Latest Free Solo Climbing Miracle by Adam Ondra Took a Herculean Effort From the Prodigal Athlete

Adam Ondra is a climbing whizz. Ondra has climbed some insane routes leaving people in awe. He is the man who has completed the world’s hardest flash, a 5.15 (9a+). He was the first one to free climb a 5.15+. There is a reason why he is considered to be one of the best rock climbers of today.

However, he is still human, and even he has limits. The Excalibur route in Italy has made Ondra test his limits, and you will be surprised to know the outcome.

Ondra Tries His Hand at Excalibur

Excalibur is a futuristic project situated at Drena which is near Arco, Italy. According to Planet Mountain, “It’s a fierce, short and steep sheet of limestone with minuscule holds.” Excalibur has attracted many climbers due to its challenging nature.

So it is not a surprise that Adam Ondra tried his hand at it as well. The climber tried many different routes on the wall, conventional as well as unconventional. Usually, the climb to Excalibur, according to Ondra, “starts from the ground with a hard 8b or 8b + boulder problem. I started this way falling in the second last move already back in January. But I knew in order to be able to send it from the ground, I had to be more solid in the upper part.”

Therefore, he tried to change the route he was taking, and instead started climbing the Buro route. “And that’s why I decided to try Buro which starts with this massive dyno and getting the two good holds halfway up the wall. In this way, I think it could be a 9b.” However, even after mixing things up, success was not the result Ondra achieved.

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Adam Ondra Versus The Excalibur: Game Over

He recently announced that he was giving up on the project. After trying and testing the route, Ondra finally said it was “Game Over” for him. Not astounding news, given the fact that Excalibur poses one of the hardest climbing challenges out there. It is a clean-cut, 40° wall and is graded to be somewhere in the region of 9b+, though it could possibly be even harder.

Even after trying multiple holds on the route, and trying to complete the route many times, Adam Ondra did not have any luck with the same. In the end, it became a choice between risking his life or saving up for another time. Ondra, knowing he would have better days, chose the latter. Do you think you could climb the Excalibur?

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