BURSTPepa Šindel recently sent Ratatouille 5.14d (9a) in Slovakia. It is his 21st climb of the grade – he also has four 5.15a’s and one 5.15b on his resume). But this send was particularly meaningful for the 18-year-old climber from Czechia.
Back in September 2023, Adam Ondra spent a day climbing with Šindel and the promising young climber’s family. Šindel showed Ondra around a new crag at Harmanec Krpcovo.Hhe and his father have established some of the hardest routes there. With Ondra belaying, Šindel redpointed Carpe Diem 5.14a, and Ondra flashed the route shortly afterwards. Šindel then introduced Ondra to Ratatouille, a line he and his father had bolted and envisioned. The young climber invited his idol to try the line, and like a dream, Ondra made the first ascent.
“My longest-standing project by far,” said Šindel three days ago on Instagram. “More than 3 years of effort! I remember when my dad, my friend Milan Genda, and I bolted our first route together, and it was this one. Since then, it has probably been the most motivating route for me out there!
“FA’d by the GOAT [Adam Ondra] in one day! 15-year-old me witnessing him do it on his 3rd go was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I will remember it forever!
“Ratatouille is an ultra-bouldery, straight start to Štyri myši [5.14a]. I’m pretty sure the crux is around hard [V13]. I broke both of my fingers on it 2 years ago. Last year, it wasn’t dry even once during the entire season. Super hard for me! Definitely my hardest 5.14d. I was seriously thinking about upgrading it to 5.15a, but decided not to.”
Šindel was the second youngest climber ever to send 5.15a – the youngest ever to climb the grade was Ondra. Earlier this month, Šindel made the second ascent of Adam Ondra’s Big Twin 5.15a in Laggio Nord in the Italian Dolomites. In May this year, he sent his first 5.15b, Clash of Titans. Two days after that ascent, he repeated Jorg Verhoeven’s Juturna 5.14d in Innsbruck, Austria. In June, he climbed Proces 5.14d, a hard route in his home crag, Višňové in Slovakia. Other hard climbs on his ticklist include Chiroptera 5.15a in Súľov, Slovakia and Modified 5.15a and Classified 5.14d/15a in Frankenjura.
Adam Ondra’s First Ascent of Ratatouille 5.14d
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