Adam Ondra Climbing His 212th Route 5.14d and Above
Ondra redpointed Narcissus 5.14d back in February. He released a new send film today.
On February 16, two days after making the second ascent of James Pearson’s Bon Voyage 5.14d, one of the hardest trad lines in the world, Ondra made a quick stop to Gréolières, France where he sent Stéroïde Bull 5.14c (8c+) on his second try. The route was first established by Enzo Oddo several years ago.
The following day, on his way back home to Czechia, Ondra stopped in Val Pennavaire in Albenga, Italy. He onsighted Kalmia-Moci 5.14a/b (8b+/c) and then redpointed Narcissus, grading the route 5.14d (9a). He sent the line on his second go. The route was established by Matteo Gambaro in 2020 and graded 5.14d/15a. It was then repeated by Seb Bouin late last year. Like Ondra and unlike Gambaro, Bouin used kneepads on the route, leading to the 5.14d downgrade.
“On top of that, Seb and I used different beta/direction (in our opinion more logical and intuitive) in the upper part, making it much easier,” said Ondra about the route on Instagram. “We believe that the original way without the kneepads could even be a [5.15a]. The way [Seb and I did it] is probably the lower end of [5.14d]? Absolute kingline though.” You can watch a newly released 15-minute film about Ondra’s Kalmia-Moci and Narcissus sends below.
After his day on Narcissus, Ondra spent most of his time training indoors for the Paris Olympics. He ended up placing sixth overall in the Boulder & Lead Combined event at the Summer Games. He’s now back on the rock. Last week, he topped Peppa V14 in Sloup, Czechia and flashed Grizzly V13 in Val Daone, Italy.
Narcissus was Ondra’s 212th route 5.14d (9a) and above. According to his 8a.nu page, he’s sent a mind-boggling 134 5.14d’s (with four onsights and two flashes), 50 5.15a’s (with one flash), 24 5.15b’s, four 5.15c’s, and one 5.15d. How’s that for a pyramid?
Adam Ondra sends Narcissus 5.14d
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
