Ondra on the Dawn Wall

mpech wrote: I agree-- the guy should be able to just go climb with his dad. Unfortunatley, he is a pro climber, and he brought a camera team along, and he's been giving daily updates.

Yeah, but he can still do it however he wants and not however somebody else thinks he should.

I was thinking about this the other day, has anyone ever actually onsighted a 5.14 traditional pitch? I can't think of one. Maybe on grit? Has anyone ever even come close to onsighitng a .14 pitch on El Cap? Has anyone even tried to onsight a .14 pitch on El Cap?

Ondra has nothing to prove, he is easily the strongest sport climber in the world right now. He could walk away from this trip empty handed in terms of sends and that fact won't change. He probably feels like he is getting spanked around in Yosemite right now as does everyone on their first trip to the valley. He is also probably having the time of his life while we all sit here offering up our opinions on how lame he is for not living up to our individual expectations.

Patrick Vernon wrote:I was thinking about this the other day, has anyone ever actually onsighted a 5.14 traditional pitch? I can't think of one. Maybe on grit? Has anyone ever even come close to onsighitng a .14 pitch on El Cap? Has anyone even tried to onsight a .14 pitch on El Cap? Ondra has nothing to prove, he is easily the strongest sport climber in the world right now. He could walk away from this trip empty handed in terms of sends and that fact won't change. He probably feels like he is getting spanked around in Yosemite right now as does everyone on their first trip to the valley. He is also probably having the time of his life while we all sit here offering up our opinions on how lame he is for not living up to our individual expectations.

End of thread.

Tim Lutz wrote:like an testosterone fueled ostrich, screaming like an eviscerated cow when glorious onsite flashings becomes dismal failure like Trump's GOP .

Thanks for making me actually LOL!

"I was thinking about this the other day, has anyone ever actually onsighted a 5.14 traditional pitch? I can't think of one."

Alex Megos recently flashed the Path (5.14R) in Canada. That is the only one I can think of. I doubt any of the 5.14 pitches in Yosemite have been onsighted.

Tim Lutz wrote:previet friend, Ondra does, however, have a super meaty an overly huge neck! like an testosterone fueled ostrich, screaming like an eviscerated cow when glorious onsite flashings becomes dismal failure like Trump's GOP .

climbing friend,

ho ho!

ha ha!

hya!

Yes, I can see from your photography that even though he is as a tiny man, the ondra's neck meat it is like finely chiseled isosceles triangle, quite strange shape for human neck, perhaps it is from where he draws most of his angry ostrich power.

Can you buy this ostrich testosterone on amazon.com, and hypodermic needle, in order transform yourself into savage beast?

Yowza! Angry Ostrich Power. I think you should trademark that one!

angry ostrich power

Marc801 wrote: *You* are the one who keeps comparing the Dawn to the Nose.

That was the on sight ground up topic .. something very few climbers these days experience when doing "first ascents".

USBRIT wrote: That was the on sight ground up topic .. something very few climbers these days experience when doing "first ascents".

People actually use onsight in aid climbing context?

reboot wrote: People actually use onsight in aid climbing context?

Only confused folks who also don't know climbing history.

So much dick-measuring and hero-worship here.

Stop being envious, and stop giving virtual blowjobs to paid climbers. Then go to your local crag and climb just for the love of it, for the connection between you and the rock and the separation from everything else.

I admire what Ondra, Sharma, and others can do, but I started climbing before I ever heard of their names, and I will keep climbing after they have unwillingly relinquished their titles as the best of the best.

The Ondra team on Dawn Wall

It looks like something is brewing again on the Dawn Wall.

Randomly Vicious wrote:So much dick-measuring and hero-worship here. Stop being envious, and stop giving virtual blowjobs to paid climbers. Then go to your local crag and climb just for the love of it, for the connection between you and the rock and the separation from everything else. I admire what Ondra, Sharma, and others can do, but I started climbing before I ever heard of their names, and I will keep climbing after they have unwillingly relinquished their titles as the best of the best.

+1.000.000

Randomly Vicious wrote:So much dick-measuring and hero-worship here. Stop being envious, and stop giving virtual blowjobs to paid climbers. Then go to your local crag and climb just for the love of it, for the connection between you and the rock and the separation from everything else. I admire what Ondra, Sharma, and others can do, but I started climbing before I ever heard of their names, and I will keep climbing after they have unwillingly relinquished their titles as the best of the best.

Oh stop. It's not hero-worship to admire the high end climbing accomplishments of those currently at the top of the sport. I'm certain when you were young and just starting that you had climbers you admired, be they Robbins/Chouinard/Frost/Harding et al or Bragg, Erikson, Barber, Kauk, Bachar, Long, Bridwell, or Hill, Watts, Tribout, Edlinger, Rodden, Davis, Rands or numerous others. Maybe even just your mentor.

But if it helps you feel better about yourself and your climbing, go ahead and continue to call it dick-measuring, hero-worship, and virtual blowjobs.

Marc801 wrote: Oh stop. It's not hero-worship to admire the high end climbing accomplishments of those currently at the top of the sport. I'm certain when you were young and just starting that you had climbers you admired, be they Robbins/Chouinard/Frost/Harding et al or Bragg, Erikson, Barber, Kauk, Bachar, Long, Bridwell, or Hill, Watts, Tribout, Edlinger, Rodden, Davis, Rands or numerous others. Maybe even just your mentor. But if it helps you feel better about yourself and your climbing, go ahead and continue to call it dick-measuring, hero-worship, and virtual blowjobs.

I'd give lynn hill a virtual blowjob..not ashamed..

It's a cool effort by one of the strongest climbers. Good for him getting on the climb of climbs in the Valley.

If some chuffers need to denigrate what he's doing by applying their low end "ethics" to cutting edge free routes, that's just their own need for ego stroking talking.

Ondra

Working the night shift on pitch 14 and 15.

s.price wrote: Comparing an ascent done by aid and one where the climber actually climbs every move is just stupid. We all get it, you are stuck in the past. Without evolution you would not be able to type your drivel about how the past is better than what is happening now. Of course many climbers now do not get that chance to go onsight ground up on big routes such as this. Now a days they actually make every move during the ascent. What you are talking about is perfect style. Not even Harding achieved that. And really, he was just as much of a media whore as those who are being paid to climb in 2016.

Up until three years ago when I left the States I was doing on sight ground up first ascents of climbs from 400'to 1600' on a regular basis . ....not that much in the past! You might smile but the odd girdle traverse we did (perhaps at only 5.9) but ended up being a Mile and a quarter .. In America there are lots of opportunities to climb ground up on sight ..Let me know how you would climb a virgin sandstone tower other than ground up on sight ?. Yes is difficult to on sight FAs at a very high grade . 5.10/11 was my limit but I had friends who managed into the 5.12 grades.... above these grades is often where sport climbing techniques and aid are introduced as with the Dawn Wall... I do not have a problem with that just pointing out that aid techniques is also used by "free" climbers . Your terminology seems to indicate your fairly new to climbing ? Bye the way we have also put up FA's of sport climbs from the top down.. marking the holds.. top roping and placing the bolts in all the right places etc etc ...however always considered this as making a climb rather than doing a first ascent and far less memorable than stepping into the unknown..

From Instagram again:

“Another day in the office. We hauled up and set up the portaledge on the Dawn Wall yesterday. I got to the top of pitch 16, and worked the moves of pitches 14, 15 and 16 ‘til late night. These are three of the hardest pitches on the whole climb, and on every pitch I missed one little piece of the puzzle. But with better skin and colder conditions (which are on the way), I will hopefully have these pitches super wired soon. ⠀
“Pitch 14 [5.14d] has this really mysterious last boulder problem—seemingly blank—but offers a few razorblade crimps that are just horrible. The previous boulder problems on this pitch felt very good. Pitch 15 [5.14d] has this really small razorblade that I did not want to pull, since in the warm conditions I would cut my skin open. The rest of the pitch felt good. Pitch 16 [5.14c] has this crazy dyno that definitely felt hard. I did not do the single move, but there is always an option to make the loop variation. The rest of the pitch is tricky and insecure but I found my way.⠀
⠀
“For the next few days I think I will work on these three pitches if the weather allows.”⠀

Kees wrote:From Instagram again: “Another day in the office. We hauled up and set up the portaledge on the Dawn Wall yesterday. I got to the top of pitch 16, and worked the moves of pitches 14, 15 and 16 ‘til late night. These are three of the hardest pitches on the whole climb, and on every pitch I missed one little piece of the puzzle. But with better skin and colder conditions (which are on the way), I will hopefully have these pitches super wired soon. ⠀ “Pitch 14 [5.14d] has this really mysterious last boulder problem—seemingly blank—but offers a few razorblade crimps that are just horrible. The previous boulder problems on this pitch felt very good. Pitch 15 [5.14d] has this really small razorblade that I did not want to pull, since in the warm conditions I would cut my skin open. The rest of the pitch felt good. Pitch 16 [5.14c] has this crazy dyno that definitely felt hard. I did not do the single move, but there is always an option to make the loop variation. The rest of the pitch is tricky and insecure but I found my way.⠀ ⠀ “For the next few days I think I will work on these three pitches if the weather allows.”⠀

Psyched to see how this plays out!