Adam Ondra climbs the second most difficult route of his life: Zvěřinec (9b +)

Yesterday Adam Ondra made the first ascent of Zvěřinec (9b +) in the Moravian Karst climbing area in the Czech Republic. According to his own statements, after Silence (9c), it was the most difficult route of his life - and that means something.

Adam Ondra opened with Zvěřinec, a hard 9b+, not only the most difficult route in his home country of the Czech Republic. The route is also likely to be one of the absolute most difficult sport climbing routes belong.

Zvěřinec (9b +): The basis was laid more than ten years ago

In 2011, Adam Ondra climbed the route in the Moravian Karst climbing area, known for its multitude of hard lines Perlorodka. At that time still rated 9a+, the Czech professional climber classifies his first ascent as more of a 9b in retrospect.

Because the 8b + crux of the line has it all, according to Ondra: "The difficulty lies in the long moves that have to be made on the sloping handles of the rounded lip of the overhang." His new first ascent Zvěřinec shares the key point with Perlorodka, but has a different start, which alone already checks in at grade 9a +.

Ascent in perfect conditions

Adam Ondra had projected Zvěřinec (9b +) together with Will Bosi in the spring of this year. In the past two weeks he has repeatedly struggled with the conditions, says the climbing professional. Until the perfect conditions prevailed on Sunday: 0 degrees Celsius, cloudy, no wind, absolutely dry rock.

Perfectly warmed up on his house wall, Adam Ondra was able to defy the cold air temperature and at the same time benefit from the best friction. With Zvěřinec (9b +), Adam Ondra leaves posterity another high-end sport climbing route and proves once again how well he manages the balancing act between professional climbing and fatherhood.

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Credits: © Adam Ondra | Photographer: Petr Chodura