Image Credit: Pavel Blazek
The best climber to ever live, Adam Ondra is an enigma. Nobody in the climbing world would bat an eyelid if you said Adam Ondra was the best climber of all time. In fact, they’d be more likely to if you said he wasn’t. But has climbing reached its summit? Was climbing the world’s first 5.15d (Silence) the beginning of the end for sport climbing?
Born on the 5th of February in the Czech Republic Adam Ondra was on course to be climbing’s best before he even left school. At 13 he climbed his first 5.14d, fast track to 2013 and Ondra had climbed almost every hard route in the world. But conquering sport climbing was just too easy for Ondra. In 2014 he became the first climber to ever win the world championships in both disciplines in the same year (Bouldering and Lead). Today Ondra stands alone on the podium of sport climbing after being the first to redpoint 5.15c (Change) and then, the true crown, Silence (5.15d) in 2017. Ondra's dominance in the sport is staggering.
It seems impossible doesn’t it, after reading that paragraph, that anyone could ever trump Ondra, but that’s what we all said about Sharma. The American sat on the thrown of climbing in the 90s and paved the way for some of the sport's greatest achievements. His ascent of Biographie, the world's first 5.15a, seemed impossible at the time. Biographie was so significant it saw the rise of a technical revolution that Sharma himself ruled for the next decade. But inevitably, his reign ended. After inviting a young climber to help him with La Dura Dura, a Spanish 5.15c set to be Sharma’s crowning jewel, it became clear this young protagonist was set to spoil the party. On the 7th of February 2013 that young climber made the first ascent of Biographie. Who was it? Ondra of course. If you didn’t already, you know now, that Ondra went on to claim climbing’s crown and push the sport into a new frontier. In the early 2000s, no one could top Sharma. In 2022 no one can top Ondra. So, you might think then, that Ondra’s dominance is another fleeting reign. He’s another carrier of the batten in the sport’s natural progression. However, the Cezch has a very real chance of being different.
Sharma never truly mastered the competition circuit. Despite a silver medal in the 1997 world championships, his competition CV has nothing on Ondra’s. To a climber, it's not Ondra’s dominance of lead climbing that’s impressive. Nor is it his dominance of bouldering and competitive climbing. It’s his ability to do them all. Athletes train for years, dedicate their whole lives and lock themselves away to reach the world championships of lead climbing. Yet Ondra turns up, after a season of sport climbing, and takes both the lead and the bouldering gold. A kick in the teeth for every other competitive climber in the world.
For the sake of the sport, I hope I’m wrong. I hope a young climber steps out of the gym they’ve been hiding in and onsights Silence. I hope a new wave of bouldering talent springs up out of nowhere. The fact is though, I can’t see it. Ondra is just too good.
author: Will Heason