Climbing News: A Roundup of What’s Happening Out There
Story 1: The hunt for 5.15d
Both Adam Ondra and Chris Sharma currently have their sights set on the next level of hard sport climbing: 5.15d (9c).
Sharma has embedded himself once again at the Contrafort de Rumbau cliff in Oliana, Spain. His project—which he has dubbed Le Blond after deceased French climbing legend Patrick Edlinger—is one line to the right of La Dura Dura, the historic 5.15c (9b+) that he and Ondra worked on together.
As if he weren’t already awesome enough, Sharma is friends with Jason Mamoa—Khal Drogo fromGame of Thrones. They hung out recently to watch Sharma project Le Blond. Check it out:
Ondra’s project is located in Norway’s Flatanger Cave, a hulking mouth of dark granite that has quickly become one of the world’s top sport climbing destinations. The project appears to be loaded with the typical features of Ondra routes—inversions, impossibly technical movement, finger locks, etc. Undoubtedly, after many primal screams, the route will go down.
Who will be the first to establish 5.15d? It’s impossible to tell. But this much is obvious: witnessing the two best climbers in the world go for it is an absolute privilege.
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In a commemoration of Edlinger, Le Blond himself, Alison Osius notes that he “helped popularize and legitimize sport climbing, ushering in the inspired and youthful masses. But he not only did the hardest sport climbs of his time, he climbed everything.” Read the article over at Rock & Ice.
Here’s a short clip of Ondra projecting his route in Flatanger (note the “funky strange moves”):
Ondra was the first person in the world to establish 5.15c. Watch him send Change, also located in the Flatanger Cave:
If you’re interested in visiting the epic Flatanger Cave for yourself, visit Climb Flatanger’s website for information on climbing and accommodations.
View stories 2 and 3 from the latest Climbing News at mojagear.com