Last Great Lines? | Bomba 9b & Bombardino 9a+/9b | Adam Ondra

10 years ago, when I bolted this section of the wall, I thought it was impossible. Now I'm here to find out if something has changed. This place is so unique. It hasn't been bolted until 2010. Basically until now everything is climbed, all the possible lines, except for this section, the hardest part of the wall. And I bolted it in 2011 and 2012. I bolted this line. This is the main original idea. And I always dismissed this right exit to be like, ah, it's going to be 8c, it's too easy, it's not worth it. But I was quite wrong. There is this amazing sequence that is definitely way more than 8c. I think it's going to be 9a+. Something like that. So that's the plan for today. Actually, in this case, I didn't completely bolt it myself, because it was already started by Adam. I only completed what he had started, but also on his advice on where to put the nails, especially in the upper part. Then he also helped me to put the stop, because one day I was here alone and I didn't trust myself to do the crossbar, and he gave me a hand. It was very kind, it was a very engaging experience. I like it. This is the challenge of the new top climbers, no? To find, to go on, on the evolution, finding new lines possible to climb. It's the limit now in between having a very, very small hold and nothing. It's very, very tiny, that limit. And this is the big challenge of new climbing. There is a really bad knee bar you can release, but the foothold is so, so bad that you can't really stay for a long time without your hands. And then it's a section of, I don't know, maybe almost 14 moves that are very technical, very fingery, a little bit powerful, and quite pumpy. You're like trying hard for a pretty long time. The good thing of the really modern climbing, to research the maximum of the difficulties, you research the rock. And today I could see this line like a big S to connect the old footholds and holds for the hands with the really improbable moves. In these last two years, especially with Adam, I could see new kind of movement, which is really, really powerful, but at the same time really, really technical and really of body feeling. Really amazing moves, quite hard for the skin, definitely needs good conditions. It's like slopey things with like little spikes that are really biting into your skin. And if the skin and the conditions are good, they really stick. If some of it is not working, it's not working. There's a particular hold after the last rest, where Adam put his knees together. There's a little mushroom, I can't understand how he holds it, because he's basically looking down. And there's the thumb, it's incredible. But in reality, the rock is all beautiful. The only thing I don't like is that I won't be able to climb it because it's too difficult. My fingertips are good. You have the hands of a baby compared to mine. Of a baby? Compared to mine, which are a little bit worse. In the project I have now, you take two fingers, you pull yourself into such a sheet of foam, and then it's really scary to spread it into such a thing, which is like sitting on all four fingers, but since you're spread out there, you only put two in there. The problem is that when I'm spread out, I'm not able to hold it in my back and go forward. And then I just don't have the strength to spread it enough, to be precise enough. So let's try some exercises to get you in that position, rather, let's say, in the wrong position, in the good position. Good. Relaxed trapeze, relaxed trapeze. You look straight ahead and you rotate, and we rotate like this. Great. Here I'm going to do a push-up. And you do a push-up. I'm going to go first. Great. The conditions, the air, it's crystal clear. I mean, that could have been the try. I was feeling really good cruising through the lower moves of the crux. I got the two finger pocket, I got the crimp. Then it's kind of strange to keep the tension and bring my left foot up. And at that point, my right foot slipped. But I thought, like, I could have done it. Still, you have maybe five more moves to go. Still quite bumpy. But I hope I had a chance on my next try. Talking about Arco now is a mecca of the new climbing, of the most modern climbing. For, I think, for 10 years, the evolution of climbing has stopped here. Recently, after Francois Legrand and many other climbers who bolted some areas, there was a period of stop. And now, with Stefano Ghisolfi, with Adam, and with new climbers of the top level, there are new cliffs, new routes. And Arco is born again as the top of climbing places. You are waiting for the strong one. It was one of these days when the conditions are so good that you actually can't fall off. Unfortunately, I did fall off. I gave it two tries. I was pretty convinced that I had a good chance for my second try. On my second try, I stuck this move. I was a little more tired. I made this big spin two-finger pocket. I managed to come down to the two-finger pocket, but I was already quite tired. And then I decided to clip, because I thought that the fall would maybe be kind of awkward, because it goes into the pendulum. I clipped, I matched, and I realized I just couldn't do the crossover move. I mean, it would have been such a good day to send it, but hopefully tomorrow could be another day. I think every day I'm trying and staying in this crag. I like it more. It has the magic, you know, around here in the olive groves and high above the valley. It makes me excited, because I think, I hope I can get this right variation done pretty soon. And then there is the left variation that could be an IB+. And I think that could be a nice candidate for the next project. It was on the very absolute fucking limit. Conditions just couldn't be better. I felt good. Everything was perfect, but these last four moves are way harder than I thought. Like the crossing over move, I just barely didn't get it. And then I was just pumped out of my mind. And this move, when you get this, this, you get this tufa, and you have to throw your knee bar all the way here. Oh my god, it was just the strength of my will. But it worked. I think the route is absolutely epic. Let's go! Pegas Tower! Thank you. It was great. Oh no. Because it was on the very absolute limit. And I'm glad it's hard, I think. The last four moves, which are exhausting, I think they are really exhausting. The reason why I would agree with 9b is that I don't think anyone would do the knee under the crux like that. It's a very interesting knee, because you're basically standing on a bar, you have a good knee, you have to swing your other hand like this, and you're just fine. But then you feel like you're falling. I made the end a little interesting, because the elbow is still missing, so there was a section that wasn't tried, so I thought I'd freeze it. Not that it would be dangerous, but I really didn't want to fall in 6c, but I checked everything three times to see if it was really solid. But I think it's one of the best moves I've ever done. Looking at those lines never ceases to amaze me. Once the right line, the orange line, is finished, there is still the harder variation, the red line, the very original that I bolted back in 2012, which is going to be definitely harder. Today there is Jakob Schubert, he came to Arco for a weekend, and it's great because we can work on this harder line together. In terms of beta, how to climb through the very hard crux of the red line. First time for you here? Yeah, I've never climbed here, first time climbing, looks really good. It's special. Special in terms of two-foot climbing. Yes, and it's weird that you have two-foot, and for example no feet right and left, so not so many knee bars, and there are some. The whole year I'm kind of planning to at least find something that I really want to put more effort in, and maybe one day be able to climb as hard as you. 90 would be cool. A lot of hard roots here. Nice. And now you use this weird hold. It looks so funny. Touch the sloper on the side, yes, and right hand up. Like that it's solid, no problem. A bit to the right. Okay, take. Oh, it's sharp. Yeah, but first you like turn it into the undercling. I think the crossing over, if you come from the ground, might be the crux. Oh, wow. So cold, I think it will be hard to do tries right now. Pretty cold actually. Crazy up there. It's cool, but frustratingly strange, no? I also know what you mean with like you need it, like now it felt like really cold to actually try, but at the same time you really need it cold, because it's like... If there is no wind, there is like the mushroom, if there is no wind, it always feels a little wet and... Yeah, the crimps. I feel like if it would be, if like my skin would hurt a tiny bit, there was no way even going for that last move, because I would think I would cut my whole hand, because it's like really sharp. I mean that move, like when I'm like there and I'm about to move, it feels like completely possible, but at the same time it feels like you can easily miss this hold. And when you come from the ground, this must be like, you have to be so nervous on that move. But yeah, I mean I would have to figure out, like for me what felt like impossible when I tried first time, is like going from the knee bar to the mushroom. But you think without a knee bar, you can do it without a knee bar? Just using it as a shoulder? I don't know, I haven't tried enough. Maybe you could even use it as an undercling. Yeah, I think so too. I can imagine, yeah, the heel makes it possible. Like you can heel and at the same time, like go with the toes on the lower foot. Yeah. But yeah, I don't know. Come on. Ah! Yeah! Come on Adam! Karadžići Adam.