Unstoppable: Adam Ondra flashes his fourth 8C

After flashing "The Lion's Share" in Brione and "Celestite" in Val Bavona, Adam Ondra has now also successfully sent "Emotional Landscapes" (8C) in the Maltatal on his first attempt. The Czech climber is thus concluding his bouldering season for the time being in order to prepare for the Lead World Cup.

What Adam Ondra His recent achievements on the rock have long since gone down in the annals of the sport. The 33-year-old had focused entirely on difficult outdoor bouldering since October – more precisely, on challenging flash ascents.

The success stories came quickly: In November, he achieved his first 8C flash with "Foundation's Edge" in Fionnay – only the second such achievement worldwide. In the past two weeks, Ondra followed up with three more: "The Lion's Share" in Brione, "Celestite" in Val Bavona, and "Emotional Landscapes" in the Maltatal. The Czech climber now holds the undisputed record of four 8C flashes in such a short period.

Bouldering on rock, but no longer in the World Cup

Adam Ondra is one of the world's strongest boulderers, but for a long time he was primarily known as a specialist in lead and trad climbing. Given his first ascent of "Silence" (9c) and his flash of "Greenspit" (8b+ trad), this is hardly surprising. Ondra was also the first climber in the world to complete three routes graded 9b+. Although he has already bouldered a 9A ("Soudain Seul" in Fontainebleau), he himself says: "So far, my bigger projects have mostly involved rope climbing."

The fact that he, of all people, is now raising the bar in outdoor bouldering also has health reasons. After his performance at the 2025 Boulder World Cup in Prague, Adam Ondra announced that he no longer wants to compete in this discipline. "The modern style has increasingly strained my body, especially my shoulder," explained the 33-year-old, who was among the oldest competitors. He added that challenging bouldering on real rock, on the other hand, is better suited to his health.

"Emotional Landscapes" – often attempted, rarely repeated

To motivate himself for the season, Ondra consciously set himself a goal for 2025: he wanted to flash the world's hardest boulders. His first 8C flash on "Foundation's Edge" whetted his appetite for more. Searching for other suitable lines, he traveled to Brione, Val Bavona, and finally to the Maltatal in Austria. There, he sent "Emotional Landscapes" (8C) on his first attempt, a line established by Klem Loskot in 2002. Ondra considers this boulder his proudest flash to date.

"Emotional Landscapes" is slightly shorter than Ondra's last 8C flash, "Celestite." However, it requires extremely precise gripping of the small crimps and enough power for the long reaches. Although the boulder problem is almost 25 years old, only a few people have repeated it: among them Martin and Philip Moser, Nalle Hukkataival, Florian Schmalzl*, Nicolai Užnik, Jakob Schubert, Michael Piccolruaz, and now Adam Ondra. According to Ondra, however, significantly more boulderers have attempted the line – which speaks to its difficulty.

^{*Thanks to the community for the tip!}

Ondra: Grade 8C is a spectrum

Adam Ondra himself describes "Emotional Landscapes" as a difficult 8C. "Celestite" and "The Lion's Share," originally graded 8C+ by their first ascensionists, are also considered benchmarks of this grade. Nicolai Užnik also proposed 8C+ for "Emotional Landscapes" in 2023, due to the breakage of a significant foothold between 2014 and 2023.

So, not all 8C flash drives are the same, says Ondra. A brief recap: Yannick Flohe The world's first 8C flash was achieved in July 2025 at "Foundation's Edge" in Fionnay. Jules Marchaland Shortly afterwards, he climbed the "Power of Now Direct" route in Magic Wood on his first attempt.

Video: Adam Ondra flashes three 8C boulders in two weeks

Back to the rope: Adam Ondra starts lead climbing preparation

Adam Ondra's bouldering season has now come to a temporary end with his fourth 8C flash. The Czech climber is now preparing for the upcoming Lead World Cup season, where – unlike in bouldering – he will continue to compete and aims to be among the top contenders.

World Climbing's lead season kicks off in mid-May with the first event in Wujiang, China. Adam Ondra already has his sights set on one particular date in the 2026 series: From June 3rd to 7th, Prague will host not only the Boulder World Cup but also a Lead World Cup for the first time. "I want to be in my best lead climbing form by then," says the Czech climber.

That might interest you

• He's done it again: Adam Ondra blows away »The Lion's Share« (8C) in Brione
• Flash train for Adam Ondra | Second flash of Foundation's Edge (8C)

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Credits cover photo: Photo by Martin Švec, © Adam Ondra