred Nicole move but on a route.Very impressive.

In reply to RupertD:

That's why I didn't bother.

In reply to Milesy:

I think you are getting difficulty of route and style of ascent confused...

In reply to JimmyKay:

No I just didn't like the title. It is the hardest sport route.

In reply to Milesy:

So if he was soloing the route in the video, would that satisfy your criteria for World's Hardest Route?

In reply to Milesy:

I have no doubt you're the life and soul of every dinner party :P


As for line of choss, can you even get chossy granite? Seems like a oxymoron.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKC and UKH:
I am aware of the route and its difficulty and of it's significance, it may very well be because I am not climbing anywhere near that level but I just dont find it inspiring. Same goes with a lot of the new ascents in sport climbing. Where as reading about the likes of Jordan Buys,Ryan Pasquill and Pete Robbins are getting up to does make me want to get out and play. I guess it's a question of whats relevant to you I suppose.

In reply to Greedotheferret: Not that im Climbing anywhere near the level of the Climbers mentioned above either

In reply to Greedotheferret:

....and its quality, and yes I have climbed there.

Some of these hard sport climbs, whilst they may not be relevant to you, take stupendous lines of great quality and the utmost difficulty. (some are of course piles, and chipped)

I'm guessing that Adam Ondra's new route described in the news article take a stupendous line of great quality and the utmost difficulty, hard to tell from the video. Ondra will know and I believe what he tells us. And no doubt, very inspiring.

If you are interested, there is more info here: http://www.ethanpringle.com/2012/07/01/flatanger/


Yes, they have done great ascents on grit, slate, granite and limestone. Very inspiring.

In reply to UKC News:
Finally I have something in common with Ondra, I also need to get a bit stronger

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKC and UKH:
I was not going to doubt that you had climbed there... I get the impression that my first comment struck a nerve a little, which was definately not my intention. I was just curious to see if anybody else felt the same. To me ( Im sure I am Wrong in this instance) it seems that a lot of new sport routes seem to put difficulty before quality is all.

That link did make the place seem more appealing, maybe I need to get out and do some more sport climbing on some different rock, it might change my perspective, 95% of my climbing has been done on Grit or slate, and the little climbing I have done on limestone was In some liecestershire quarry where it felt as close as I could get to climbing indoors whilst being outside.


Any recommendations?

In reply to Greedotheferret:


Horseshoe Quarry.

In reply to Kemics:

more like a moron . The eye route from previous video looked like one of the best routes ive ever seen !

In reply to Kemics:

There's loads of the stuff in the Alps!

Agree that the stuff in the vid doesn't look the slightest bit chossy though.

In reply to Greedotheferret:


Brean Down
Ansteys Cove/Torbryan
Finale Ligure
Rodellar
Gorge du Verdon

In reply to Greedotheferret:



France

Spain

Malham

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKC and UKH:
Wow, thanks Mick.
I was being genuine in asking you for recommendations on venues, considering I have never really sport climbed before and you advise Spain or France
Was kinda hoping for something a bit more specific.
Never mind, Il just take a gamble on a crag I guess.

In reply to Kemics:

"As for line of choss, can you even get chossy granite? Seems like a oxymoron."

Yes it can go rotten and even quite big bits with no cracks in can be sort of wobbly and unstable. But it is quite unusual.

Here is an example.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=47518

In reply to Ciro: Cheers Ciro, will have a look see.

In reply to Greedotheferret:

El Chorro
Costa Blanca
Kalymnos
Tonsai Beech
Moon Hill
Majorca
Intake Quarry

In reply to Greedotheferret:

Some choices here for FRANCE:

Ardeche, Actinadas, Les Branches, Gorge du Tarn, Le Jonte, Le Boffi
Cantobre, Thaurac, Hortus, Claret, Russan, Seynes, Mouries, Orgon, Sainte-Victoire
Les Calanques - Les Goudes, Sormiou, Morgiou, Luminy, En-Vau
Toulon Area - Baou de Quatre Ouro, Citerne, Lierres, Mount Coudon, Fenouillet
Châteauvert
Châteaudouble - Marinouns, Baou des Prannes, Rebouillon
Verdon Gorge
Massif de l'Esterel
Gorge du Loup
Saint-Jeannet
Monaco Area - La Trinite, Peillon, Gorbio, La Turbie
Carol, Roquefixade, Roche Ronde, Calamès, Roc de Sédour, Alliat, Génat, Sibada, Baychon, Auzat, Sinsat, Appy

SPAIN
Mallorca, El Chorro, Costa Blanca

Lots here: http://www.rockfax.com/

Get hold of this: http://www.lleidaclimbs.com/

Loads more....have a look around and I'm sure some will recommend crags

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKC and UKH:
Thanks Mick, Appreciated.
I had a trip planned to go to El Chorro in october, but unfortunately friends flaked out right before booking. But Maybe I' ll give some UK sport a go in the meantime (If the weather clears up)

In reply to Greedotheferret:

Weather looking good. Portland is a great spot, but no King Lines!

In reply to UKC News:

Or go to Pembroke if you want quality limestone closer to home.... AWESOME

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKC and UKH:
Thanks again,
for some reason Portland always falls off my radar. But then again living 2.5 hours from any decent rock I always tend to play it safe and stick to the peak.

In reply to Glenn Sutcliffe:

Finally I have something in common with Glenn Sutcliffe...

...etc

In reply to Greedotheferret:

Avon gorge is about as far removed from indoor climbing as I've encountered! Probably doesn't fit the bill as a top-quality limestone venue to travel 2.5 hours for though...

In reply to Greedotheferret:

I agree totally. What does Adam Ondra know about quality of line and rock quality.

In reply to Greedotheferret:

You seem to be having some trouble with this concept, but Flatanger is GRANITE. Grit is far closer in style to granite than limestone is.

In reply to CurlyStevo: Lots of southern Finnish granite can be a little crumbly and the holds rather nasty on the skin. I've seen the worst granite I ever come across on Lofoten though, horrendous experience - trying to climb on ball bearings!

In reply to Greedotheferret:

You don't find this inspiring?

http://www.dpmclimbing.com/climbing-videos/watch/eye-odin-8c-first-ascent

The place is a long way from chossy....it's 3D climbing all the way on solid granite in an amazing location!

In reply to TobyA:

Really? Where? Everything there seemed to be made of amaze-o-rock.

Cornish granite comes in that weird soft crumbly flavour (kaolinised or something) which is awful. Cligga Head seemed to be entirely made of it. Shudder.

In reply to Nick Russell:

I would politely suggest that you need to get out and encounter some more rock!

In reply to UKC News:

Who would one approach to get permission to bolt this crag? I fancy putting some aid routes up

In reply to Flatus Vetus:

Ondra would probably onsight them.

In reply to UKC News: Looks pretty hard to me! Who cares if the route is the hardest this or that....come on it's just an amazing looking cave that most of us if we were strong/good enough to climb at would be inspired by.
It made me wanna try something hard anyway!

In reply to mikekeswick:

Clearly it's the world's hardest. Semantics about the type of protection are irrelevant to the desperate nature of the kinetics.

In reply to UKC News:

Why all the infighting guys?!

A spectacularly futuristic piece of climbing from the best climber of our generation. Amazing.

In reply to RupertD:

UKC being exceedingly strict in its treatment of consistent 'hard route thread trolls' selectively replaces their view of any new impressive vid with a film of someone dogging a f6a chossy roof.

In reply to A Longleat Boulderer:

Surely you meant to say 'the best sport climber of our generation'.

I think the only climber who is so far ahead of the field in his specialist climbing discipline at the moment is Alex Honnold, and his chosen disipline isn't exactly teeming with participants! Also, since Ondra is so outstanding at bouldering as well as sport climbing it isn't hard to see why he's repeatedly being referred to as the best climber. I'd certainly agree with that.

In reply to john arran:

Not forgetting he's no slouch at onsight and competitions as well

In reply to john arran:

Agreed. Alex Honnold is mind bending.

In reply to JimmyKay:

Like.

In reply to Greedotheferret:

In many ways, I share your sentiments, though perhaps not to the same degree.

I was having a chat with friends last night about climbing as a mode of expression. The number doesn't adequately capture what is being expressed. I think that what different climbers express when they are going well, speaks to us in different ways, and will appeal to some more than others.

It is a shame that the rating, the number, is what tends to capture the headlines, more than what inspires the climber - what most of us, I believe, really relate to, the soul of it all, if you like.

Mchaffie's recent ascent of The Meltdown was the most inspiring news item for me, for some time, and it's hard to put a finger on just why that is so. However, I appreciate that Ondra's exploits will be just as inspiring for others.

Dave T.

In reply to DAVETHOMAS90:


Exactly,thats what I don't really get about sport climbing (and because I havent done much of it)
I think it was Pete Robbins who said on Onsight, that when people talk about a sport climb they generally talk about it by grade and difficulty whereas when you talk about a trad route you know it by it's Name and quality of the line. (or something along those lines)
And that hit the nail on the head for me.

In reply to Greedotheferret:

That the same Pete Robins who over the last few years is probably best known for his various sport exploits at LPT and elsewhere?

In reply to AJM:
Im not disputing that this is the case, Im just quoting what he said...

In reply to Greedotheferret:

In a film extolling the virtues of onsight trad climbing, he is hardly likely to say much else. I forget whether it was him I read that is now trying Big Bang but I imagine the history and line of Liquid Ambar for example must have inspired enough...

I do wonder though, as an aside, whether the degree of inspiration you need to get from the line/history/quality of a serious redpoint project would have to be higher than that from a trad route if you are going to invest 5, 10 or howevermany sessions into it.

I certainly couldn't invest that much of myself into something just for the grade, and I don't know I'm that unusual in my sport preferences in that respect. There has to be more than that to keep you going back.

In reply to AJM:
Yeah, there must be something in it I guess, especially so If you have invested the time on bolting it. But as I said iv'e not done much sport climbing so my view is just speculative.

I've had routes on my " wish list" for a couple of years now, and don't want to try them until i am ready, Browns Eliminate for example, Excellent looking climbing, and although I have climbed routes higher in grade, there is something about the route that has held my attention for so long, when i was still struggling on HS routes, that route was my Target I guess you could say. I suppose i need to Man Up! And get my head around the run out up top.

In reply to AJM:

Like figuring out how to and then climbing a great quality but very hard line of rock, let alone puting it up for others to repeat?

Sounds a little like rock climbing to me!