
Czech climber Adam Ondra has conquered the Dawn Wall in record time - aruss
http://www.outsideonline.com/2138561/how-adam-ondra-pulled-dawn-wall
======
jasonkester
I think that this style of climbing resonates a lot better with the general
public because it does such a good job of conveying difficulty.

If you look at a photo of Adam on one of his 9b's [1], it looks like a guy
having a really hard time in a really steep place, but there are _holds_
there. You see things that seem like a fella could hang from them.

Compare to the photo in the article, with its dead vertical, mile-high flat
granite surface that's, well, kinda bumpy. There is nowhere in that image that
the layman could picture himself existing for even a second before falling
off.

It's a shame, in a way, that we sort of climbed off the top of the feasible
difficulty for this style of route back in the '90s and had to turn to
steeper, longer routes. You just don't get the captivating photos like you
used to these days.

[1]
[https://www.8a.nu/images/news/large/636002137114161240_13320...](https://www.8a.nu/images/news/large/636002137114161240_13320515_786795324755406_315282076536749870_o.jpg)

~~~
saiya-jin
true, only those who tried climbing for at least few times do know how much
difference the shape of the hold and the angle of the wall makes the
difference.

layman can see me climbing some easy overhang in the gym (say 5c) in
amazement, but it's basically a series of pullups with some stamina required
(yeah, I am not a very good climber). on real rock with similar surface angle,
or on some proper route I wouldn't last there for 2 seconds

~~~
markatkinson
I started indoor climbing about 3-4 months back as there is a gym nearby and I
go with one of our devs. My goodness what an amazingly functional sport.

I have such immense respect and awe for those people that can climb such a
flat surface. You really realise the insane grip strength and stamina they
must have to be able to actually not fall off, let alone climb up.

I am quite happy with my positive holds on a flat surface and indoors though.
Youtube bouldering world championships for some insane athletes!

------
peace011
Keep in mind that although he did it in a single push of 8 days, he has
actually been up and down the wall for a lot longer, freeing and aiding every
pitch many times. I was on the Nose almost a month ago and I could see his
portaledge hanging out there. His accomplishment is really amazing and the
Dawn Wall is so damn blank! No idea how these people get so good!

~~~
lorenzhs
Well yeah, but Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson studied the wall for years.
That this is Adam Ondra's first trip to Yosemite Valley and his first big wall
makes it even more impressive. What an amazing achievement!

~~~
petrbela
Adam actually consulted with Caldwell so he had quite a lot of prior knowledge
but still, he's only really studied it for a month. Source:
[http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/2016/climber-
ada...](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/2016/climber-adam-ondra-
dawn-wall-yosemite-success/)

------
ethbro
Plug for _Valley Uprising_ (on Netflix) if you're interested in climbing. The
progression of difficulty and (mostly friendly and supportive) competition
between climbers is inspiring.

Amazing feat!

PS: Would be happy to take anyone else's recommendations for videos or books
too.

~~~
drej
This is only relevant if you understand Ondra's native tongue (Czech), which
is extremely unlikely :-) But for anyone who does speak Czech: this is a
rather fun interview, especially if you don't know much about climbing.

[https://video.aktualne.cz/dvtv/mam-lezecky-mozek-sedi-mi-
div...](https://video.aktualne.cz/dvtv/mam-lezecky-mozek-sedi-mi-divne-cesty-
pady-na-skale-do-lana/r~ccaec1968f9111e682380025900fea04/)

~~~
iliketrains
Extremely unlikely but possible :) Nice interview, thanks!

For English speakers I would recommend "La Dura Complete: The Hardest Rock
Climb In The World"
([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1P97VVt6_k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1P97VVt6_k))

------
mmartinson
Every time time someone uses the world "conquer" to describe a climbing
accomplishment, a million climbers face palm.

That said, this is a pretty descriptive article describing what happened in a
way accessible to fairly general audience. I particularly liked the comparison
"it's akin to Usain Bolt also being the fastest marathoner alive. That’s the
hold Ondra has on climbing." It's incredible to imagine how far this guy might
push the sport, given everything he has already accomplished at such a young
age.

~~~
takk309
For the non-climbers, conquer is much easier to understand than send.

~~~
cmdrfred
Never heard of send before, is it just short for ascend?

~~~
takk309
In simple terms, yes. More often it is used to mean that you were able to make
it up a climb without taking a fall, having your belayer hold you with the
rope, or pulling on any fixed gear.

------
overcast
I'm sure this will get down voted into oblivion. I respect the passion of
climbing, I really do. However, I never agreed with drilling holes, and
placing bolts, in all of these amazing natural structures. Just another thing
we have to ruin for human enjoyment :(

~~~
un-devmox
For those interested in the bolt or not to bolt debate, the Dawn Wall has
always been at the epicenter of this controversy. When Warren Harding and Dean
Caldwell did the first ascent they placed many bolts (most were tiny brittle
aluminum dowels). Later, Royal Robbins and Don Lauria, made the 2nd ascent
with the intention of removing those bolts. But they stopped removing the
bolts as the beauty of the climb became apparent.

IMO, as someone who has climbed in the Valley for more than 25 years and has
always been a traditionalist, drilled bolts have there place in climbing. It
would be hard to convince me that bolts on El Cap or any where else in the
Valley have 'ruined' the massif.

~~~
module0000
I get the bolts-are-good and bolts-are-bad side of the argument. When I see
them, they remind me of survey markers...you only notice them when they are
relevant to what you are doing, and they remind me that someone "was here".

------
Jaruzel
What amazes me more, right now, is that there are people on HN who not only
KNOW about climbing, but actually DO it.

By comparison, I tend to consider a brisk walk too much exercise.

~~~
robin_reala
Climbing seems to be the developer’s sport. It’s not team based (beyond your
belayer), there’s no schedule so you can fit it in around other things, and
especially with bouldering it’s split into short challenges that are as much
mental as physical.

~~~
Fricken
If you draw a venn diagram for jocks, hippies and nerds, the point where the
three circles intersect is where you find climbers.

~~~
steveax
Frank Sacherer worked at CERN: [http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/tnb-
forgotten-hero-fran...](http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/tnb-forgotten-
hero-frank-sacherer-1940-1978)

~~~
bhickey
Bill Shockley won the Nobel Prize in Physics
([https://www.mountainproject.com/v/shockleys-
ceiling/10579968...](https://www.mountainproject.com/v/shockleys-
ceiling/105799687))

Hans Kraus was JFK's back doctor
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Kraus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Kraus))

------
petval
Here's a google translation of just a few days old Czech article about him
from his beginnings as a child. I thought Alex Honnold is the best one and
didn't know about Ondra till this weekend although I am Czech as well.

[https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=cs&tl=en&js=y&prev...](https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=cs&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=cs&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reportermagazin.cz%2Fa%2FwYZ2K%2Fadam-
ondra-muz-s-pavouci-dna&edit-text=)

~~~
yread
> "Vymrčel I get it,"

Google translate learnt Czech from people from Prague :)

------
jdale27
That is fucking amazing. I can't even comprehend what it must be like to be
living on that wall for eight days (let alone 19 or 28). The mental and
emotional state it must put you in...

~~~
Someone
This has been getting a bit easier, emotionally. He had a phone and Internet
(he posted on Instagram from the wall, if I read the article correctly)

~~~
mattnumbe
No amount of internet would change my mental state when trying to sleep on a
tiny platform 2,000 feet above the ground.

~~~
CmdrSprinkles
It seems crazy, but it is really no different than sleeping in a hotel room or
going camping. You initially are uncomfortable and it takes a bit of time for
your brain to acknowledge it is safe to sleep in a strange place. Then you
realize you are exhausted and pass out.

And unless you REALLY toss and turn in your sleep, you are as safe as your
anchors (and if you are doing this, you know how to make anchors. Or are so
incredibly stupid that you are trying to win a Darwin award).

------
Fricken
I wonder if in my lifetime we'll ever see a big, sustained free climb go up
that surpasses the Dawn Wall. It took Tommy Caldwell 7 years just to unlock
it. Testpieces like that don't come around very often.

~~~
saiya-jin
it's considered the hardest climb globally in this type of climbing. you won't
find such a huge face in himalaya for example. so first we would need to find
a tougher one. if you look at the photos/description, there are not many
massive polished almost-vertical walls like this one

------
buzzdenver
Adam is a total bad-ass and amazing how he's world class in so many
disciplines and styles of climbing.

~~~
cfontes
Also he is from an amazing climbing family, everybody is freaking awesome at
it.

------
philfrasty
As a non-climber: who drills these holes into the wall with the carabiners in
them? (AND HOW???)

~~~
avar
How:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO4zuO1XSxQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO4zuO1XSxQ)

Who: Aside from Yosemite, the answer is "it depends", a lot of these are just
set up by enterprising enthusiasts, often technically illegally, but few care
enough to bother them.

In some parks & locations they're set up by whoever manages the park / owns
the area to attract climbers & the business that comes with it.

Some people in the mountaineering / climbing community don't like them since
they leave a permanent trace ("take only photos, leave only footprints"), and
prefer to use removable versions of these for just the duration of the climb.

~~~
jdietrich
Dislike is something of an understatement. For many decades, there has been a
tit-for-tat war between sport and trad climbers. Sport climbers bolt a route,
then trad climbers come along with bolt croppers and remove the protection. In
many areas, bolting is carried out under cover of darkness, for fear of
violent confrontation with traditionalists.

The Dawn Wall has been a significant battleground in this war. The first
ascent was made by Harding and Caldwell in 1970 using bolts and significant
aid climbing; A year later, Royal Robbins made the second ascent, chopping off
the bolts as he went.

~~~
spuz
I think that's overblowing it. 99.9% of the time, trad climbers and sport
climbers and their respective ethics coexist peacefully. There are rock
climbing areas that are better suited to trad and areas that are suited to
sport, and most of the time those areas are pretty well agreed upon. There are
also areas (such as Yosemite) where a mixture of removable gear and permanent
gear is most appropriate and in those cases, the general rule of 'removable
gear where possible, fixed gear where necessary' is also well agreed upon.

What you're talking about with Harding and Robbins on the Dawn Wall is a clash
of ethics that is long in the past. Very few people consider it worthwhile
hammering pitons into a slice of blank rock in order to ascend it and aid
climbing in itself is less popular with respect to free climbing.

------
sbisson
Back the end of September I was photographing folk on the Dawn Wall from down
the valley, as we were passing through from the Bay to Park City, heading to a
futurist conference...

[https://flic.kr/p/N3KDST](https://flic.kr/p/N3KDST)

~~~
spuz
This is not a photo of the Dawn Wall. These climbers are climbing a route
called Tangerine Trip (I believe) which is significantly easier than the Dawn
Wall. Climbers climb to the top of El Cap every day, the Dawn Wall has only
had 2 ascents.

~~~
sbisson
Thanks! I'll correct it.

------
wolf550e
Are there more photos of what this climb looks like? Maybe a video?

~~~
Fricken
Here's Caldwell on pitch 15 last year:

[https://youtu.be/PLd_c4CjG44](https://youtu.be/PLd_c4CjG44)

~~~
tmd83
What kind of strength does one have to have on the finger to be able to hold
himself with just the tip? I have always wondered. I only saw climbing scenes
in movies and have always wondered if people actually are able to work with
such little grip and it seems they are.

So for such climbing do they use earlier runs to put the rings (whatever they
are call) for the safety lines during the actual climb?

~~~
jasonkester
In general, when you see a climber bearing down on a tiny crimp that fits the
very tip of just one finger, seeming to support his body weight on it, that is
exactly what is happening. His feet will be on holds that are considerably
worse.

The amazing thing is that if you apply yourself to climbing and train for a
few years, you will be able to move off similar holds in similar positions.

It's a pretty cool feeling.

~~~
rectang
As a non-climber, when I watch the Dawn Wall videos, there's an illusion that
the surface is 90 degrees sheer, perpendicular to the ground. Understanding
that there is actually a slight incline puts those tiny holds in a little more
context, moving the concept of clinging to the wall's surface from
"impossible" to "outrageous".

~~~
wlll
For some comparison here's Adam Ondra climbing another route. And no, this
photo wasn't rotated 90°, it is really an overhang :)

[https://www.8a.nu/images/news/large/636002137114161240_13320...](https://www.8a.nu/images/news/large/636002137114161240_13320515_786795324755406_315282076536749870_o.jpg)

A famous bouldering problem, "Witlness the Fitness" that inclues a cieling:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PP1AK1Aqis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PP1AK1Aqis)

------
raftaa
Yeah, but it was also nice to see him struggling with his nervousness. Just
like the rest of us. Maybe he's just human too.

------
frrp
Following in photos is much better than just reading about Ondra:
www.instagram.com/adam.ondra/

------
toppy
How it compares to what Alex Honnold achieved on The Nose? Difficulty or size
is different?

~~~
psyc
Here's Alex Honnold saying "nope":

[http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/races-sports/alex-
honno...](http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/races-sports/alex-honnold-on-
the-dawn-wall-climb-20150112)

~~~
JadeNB
Since the original question wasn't yes or no, I was confused by what "saying
'nope'" meant. Here's a quote (from Honnold, but about a different Dawn Wall
ascent) from your link that might be relevant:

> People just assume I must be some great climber but I'm like, 'yeah but this
> is even harder than anything I've done.' It's really, really hard. The holds
> are just a little bit smaller and [a] little bit further apart.

------
erl
Reading this I am once again fascinated by the link between body and mind. My
hands start to sweat as soon as I read the headline.

~~~
wlll
That's what chalk is for :)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQ&feature=youtu.be...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQ&feature=youtu.be&t=96)

The whole video is pretty interesting, but may make your hands sweat even
more.

------
a-l-c-o
In what way is this a hacker piece of news ? What's next ? "This cat completes
Record Backflip" ?

Please refrain, Thx

~~~
toppy
You can find an explanation here

[https://blog.codinghorror.com/software-projects-as-rock-
clim...](https://blog.codinghorror.com/software-projects-as-rock-climbing/)

[http://adaptivepatchwork.com/2011/01/10/why-programmers-
love...](http://adaptivepatchwork.com/2011/01/10/why-programmers-love-to-
climb/)

[http://breckyunits.com/what-can-a-programmer-learn-from-
rock...](http://breckyunits.com/what-can-a-programmer-learn-from-rock-
climbing.html)

~~~
a-l-c-o
Thank You toppy.

Your second link mentioning problem solving is interesting. But overall I
think the comparison is a little stretched.

