Adam Ondra Uses His Thigh as a Foothold in 5.15a First Ascent
Fantazija 5.15a is a new power endurance testpiece in Ter, Slovenia
Photo by: Kuba Sobotka
On September 28, Adam Ondra made the first ascent of B je to! 5.15b in Croatia, the country’s hardest line to date. Sending the route quicker than he had expected, Ondra then travelled to Ter, Slovenia to find a new challenge. He found an open project, Fantazija, originally bolted Rajko Zajc. Ondra worked the route on October 1 and got quite close, but realized he was using the wrong beta at the end of the day. He sent Fantazija first go the following day, grading the route 5.15a (9a+).
Ondra employed some odd beta to send Fantazija. “I find a perfect beta for the undercling crux move when I stepped with my left heel on my right thigh. This beta worked really well,” said Ondra on Instagram. Ondra noted on his 8a.nu page that although the route is likely harder for those with less than a 180cm arm span, meaning it’s very reachy, the line is a “very intense power endurance masterpiece.”
As if a 5.15a first ascent wasn’t enough, Ondra went on to onsight two 5.14b (8c) routes that day, Kingslayer and Inferno do vrha. “Hard to find a route so perfect, anywhere in the world,” he said about Kingslayer on his 8a.nu. “Not so clear for onsight, had to dig quite deep.”
With this send of Fantazija, Ondra has climbed 49 5.15a’s, 23 5.15b’s, four 5.15c’s, and one 5.15d. He’s also sent a staggering 129 5.14d’s.
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