As part of the second episode of the news program Beta, we spoke to Adam Ondra and asked him who he sees as a 9c contender and whether his Route Silence might have to be rated more heavily than 9c. While we were only able to publish an excerpt from our questions and its answers in the program, everything is available here in full.
An interview with Adam Ondra
A few weeks ago, the German professional climber Alexander Megos. as the second climber scored a 9c route. He managed the first ascent of the route Bibliography in the climbing area Céüse. During bibliography shortly afterwards from Jakob Schubert was bouldered out, Silence - as the name suggests - is rather quiet. Is the route more difficult than 9c? Who can climb 9c at all? We have Adam Ondra .
LACRUX: Are you going to try Alex Megos' Bibliography Route? When?
Certainly not in the near future, because I am currently concentrating intensively on the Summer Olympics. At some point I'll definitely look at the route and then I'll see whether the line motivates me or not.
Who could climb a 9c route next to you and Alexander Megos right now?
I think Jakob Schubert has the best chance of climbing 9c. However, I think that Silence does not correspond to his climbing style and he is probably not particularly motivated to start the route. I don't know whether bibliography corresponds to his style. I'm curious myself how many holes the route has - because neither I nor I like this route style Jacob. But if the route appeals to him, then I have absolutely no doubt that he can climb 9c.
You climbed Silence almost three years ago and made history with it. Apart from Pete Whittaker, who has checked out the route before?
The Frenchman Sébastien Bouin took a look at Silence. I have to admit, I chose Silence because the route suits me and the others don't like this style. In the videos, the nature of Route Silence is pretty evident - and I think it looks pretty intimidating.
Could it be that Silence is even harder? 9c + or even 10a?
No, certainly not. 9c + or even 10a would have to be much, much more difficult if we don't want to inflate the difficulty scale in the future either. Each step on the difficulty scale really has to be a noticeable step in the actual difficulty of the route.
Are you more interested in planning the route bibliography or a completely new 9c route?
That's a good question. But I don't really know the answer to the question. As soon as the Summer Olympics are over, I'll find an answer to the question.
You can find more about 9c and other interviews in the news broadcast Beta # 2
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Credits: Cover picture AO Productions