Climbing History

Adam Ondra is widely considered to be the best rock climber in the world.

He has established or repeated many of the worlds 9bs, put up the first 9b+ with Change and the first 9c with Silence. He's onsighted multiple 9as and became the first person to flash 9a+ when he climbed Super Crackinette on his first try. He is also an extremely strong boulderer with multiple ascents of boulders up to 9A.

While his hardest ascents are notable what sets Adam apart from his contemporaries is his depth of experience. At the time of writing he has onsighted 64 8cs, 21 8c+s, 3 9as and climbed 188 routes graded 9a or harder. He has also won the world cup 7 times and the world championships 5 times.

In 2025 and 2026, after some time off bouldering at the highest level, he climbed Soudain Seul for his first 9A, then during a remarkable run of form he flashed Foundation's Edge (8C), The Lion's Share (8C), Celestite (8C) and Emotional Landscapes (8C). A remarkable effort considering he was only the third climber to ever flash 8C and at the time the only climber who had flashed more than one 8C.

References

[1] Adam's logbook https://www.adamondra.com/list-of-routes

[2] Interview with Magnus Midtbø, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-5yuVuDFzU

[3] Profile in the New York Times, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/sports/olympics/adam-ondra-climbing.html

[4] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/adam-ondra-the-100-x-9a-or-harder-interview.html

[5] Interview with Rob Greenwood for UKClimbing.com, May 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI95jOOBBno