BURSTOn the 1st of October back in 2023, Adam Ondra made the first ascent of Fantazija 5.15a (9a+) in Ter, Slovenia. The former open project was originally bolted by Rajko Zajc and later worked by Jernej Kruder. Released a year and a half later after the send, Ondra just posted a 19-minute film about his Fantazija ascent, which you can watch below.
Ondra employed some odd beta to reduce the difficulty of the crux of Fantazija. He put his left toes on the rock but locked his foot in by placing his heel on his right thigh, creating a camming action. Ondra noted on his 8a.nu page that although the route is likely harder for those with less than a 180cm arm span, meaning it’s very reachy, the line is a “very intense power endurance masterpiece.”
Ondra’s Fantazija ascent came a few days after his first ascent of B je to! 5.15b in Croatia, the country’s hardest line to date. As if a Fantazija 5.15a first ascent wasn’t enough, Ondra went on to onsight two 5.14b (8c) routes that day, Kingslayer and Inferno do vrha. “Hard to find a route so perfect, anywhere in the world,” he said about Kingslayer on his 8a.nu. “Not so clear for onsight, had to dig quite deep.”
Fantazija was Ondra’s 49th route of the grade. He now has 134 5.14d’s, 50 5.15a’s, 24 5.15b’s, four 5.15c’s, and one 5.15d on his one-of-a-kind climbing tick-list.
Adam Ondra’s FA of Fantazija 5.15a
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