From Mountain Project and Black Diamond: Ask Adam Ondra

Hey MP community!

Black Diamond just gave us a jingle to tell us that they will be doing a Facebook Live session with Adam Ondra next Tuesday morning.

What's awesome is they want to start the interview with questions from you, the core climbing community. List your questions here, and if yours gets picked, BD will send you a beanie.

It's a public forum, so ask whatever you want, but questions about training, travel, real life, and climbing hard certainly stand a better chance of reaching Mr. 5.15b. As of now, timing for Tues is TBD--we'll update this thread once Ondra is pinned down. Ask away!

Adam, what's the best Trad climb you've ever been on?

Also, Dawn Wall in a day? Any chance of that?

Best regards.

How frequently, if ever, do you find yourself in a motivational slump. Do you have advice for working through these slumps and boosting motivation?

What do you think its the hardest move on any route you've done? I ask this because it seems like often when you hear that there's a new 9b route, it's an extension of an easier route where, for example, it earns its grade of 9b because you have an 8c+ followed by a 8c followed by some 8b at the top, etc. which all add up to make the total grade 9b. I haven't really heard of a route that's mostly a lower grade, but is 9b because of a single stopper 9b move. So, have you ever done a route with a single move that you would consider to be 9a+ or 9b all on its own?

Us mortals are curious, what's the easiest route you've ever established?

Do you get tired of answering the same stuff over and over?

Hi Adam-

After balancing school and climbing (Travel, training, etc), how do you plan on going forward in the future? Do you plan on going to work using your education, or focusing on climbing and route establishment? (or both)

Cheers

Marc

climbing friend,

do you ever get tired of having the forearms refreshed during the satisfaction of the bold flash?

i'm asking, you know, for a friend

Adam "The demon" Ondra,

What do you practice away from the rock in order to maintain mental composure during moments of extreme fear or doubt? (i.e. meditation, reading, yoga, etc.) And when you are on the rock and the fear grips how do you overcome it? what goes through your mind? And how do you regain control over your body?

(I understand these are multiple questions, yet they are interrelated, so essentially it is like asking one giant question.)

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Cheers,

Laron

Hi Adam,
Who is your favorite original member of the Wu-Tang Clan - limited to only those who appeared on the 36 Chambers Album.
Thanks!

It's the ODB as you Can see! You made me look it up and he was born in Feb of 93. 36 Chambers came out in Nov 93. The more you know!

Adam, my friend Zuzana Smitkova is Czech and lives in Praha. She says she has met you a few times, or even has climbed with you before. I don't think she has gone outdoors to climb in quite some time. Would you please get her outside soon?

Uh...isn't it Mr. 15c now?

Anyways, to Adam: I'm really curious about your choice in shoes. I've noticed that you put up a lot of your hardest stuff in the old school Miura laces and recently worked on a redesign project for La Sportiva. What has kept you in the Miura LU over the many more aggressive options Sportiva has to offer, such as the Testarossa, Solution, Genius, etc., or even the Miura VS ? What do you look for in a shoe when climbing 5.15?

climbing friend,

how is your life as smaller climber?

1) strength to weight ratio most satisfactory, but are you ever wishing that you are having big body and large, meaty, beveinified, spectacular guns so mighty as mine?

2) my friend beavis njordlund climbs 5.8 in the gym, and he hears about your training 6+ days per week hard boulder, violent campusing, and angry hangboarding, etc. Do you have advice for him on how to avoid injury when starting this program with no climbing or training experience?

3) do you believe sexual frustration is important for training motivation or sending next level route, and do you utilize it in your own cycles?

Adam,

Do you think that there is a limit to how hard people can climb, or will climbing continue to advance? Obviously the advancements are getting smaller, but will the sport eventually reach a limit as far as difficulty is? If so, what grade do you feel that would happen at?

-Gavin

What is your process for finding/establishing a new route? Do you immediately see a potentially climbable route on a wall or is there is great deal of time and consideration that goes into scouting out the perfect route?

Adam
What climbers do you most admire?

Adam,

How do dangerous routes (R, X, or ropeless ascents) affect you? Does the mind game matter or do you crush that with ease?

What's the hardest route you've done on gear?

Also, I know it's belated, but the footage of you flashing Jade was one of the most impressive climbing feats I've seen. Totally badass!

Why do you just rate a beanie for a prize, when the others had gear, ropes, etc.? Don't answer. I don't want a beanie, unless maybe Cecil comes with it.

Probably because it's Adam Ondra. I've heard that just talking to him raises your climbing a V grade.

This 'community ' is such a rag tag bunch of freaks!

And to think this is where they came for some serious questions!!! Haha!!! It took 5 posts to descend into madness!

... but I love it!