“Some of the best days of my life in bouldering” – An Incredible Two Days for Adam Ondra
Ondra ticked a V15 and then the following day arguably flashed two V14s
Adam Ondra has recently been bouldering in Aosta, Italy. On November 5, he sent Ziqqurat V15 (8C) in only three attempts. The very next day, he flashed Gliese 581 V14 and and sent Ghost Ship V14 on his first attempt. Although some may call his ascent of Ghost Ship a flash, Ondra is always one for ethical purity. Ondra rappelled down the line before his first attempt to clean dirty holds near the top of the highball. “I usually don’t touch the holds from a ladder on boulder problems to claim pure flash or make a rappel,” said Ondra. “But I feel like it might be getting more accepted (for routes, it is not accepted for sure). I consider my ascent to be less-pure-flash.”
If you consider his ascent of Ghost Ship a flash, this is likely the first time in history that a climber has flashed two V14s in a day. Ondra added another hard climb to his day, a near-flash of Wheel of Champo V13. He sent it on his third go after two pesky dabs.
“Some of the best days of my life in bouldering,” said Ondra on Instagram. “Amazing weather and world-class problems. I went all in for flash on Ziqqurat [V15] with beta [and] tips from Marcello Bombardi, I got close… But it turns out I should really improve my toehooking game.
“Ziqqurat is one of the best problems I have ever done, but Ghost Ship is probably even better. My ascent was an absolutely freak moment. I did not even consider trying to flash it. It is a mega highball, and the top was dirty, so I had to rappel from the top, clean the final part and touch the holds. As I already touched the holds, I already touched all the holds in the middle (from the rope and ladder). Then I set off without any expectations since I was pretty sure I would fall off in the first move (toehook, which feels way too close for me). Somehow, I did not fall and battled my way to the top of the boulder in some of the most epic fights I have ever had in complete disbelief.”
On his 8a.nu, Ondra did not take the flash for Ghost Ship, writing, “Log it as a redpoint for ethical purity even though in my mind it is non-pure flash and the hardest flash I have ever done (so far!). I did a rappel and touched (cleaned) the holds before the try.” He believes Gliese 581 to be soft for the grade. The problem marks his third V14 flash this year and his fourth flash of the grade ever.
All three problems – Ziqqurat, Gliese 581, and Ghost Ship – were opened by Niky Ceria. Ziqqurat has been repeated by top Italian climbers Gabrielle Moroni, Elias Iagnemma, and Marcello Bombardi. Ghost Ship has received fewer repeats. Gliese 581 is more popular, seeing repeats from many top climbers like Paul Robinson, Iagnemma, Moroni, and Bombardi.
Ondra has been on a bouldering tear this year. At the end of January, he flashed El Elegido V14 in La Pedriza, Spain. Originally graded V14/15, Ondra suggested V14 for the problem. It was the Czech climber’s second flash ascent of the grade, his first being Jade V14 in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado in 2015.
In February, he ticked his first V17, Soudain Seul in Fontainebleau, France, topping the sandstone problem on just his fifth day of effort. The day after completing Soudain Seul, he flashed his third V14, La Ligne de Bête. He’s flashed at least eighteen V13 problems, several of which were proposed V14s that he downgraded post-flash. Including Gliese 581 and Ghost Ship, he has climbed at least eleven V14s this year alone. Other than Ziqqurat, his V15 ascents this year include Pinch Power SD and Autofix in Moravský Kras, Czechia.
