BURSTAdam Ondra went out for a bouldering session in Toit d’Orsay in France. He had his sights set on a V14 flash, but ended up making a V14/15 (8B+/C) first ascent instead. He called the problem Little Boy du Fond, and says it is V14/15, “or soft [V15] if you don’t believe in slash grades”. The boulder is very much an Ondra-style problem. It features wild 360-degree rotations, a dynamic move to a strong gaston, and an approximately 41-second bat hang rest. It’s not the most aesthetic climb, but it definitely looks hard, and Ondra’s expression of joy after his send signals that it’s a good one.
“Post-comp day in Toit d’Orsay (considered part of Fontainebleau, very close to Paris) before taking a flight back home,” said Ondra on Instagram. “The psyche was high to climb on sandstone! I really wanted to try to flash the recent version of La Force [V14]. The original version doesn’t exist any more, as a huge flake was broken, so the start is higher. My flash try ended at the crux shoulder move in the middle of the roof.
“This particular move was very extreme for me (I still suck in shoulder moves, even more so combined with toehook), so once I did it from the start, I continued via the hardest possible exit with Trinity [V10] instead of Morpheus [V9]. And Little Boy du fond [V14/15] (or soft [V15]?) was born. I did Vertical Art [V13] to finish the day.” He continued, “Toit d’Orsay is not the best place in the world, and it feels more like climbing circuits than bouldering, but a very fun place to climb with some unique moves.”
The comp he was referring to was the European Championships, where he climbed strong despite the circumstances. On Instagram, he shared that he fell ill and couldn’t climb for a week, only two weeks before the comp. “My motivation was low, but I quickly got back, and it might have been the best shape I had for a comp this season,” he said. “I felt really good on the wall in both qualification and semifinals, especially putting up an epic fight on an extremely difficult semifinal route, being 2nd just behind super strong [Alberto Ginés López]. The final route was different. I felt slightly tired, I didn’t climb well, and a few mistakes cost me a medal. Still, it was a comp that makes me motivated for next year.”
He finished in fourth, edged out by only a plus on the scoreboard behind Sam Avezou. Ginés López won his first European Championship gold, and Gio Placci took silver.
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