It seems only months ago that Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgenson finished their dream of free climbing the Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, Calif.
Who am I talking about? They’re done? Wait, Tommy completed his long-held goal up there?
Yes, seriously, Caldwell and Jorgenson completed their ascent of the world’s most difficult big wall free climb, The Dawn Wall, in January of 2015. It’s been that long since the furor has died down and we’ve all but forgotten about this modern piece of climbing history, written close to two years ago.
We’ve all forgotten, but the Dawn Wall has weaseled its way into our own climbing vernacular as a noun and verb with terms like “What’s your Dawn Wall?” – referring to someone defining their own almost insurmountable, but not quite, type of challenge. Some may have even heard the term uttered as a verb, “dude, I’m fully Dawn Walling up here! It’s so sick!”
As fate would have it, there is someone who hasn’t forgotten about the Dawn Wall – and that person is Adam Ondra. From the Czech Republic and 23 years old, Ondra is widely considered the strongest sport climber in the world.
What do I mean by sport climbing? This means rock climbing protected by permanently installed bolts.
This October, Ondra decided to travel to Yosemite Valley in California to learn a bit about trad climbing by making a tick list of the hardest big wall free climbs Yosemite has to offer. Even his initial act, planning a trip to the iconic American rock climbing centre of the universe, often draws jeers and jabs from the arm chair elite.
A classic Yosemite encounter is of the European climber on their first trip to Yosemite.
They slump dejectedly, smoking, at a greasy picnic table in Camp 4, the climber’s campground. They intently stare at their mutilated hands and swollen feet, willing skin to grow and jamming prowess to blossom. They offer only a grunted reply to “Hey, how’s your trip going bud?” – “These granite cracks, they beat me down. I have nothing left.”
You pat the gent on the back, tell him everyone starts that way, pass him a beer and sidle along through the trees and slacklines.
This trip might be different for Ondra, being that he’s the best rock climber on the planet, albeit in one certain discipline of the activity.
His warm up climbs, just to learn how the granite climbs and get his jamming skills sorted, were to free climb the Salathe Wall on El Cap, a 30+ pitch 13c with a Czech friend and to then free climb the Nose, another 30+ pitch 14a, with his dad.
The rains moved in and Ondra cancelled the warm ups. Once the stone dried, he went straight for the Dawn Wall starting on Oct. 18 and reached the top of pitch 7 on the first day, encountering climbing as hard as 14a.
On day two he climbed to the top of pitch 10, checking out multiple pitches of 14a and has now descended to rest the skin and go for a free attempt on The Nose. Sussing out the pitches, learning the new techniques, dialling in his strategy for conditions, weather, temps and climbing on El Cap are all on the agenda.
Ondra doesn’t seem to need much rest.
When asked about his trip to Yosemite in a piece written by Andrew Bisherat in National Geographic, he said: “Yosemite is the only crag of historical importance where I haven’t been… That’s why I want to go there, and besides that, it looks so cool.”
This, coupled with his openness around improving his trad climbing, gave me a real ray of inspiration that could work for any level or ability.
Maybe it comes from being the absolute best, but his open, humble interest in putting himself out there to learn something new seemed a simple truth to take away on this rainy weekend in October.
