Adam Ondra, deservedly psyched. Photo: Instagram
Czech phenom Adam Ondra has completed the second ascent of the Dawn Wall, the 5.14d route on Yosemite’s El Capitan regarded as the most difficult free climb on earth. The 23-year-old, who is thought to be the world’s strongest climber, topped out Monday.
What’s most astonishing about the ascent is that it took Ondra — a sport climber who rarely climbs traditional routes and had never been to Yosemite — a scant eight days of effort to free climb the wall’s 32 pitches. By comparison, Tommy Caldwell, the route’s author and, along with Kevin Jorgenson, its first ascentionist, spent eight years searching for a path up the blank wall. They spent 19 days attempting to climb it without falls. When they did that successfully in January 2015 it was considered an historic accomplishment, a feat at least as important as the first ascent of El Capitan itself in 1958.
Earlier this month, the fact that Ondra was traveling to Yosemite, possibly to attempt the climb, made headlines. Until now, his schedule at university has made extensive travel difficult. So most of his career has been spent sport climbing in Europe, for example establishing some of the world’s hardest clip-ups in a cave in Flatanger, Norway. But like climbers the world over, Ondra eventually made a pilgrimage to Yosemite Valley. After warming up on easier climbs, Ondra jumped onto the Dawn Wall, immediately doing battle with the bouldery, insecure climbing and struggling to keep his skin intact.
For over a week now, Ondra has kept his social media followers rapt with his unlikely progress on the excruciatingly thin, technical route, located to the right of The Nose, the obvious prow in the center of El Capitan. The Dawn Wall is littered with sharp holds, Byzantine sequences, questionable protection and huge fall potential. The route has seven pitches of 5.14, 12 pitches of 5.13, and the remainder clock in mostly at 5.12.
Ondra’s sponsor, Black Diamond, posted an emotional note about his historic ascent on Instagram (above): “Thank you for showing us what’s possible once again. Through your hard work and determination, we’ve been able to witness another groundbreaking milestone in the world of climbing.” Indeed, the bar was raised this week.
Ondra, on the Dawn Wall:
Another shot of him on the iconic route:
