Adam Ondra Talks About Dawn Wall After Send

Adam Ondra climbed the Dawn Wall 5.14d on El Cap in Yosemite in 31 pitches, one less then the first ascent team of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson. At 23, the Czech climber has climbed all three 5.15 routes in the world, over 100 routes 5.14+ or harder, boulders V16 and is a two-time World Champion. Not only was his send of Dawn Wall the second free ascent, but he is the first climber to lead every pitch.

The pitches for Ondra went like this: 5.12b, 5.13a, 5.13c, 5.12b, 5.12d, 5.13c, 5.14a, 5.13d, 5.13c, 5.14a, 5.13c, 5.14b, 5.13b, 5.14d, 5.14d, 5.14a, 5.14a, 5.13c, 5.13b, 5.13d, 5.13d, 5.10, 5.11, 5.11, 5.11d, 5.11c, 5.12c, 5.12b, 5.13a and 5.12b.

Dear @Adam.Ondra,⠀ ⠀ 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. We want to congratulate you for challenging yourself with climbing the world’s hardest big-wall, roping up in the face of doubt and succeeding. And we want to thank you, of course, for providing not just us, but climbers worldwide with inspiration.⠀ ⠀ Nice job sending the Dawn Wall!!!!⠀ ⠀ Sincerely,⠀ Your friends at Black Diamond Equipment⠀ ⠀ Photo: Heinz Zak

A photo posted by Black Diamond Equipment (@blackdiamond) on Nov 21, 2016 at 4:06pm PST

It’s important to note that this was Ondra’s first trip to Yosemite and between projecting the Dawn Wall, he climbed The Nose 5.14 in 18 hours with his father and onsighted all but a few pitches. This was Ondra’s first trip to go trad climbing and his partner Pavel Blazek had never done a multi-pitch. The two climbers carried their own supplies. It took Ondra eight days and the first ascent 19 days, but Ondra noted many times that he had the benefit of knowing the route can be climbed. .

In an interview with Emontana, Ondra elaborated about the climb in detail. Below are a few of his answers and you can find the full interview here.

When asked “how did your feet cope with it?” Ondra said, “I had never experienced such a thing anywhere else. Here, endurance and tirelessness in legs and feet, especially calves and soles, is more important than in forearms. They are fully utilized as you are climbing so slowly. The routes are vertical, sloping, lots of no hands. The legs and feet get tired and you have to shake it out of them. It is good to know how to give them a massage on the belay station.”

When asked “what was the spot that made you feel most frightened?” Ondra said, “The most thrilling climbing is the 10th pitch which is belayed with peaks. It is a standardized belaying for technical climbing. Good for hanging but if you fall into it from 10 metres above you are never sure if it will hold you or let you go. And that is mentally demanding. But when I was in the push, that focus on climbing itself trumped any fear of falling. And even if you tear out some anchors you can fall a lot of metres down but the fall is always safe.”

Huge admiration for Adams skill to climb the Dawn Wall today!!! What an adventure! . In the same time hats down to Tommy Caldwell @tommycaldwell for finding this route and doing the first ascent. There were many, many moments when we talked about the will Tommy had to have to keep comming back to this thing and finding the way up. Hats down! . @adam.ondra @blackdiamond #dawnwall #elcapitan #yosemite #liveclimbrepeat #blackdiamond

A photo posted by Pavel Blažek (@pavelblazek) on Nov 21, 2016 at 8:24pm PST

When asked “In the last interview we made together you said you would like to finish the route in one day. How do you see this plan now?” Ondra said, “I think it is difficult but it could happen one day. Of course it would involve a lot of days spent with more thorough training which would enable me to work extremely hard for 20 hours. As well as that I would also have to adapt myself much better to the local granite. I am aware of the fact that I am not capable of such a thing but I still think it is possible. The motivation of finishing the ascent in 24 hours could emerge. But I admit it really is an insane idea.”

At the top of the climb, Ondra was greeted by climbers, supporters and media. He told National Geographic, “It feels amazing right now. This is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in climbing. Wow, so good. I think it’ll be a long-lasting happiness and joy due to the length and effort of the route.”