For us mere mortals, it’s nice to see Adam Ondra actually struggle with a climb.
In this video, Ondra establishes what he claims is now the hardest route in the Czech Republic. (And since it’s Ondra, who’s going to argue?)
A 5.15c (9b+), he called this November 2022 first ascent, named Menagerie, the second-hardest route of his life. For those not in the know, that puts it right behind Silence, a 5.15d route in Norway that remains the toughest in the world — and still unrepeated by anyone else.
“It shares the crux with my old route Perlorodka (9a+ or 9b), but it does a much harder start,” he explained in the video description. “It is quite common that sections of certain routes can be easily over-graded, but I am quite confident that the upper crux, including very improbable moves, can be an 8b+ boulder problem. Enjoy a brand new movie about climbing to the absolute limit!”
Runtime: 22 minutes
