In autumn 2020 Adam Ondra spent over a month in Spain. The main goal of the stay was the red point ascent of one of the most difficult routes in the world: Perfecto Mundo (9b +). That was his ascent tactic.
Während Adam Ondra Routes up to 9a almost always tried to climb onsight or flash Perfecto Mundo it is clear that he will not climb the route on the first attempt. And so he had to decide how to approach the route.
My flash or onsight level is far from 9b +. It was therefore clear that I had to plan the route beforehand.
Adam Ondra
When Adam Ondra got on the route for the first time, he certainly did not try to climb larger sections of the route. It was much more a matter of looking at every single sequence and trying out all possible solutions.
At this stage I don't even focus on a specific solution, but try to try every possible solution.
Adam Ondra
Promising start
Adam Ondra didn't have to tinker with the sequences for a long time, because he watched the videos of the earlier walkers, Alex Megos, Jakob Schubert and Stefano Ghisolfi in detail. The individual trains didn't feel as severe as expected.
I tried Alex, Jakob and Stefano's methods and the moves felt relatively easy in isolation.
Adam Ondra
As soon as Adam started connecting the trains, the story was different. His tactics were as follows: He started the first attempts to climb from the seventh bolt to the top. It fell out in the upper part, before the deflector. But more because of a mistake than a lack of strength. And so Adam soon decided to attempt to walk from the fifth bolt on.
I was convinced that in a few days I could climb from the fifth bolt to the deflector.
Adam Ondra
The weather thwarted Adam's plans
But it quickly became clear that Adam would not climb from the fifth bolt to the deflector anytime soon, because the weather in Margalef was showing its bad side. Even the easier trains on the Perfecto Mundo route suddenly became difficult.
When the weather got better again - and Adam had already been in Margalef for over a month - he decided to try real things right from the start. Often he came close to the ascent, he could even get very close to the famous key point at the tenth bolt, towards the pliers. Sometimes he could even hold the pincers, but then fell on the next pull.
Although I knew the route completely by heart and could flow through the lower part, I fell in the upper part.
Adam Ondra
And so Adam Ondra's long stay in Margalef ended without a red point ascent of the route Perfecto Mundo. Impressions of his stay Adam Ondra fixed him as part of a video series. The most important episodes can be found below.
- Adam Ondra: Unsuccessful in Perfecto Mundo (9b +)
- Perfecto Mundo becomes a mental challenge for Adam Ondra
- Adam Ondra tackles Perfecto Mundo (9b +)
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Credits: Cover picture AO Productions, Detailed report on www.adamondra.com