The next Sharma?

 

Ondra is now 17 years old, and in February, he climbed his first 9b (5.15b) when he made the second ascent of Golpe de Estado at Siurana, Spain. (Click here for more photos by Vojtech Vrzba.)

The route was first established by Chris Shrama, who said while working the route that it was the “hardest thing I’ve ever done on a rope.” Breaking it down, Golpe de Estado is a 5.14d direct start to a pre-existing route, Estado Critico, itself a 5.14c/d that was first climbed by the strong little Spanish power-bomb, Ramon “Ramonet” Julian Puigblanque. The direct line leads right into the business of Estado Critico, which has aesthetic, powerful movement on a beautiful blue and orange limestone wall.

Siurana is one of the most famous crags in Spain, located in the Tarragona Mountains west of Barcelona. There are about 200 routes here from 5.10a to 5.15b, most in the 5.11 to 5.12 range. The climbing is on a sweeping slab to overhanging wall of grey, blue and orange limestone riddled with pockets and tufas. The famous route La Rambla (5.15a), first climbed by Puigblanque, is located here.

The similarities between Ondra and Sharma are telling: both climbers are makin, or made, light work of the world’s hardest projects while in their teens. When Sharma was 16, he sent Boone Speed’s project Necessary Evil (5.14c) at the Virgin River Gorge, putting up the first route of the grade on U.S. turf. That was just 12 years ago. Four years after Necessary Evil, Sharma sent Realization, one of (if not the) first 5.15a in the world.

So far, Ondra’s achievements have been equally if not more groundbreaking, and it will be interesting to see if Ondra is able to push climbing standards to the degree that Sharma has over the next 10 to 20 years. Ondra sent his first 9a (5.14d) when he was only 13 years old. Since then, he has climbed over 30 5.14d or harder routes. He has a reputation for not working routes into submission, either dispatching his projects relatively quickly (within four or so days) or moving on to something else. He climbs quickly, and doesn’t spend a lot of time shaking out, instead just chugging up the wall like a machine.

Golpe de Estado was Ondra’s biggest effort so far—it took him 29 tries over 14 days spread out during a multiple trips to Siurana during breaks from school in his hometown Brno, Czech Republic. While working Golpe de Estado, Ondra broke a hold, which he wrote doesn’t change the grade at all, but definitely makes it solid 9b (5.15b).

—Andrew Bisharat

Taken from Rock & Ice Basecamp Issue 22