Could Ondra free the Dawn Wall?

I think this entire forum is pretty pointless yet here we all are. Moving on...

I also don't give a fuck if those guys don't give a fuck what i think, its my opinion and anyone can take it or leave it. Moving on again...

Sharma has got the best attitude in climbing and i respect him for that, however pro athletes are paid to inspire and excite us commoners for their respective sport and frankly Mr Sharma no longer inspires me by doing basically the same thing over and over. I know these guys climb hard but i would like to see them get outside of the box. Ondra and Sharma crush three big walls in a day, now that would be cool!

Gee, what happened last time some bolt clipping, sport weeny, euro-trash climbers decided to spend some time in the Valley? Anybody here ever heard of the Huber Brothers?

grayhghost wrote: Vertical. Check. Multi pitch. Check. Portaledge. Check. Crushed. Double check.

I stand corrected.

I didn't deny he had the ability though, just said it (the FA by Adam) would likely be as big of an undertaking as Tommy is enduring. But I never sent anything close to 9c so how would I know?

Yeah I'm just a fan of Tommy Caldwell, he's an inspiring climber. Be cool to see Ondra, Sharma, McLeod, Honnold get on this route with him. But I'm pretty certain Kevin Jorgenson takes the cake... he stuck the dyno on the route before Caldwell did, it really isn't the two of them climbing, they seem to be in it together. NEXT SEASON they will send!

Im sure he would be fine. Most of the hard climbing on that rig is bolt protected. I dont really seem much difference climbing a sealed crack and crimping a face.

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Alex Quitiquit wrote:Yeah I'm just a fan of Tommy Caldwell, he's an inspiring climber. Be cool to see Ondra, Sharma, McLeod, Honnold get on this route with him. But I'm pretty certain Kevin Jorgenson takes the cake... he stuck the dyno on the route before Caldwell did, it really isn't the two of them climbing, they seem to be in it together. NEXT SEASON they will send!

I am a huge Honnold fan but I truly don't believe he could go up the dawn wall. I'm not even sure if he has climbed 5.14 yet? Regardless he has a mind of steel.

David Rivers wrote:Gee, what happened last time some bolt clipping, sport weeny, euro-trash climbers decided to spend some time in the Valley? Anybody here ever heard of the Huber Brothers?

Comparing climbers with very little multi-pitch experience (though plenty of stupid-hard routes under their belt) to the Huber brothers makes no sense. They have an entire career of big wall/mountain experience since their dad got them started when they were quite young.

Josh Kornish wrote: I am a huge Honnold fan but I truly don't believe he could go up the dawn wall. I'm not even sure if he has climbed 5.14 yet? Regardless he has a mind of steel.

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Trad is hard. Like, really hard. Ondra is just a gym punk who has no technique and really strong fingers. If he were to so much as touch a cam, he would shit his colon in fear. Sport climbers are ruining the fine art of choss gully nature hiking.

Thank you for the correction. I wasn't aware that he had locked down any .14s.

I've climbed with Alex and can personally vouch for him having climbed 5.14 sport at jailhouse but you can check out his 8a.nu scorecard for yourself. Believe me he's not just a soloing circus freak but a truly gifted climber. If he ever committed to 5.15 sport it wouldn't take him long to accomplish it. Same can be said I believe for the hardest big walls as well. Sport has never been a priority for him, moreso for training purposes and enjoying various climbing experiences across the globe than anything else.

Adam Ondra will be the first person to onsight a free route up the Nose. Once Lynn Hill tells you to do something it is only a matter of time before it becomes a reality.

Alicia, yes the Hubers have acquired a well rounded climbing resumes over the last 20+ years, but they arrived in Yosemite as limestone sport climbers. Yes, their alpinist dad got them out at a young age, so obviously did Ondra's parents. Alex came to the Valley to learn crack climbing. He and Thomas went on to dominate free big walls in Yosemite for a decade.

Ondra is 18/19, his resume easily stacks up to the Huber's at that age. If Kevin Jorgenson can go from boulderer to big wall climber under the tutelage of Tommy Caldwell, I'm willing to bet that Ondra, Sharma or any other cutting edge sport climber/boulderer could as well with the requisite desire and commitment.

A couple of training runs up the Nose or Salathe w/Hans Florine would probably get them up to speed on granite multi-pitch climbing.

David Rivers wrote:Alicia, yes the Hubers have acquired a well rounded climbing resumes over the last 20+ years, but they arrived in Yosemite as limestone sport climbers. Yes, their alpinist dad got them out at a young age, so obviously did Ondra's parents. Alex came to the Valley to learn crack climbing. He and Thomas went on to dominate free big walls in Yosemite for a decade. Ondra is 18/19, his resume easily stacks up to the Huber's at that age. If Kevin Jorgenson can go from boulderer to big wall climber under the tutelage of Tommy Caldwell, I'm willing to bet that Ondra, Sharma or any other cutting edge sport climber/boulderer could as well with the requisite desire and commitment. A couple of training runs up the Nose or Salathe w/Hans Florine would probably get them up to speed on granite multi-pitch climbing.

Not saying extremely talented single pitch sport climbers couldn't learn, just saying you picked a strange comparison. The Hubers were mountaineers and certified mountain guides for years before they did Salathe. They already had the mental conditioning for long days and even multiple days up high. I am just not aware of the same background for Ondra. But hey, I'm certainly no expert and I could easily be wrong.

Hi Alicia,

Both Hubers were certified mountain guides for 2-3 years before their Salathe ascents, but Alex in his autobiography states that he was basically a limestone sport specialist in the early 1990s. The resumes of both Hubers, that I can find online, show all their noteworthy hard high alpine adventures taking place after their ascents of the Salathe. Ondra's resume show him as having done 9 multi-pitch climbs, from the Alps( like the Huber's first noted m-p climbs) to Madagascar. That's why I feel the comparison is apt.

This is a perfect comparison. Alex showed up in the Valley--well Josh, actually--wanting to free the Salathe with zero crack experience. His first day climbing cracks he was getting lessons from Valley locals. When Mark Chapman solo'd... ah, forget the name but a 5.8 in HV Campground Huber declined and asked for a rope. A couple of months later he freed the Salathe, easily, and made a comment when asked if it was hard "when you've climbed 5.14 every hold on 5.13 is a jug(sic)". Climbing is climbing. I don't know of one example of a good climber who wanted to switch disciplines not rising to a similar level in the new arena.

David Sahalie wrote: i can't decide if you are a total chufftard or a troll

that's right, you can't.

steve edwards wrote:Not saying extremely talented single pitch sport climbers couldn't learn, just saying you picked a strange comparison. The Hubers were mountaineers and certified mountain guides for years before they did Salathe. They already had the mental conditioning for long days and even multiple days up high. I am just not aware of the same background for Ondra. But hey, I'm certainly no expert and I could easily be wrong. This is a perfect comparison. Alex showed up in the Valley--well Josh, actually--wanting to free the Salathe with zero crack experience. His first day climbing cracks he was getting lessons from Valley locals. When Mark Chapman solo'd... ah, forget the name but a 5.8 in HV Campground Huber declined and asked for a rope. A couple of months later he freed the Salathe, easily, and made a comment when asked if it was hard "when you've climbed 5.14 every hold on 5.13 is a jug(sic)". Climbing is climbing. I don't know of one example of a good climber who wanted to switch disciplines not rising to a similar level in the new arena.

Right there with you Steve. Crisco tried to say Ondra only climbs steep juggy stuff. Any climb that hard has stuff that isn't juggy. Sorry, but I don't think these naysayers have a clue about what a .14c feels like. (not that I do either)

David Sahalie wrote: i can't decide if you are a total chufftard or a troll

He's just not funny.

people of the likes of Sharma and Ondra are amongst the strongest climbers in the world...TC is the hardest climber in the world...strength is needed, of course, but i think a project like The Dawn Wall requires much more...it says a lot about endurance, courage, and committment. TC has all of these,and somehow, to me, that seems to make all the difference...maybe these other guys do as well (hearts beat to a different drum), but i think anyone driven by an insane, consuming desire, could accomplish impossible feats...i love watching and hearing about all these climbers, well known or not, undertake great things for themselves...sure was great to get updates from TC through-out his project...i hope it comes together for him whenever he decides to try again....or anyone else who undertakes it, for that matter.