Adam Ondra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Adam Ondra

Ondra in 2018
Personal information
Born	(1993-02-05) February 5, 1993 (age 32) Brno, Czech Republic
Education	Masaryk University
Occupation	Professional Rock Climber
Height	186 cm
Weight	70 kg
Spouse(s)	Iva Ondra
Climbing career
Type of climber	Sport Climbing Bouldering Competition climbing Big wall climbing
Highest grade	Redpoint: 9c (5.15d) On-sight: 9a+ (5.15a) (as flash) Bouldering: 8C+ (V16)
Known for	First to climb consensus sport 9b+ (5.15c) and 9c (5.15d) First to flash consensus sport 9a+ (5.15a) First to win the World Championship in bouldering and lead climbing in single year First to win the World Cup in bouldering and lead climbing
First ascents	Silence (9c, 2017) La Dura Dura (9b+, 2013) Change (9b/9b+, 2012) Terranova (V16, 2011)
Medal record Men's competition climbing Representing  Czech Republic World Championships Gold 2011 Arco Overall Gold 2014 Gijón Lead Gold 2014 Munich Bouldering Gold 2016 Paris Lead Gold 2019 Hachiōji Lead Silver 2009 Xining Lead Silver 2011 Arco Bouldering Silver 2016 Paris Bouldering Silver 2018 Innsbruck Lead Silver 2018 Innsbruck Combined Bronze 2011 Arco Lead Bronze 2012 Paris Lead World Cup Gold 2009 Lead Gold 2009 Combined Gold 2010 Bouldering Gold 2010 Combined Gold 2015 Lead Gold 2015 Combined Gold 2019 Lead Silver 2019 Bouldering European Championships Gold 2019 Edinburgh Lead Gold 2022 Munich Lead Silver 2010 Imst/Innsbruck Lead Silver 2010 Imst/Innsbruck Bouldering Silver 2015 Chamonix Lead Silver 2015 Innsbruck Bouldering Silver 2017 Campitello di Fassa Lead Silver 2022 Munich Combined Bronze 2022 Munich Bouldering
Updated on April 19, 2021.

Adam Ondra (born February 5, 1993) is a professional rock climber from the Czech Republic. He is known for his amazing skills in lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing. Many people call him the world's strongest climber.

In 2013, a climbing magazine called Rock & Ice said Adam was a "prodigy." This means he was super talented at a very young age. He is the only male climber to win World Championship titles in both lead climbing and bouldering in the same year (2014). He also won the World Cup series in both these types of climbing.

Adam achieved his first 9a (5.14d) sport route when he was just 13 years old. By 2011, he was "onsighting" (climbing a route perfectly on the first try without any falls or prior knowledge) many difficult routes. By the end of 2018, he had climbed over 1,500 sport routes. These routes were all very hard, including one 9c (5.15d) and three 9b+ (5.15c) routes.

Adam was the first climber to successfully complete a route graded 9c (5.15d). This route is called Silence, which he climbed in 2017. He was also the first to climb a 9b+ (5.15c) route, called Change, in 2012. In 2018, he was the first to "flash" (climb on the first try after getting some information about the route) a 9a+ (5.15a) route, Supercrackinette.

Even though he is famous for sport climbing, Adam has also done many difficult big wall climbs. He has also done traditional climbs and tough boulder problems.

Climbing Career

Early Years

Ondra in 2009 at Imst

Adam started climbing when he was six years old. His parents were climbers, and they shared their love for the sport with him. In 1999, at age six, he climbed a 6a (5.10a) route in Croatia. He quickly became famous in climbing magazines because of his amazing achievements.

Here are some of his early climbing milestones:

• In 2001, at age eight, he onsighted 7b+ (5.12c) routes.
• In 2002, at age nine, he onsighted 7c+ (5.13a) and redpointed 8a (5.13b).
• In 2003, at age ten, he onsighted 8a (5.13b).
• In 2004, at age eleven, he onsighted 8a+ (5.13c) and redpointed 8c (5.14b).
• In 2005, at age twelve, he onsighted 8b (5.13d).
• In 2006, at age thirteen, he redpointed his first 9a (5.14d) route, Martin Krpan.

Competition Climbing

Adam Ondra at the IFSC Lead Worldcup Imst 2009

Adam Ondra at the IFSC Boulder Worldcup Vienna 2010

In 2007 and 2008, Adam won the IFSC World Youth Championship. In 2009, at age sixteen, he competed in the Lead Climbing World Cup for the first time. He won, beating other top climbers.

In 2010, he won the Bouldering World Cup. This made him the first athlete ever to win the World Cup in both lead climbing and bouldering.

Adam competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He finished in sixth place in the combined event. He also placed sixth in the 2024 Summer Olympics Boulder and Lead Combined event.

Rock Climbing

Ondra climbing Silence, 9c (5.15d), in 2017

In March 2011, Adam became the second person ever to onsight a 8c+ (5.14c) route. On October 4, 2012, he climbed Change in Norway. This was the world's first route to be graded 9b+ (5.15c).

On February 7, 2013, Adam climbed La Dura Dura in Spain. This was his second 9b+ (5.15c) route. He worked on this project with American climber Chris Sharma. It took Adam nine weeks to complete.

Two days later, on February 9, 2013, Adam also climbed Fight or flight, a 9b (5.15b) route. On July 9, 2013, he onsighted Cabane au Canada in Switzerland. This was only the second time in history someone had onsighted a 9a (5.14d) route.

On November 21, 2016, Adam made the second free ascent of The Dawn Wall. This is a huge 1,000-meter granite route on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. It is known as the hardest big wall climbing route in the world. Adam climbed every section himself and finished it in 8 days. The first climbers took 19 days.

On September 3, 2017, after four years of hard work, Adam climbed Silence in Norway. Silence was the first route in the world to be given a grade of 9c (5.15d).

On February 10, 2018, Adam made the world's first "flash" of a 9a+ (5.15a) route. This was Super Crackinette in France.

Rankings

Climbing World Cup

Climbing World Championships

Youth

Adult

Climbing European Championships

Rock Master

Number of Medals in Competitions

Lead (Youth Cup)

Lead (World Cup)

Bouldering (World Cup)

Single-Pitch Routes

Adam Ondra has climbed a huge number of routes graded 8a (5.13b) or harder. Between 2002 and 2018, he completed 1,554 such routes. This includes one 9c (5.15d) route and 725 routes that he onsighted. He even onsighted four 9a (5.14d) routes and flashed one 9a+ (5.15a) route.

Redpoint Climbs

These are some of Adam's most difficult redpoint climbs (where a climber practices a route, often falling, until they can climb it cleanly from bottom to top).

9c (5.15d):

• Silence - Flatanger Municipality (NOR) - September 3, 2017. This was the first time anyone ever climbed a route graded 9c (5.15d).

9b+ (5.15c):

• Zvěřinec (Menagerie) - Holštejn (CZE) - November 20, 2022. Adam says this is his hardest 9b+ climb.
• Vasil Vasil - Sloup v Čechách (CZE) - December 4, 2013.
• La Dura Dura - Oliana (ESP) - February 7, 2013.
• Change - Flatanger ([[Norway|Template:ISO 3166 code-3 NO]]) - October 4, 2012. This was the world's first 9b+ (5.15c) route.

9b (5.15b):

• Wonderland - Arco (ITA) - March 2022. Adam graded this route as a very hard 9b, making it the toughest in Italy.
• Mamichula - Oliana (ESP) - February 8, 2017.
• Stoking the Fire - Santa Linya (ESP) - February 19, 2016. This was the second time this route was climbed.
• First Round First Minute - Margalef (ESP) - February 3, 2014.
• Move - Flatanger (NOR) - August 20, 2013.
• Fight or flight - Oliana (ESP) - February 9, 2013.
• La planta de Shiva - Villanueva del Rosario (ESP) - April 22, 2011.
• Chaxi Raxi - Oliana (ESP) - March 27, 2011.
• La Capella - Siurana (ESP) - February 16, 2011.

On-Sight Climbs

These are some of Adam's most impressive on-sight climbs (climbing a route perfectly on the first try without any prior knowledge or practice).

The east face of Monkey Face at Smith Rock, Oregon. It includes Just do it (8c+), which Ondra onsighted in 2018.

9a (5.14d):

• Water World - Osp (SLO) - November 2022.
• TCT - Gravere (ITA) - July 11, 2014.
• Cabane au Canada - Rawyl ([[Switzerland|Template:ISO 3166 code-3 CH]]) - July 9, 2013. This was only the second time in history a 9a route was onsighted.

8c+ (5.14c):

• Blut und Honig - Höllental (AUT) - September 30, 2019.
• Just Do It - Smith Rock (Oregon, USA) - November 12, 2018.
• Pure Imagination - Red River Gorge (USA) - November 1, 2012.
• Golden Ticket - Red River Gorge (USA) - November 1, 2012.
• Mind Control - Oliana (ESP) - March 20, 2011.
• Kidetasunaren balio erantsia - Etxauri (ESP) - March 6, 2011. This was the second time an 8c+ route was onsighted in history.

Boulder Problems

Adam Ondra has also excelled in bouldering, which is climbing on large rocks or small cliffs without ropes. He won the Melloblocco bouldering event four times in a row (2008-2011).

He has climbed 293 boulder problems graded 8A (V11) or harder. This includes:

• 4 problems graded 8C+ (V16)
• 10 problems graded 8C (V15)

8C+ (V16):

• Brutal Rider - Moravian Karst (CZE) - May 25, 2020. This was the first time this problem was climbed.
• Ledoborec - Moravian Karst (CZE) - May 24, 2020. This was also a first ascent.
• Gioia - Varazze (ITA) - December 6, 2011.
• Terranova - Holštejn (Moravian Karst, CZE) - November 10, 2011. This was a first ascent.

8C (V15):

• Nunavut - Sloup (Moravian Karst), (CZE) - November 15, 2019. First ascent.
• Practice of the Wild - Magic Wood (CHE) - October 1, 2011.
• Monkey Wedding - Rocklands (ZAF) - August 14, 2011.

Multi-Pitch Routes

Multi-pitch routes are long climbs that are broken into several sections, or "pitches."

Karambony East Face - Tough Enough route runs in the middle

• The Dawn Wall - El Capitan (USA). This route is 915 meters (3,000 feet) tall and has 32 pitches. It is known as the hardest big wall climb in the world.
  • On November 21, 2016, Adam climbed it in 8 days. The first climbers took 19 days.
• Mora Mora - Tsaranoro Atsimo ([[Madagascar|Template:ISO 3166 code-3 MG]]) - October 10, 2010. This was the first time this route was climbed freely.
• Tough Enough - Karambony (MDG) - September 30, 2010. This was also a first free ascent.
• Hotel Supramonte - Gole di Gorroppu (ITA) - October 18, 2008. Adam was the first to onsight this route.
• WoGü - Rätikon (CHE) - July 26, 2008. This was the first time this route was climbed freely.

Filmography

Adam Ondra has been featured in several climbing films and even produces his own video series:

• The Fanatic Search - 2009
• Progression - 2009
• The Wizard's Apprentice - 2012
• Reel Rock Tour 7 - 2012
• La Dura Complete: The Hardest Rock Climb in the World - 2014
• Change - 2014
• Silence—The Story of Adam Ondra and the World's First 5.15d - 2018
• Road to Tokyo - Adam's own video series on YouTube about his journey to the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Books

• JAROŠ, Martin; ONDRA, Adam. Adam Ondra: lezec tělem i duší. Albatros, 2019.
• ONDRA, Adam; GIMENEZ, Bernardo; BÍBA, Lukáš. Adam Ondra Book. AO Production, 2019.

Awards

• 2009 Golden Piton Award [fr]
• 2008 Salewa Rock Award
• 2010 Salewa Rock Award
• 2011 Salewa Rock Award
• 2013 Salewa Rock Award

See Also

In Spanish: Adam Ondra para niños

• Sébastien Bouin, a French rock climber who often climbs with Ondra.
• History of rock climbing
• Rankings of most career IFSC gold medals
• List of grade milestones in rock climbing
• Chris Sharma, a famous American rock climber.