Look out Yosemite: Ondra is coming!

So, does anyone know if he has really led these first handful of pitches placing his own gear.

Update: Ondra Climbs to the Top of Pitch 10 on the Dawn Wall

“We started pretty late yesterday and the fact that we are very inexperienced was obvious right from the beginning—I’ve done a lot of jugging up in my life, but only sport climbing and always using one GriGri and one ascender. Bad technique resulted in being super slow and tired after having jugged up the first 7 pitches. It was 3:30 p.m. by that time, so I managed to get to the top of pitch 10 until it got dark.

“It was quite intense, a lot of bold climbing again, especially on pitch 10, which is another horrendous layback with poor protection. A combination of aid climbing, French-freeing and fear got me to the top without ripping out any of my pieces of pro. I didn’t feel like going for more adventure in the dark, so we just fixed our ropes and I tried pitch 7, 8 and 10 (5.14a, .13d and .14a) on toprope with headlamp. These pitches are not only bold, but freaking hard too! Definitely no easy grades for these ones—Tommy and Kevin are tough guys! I tried the moves all over again to get some confidence and we got back to the camp by 12:30 at night. Big day for sure.

–BD Ambassador Adam Ondra, Oct. 19, 2016.

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Update: Ondra Jumps on the Dawn Wall

“First day on the big wall in Yosemite, and straight onto the Dawn Wall! Foolishness, lack of respect or boldness? Well, not necessarily any of it. The Dawn Wall just dries up quickly after the huge rain on Sunday. And it went all right. Definitely scary and adventurous. Tiny footholds and insecure climbing, smearing my feet onto glassy footholds of Yosemite granite and all that with poor protection by copperheads, peckers, tiny cams and occasional bolts.

“I ripped some copperheads, took some falls but made it to the top of pitch 7 and fixed our ropes. Leading the pitches with all the fear definitely felt super hard, but once I had the rope from above, the moves felt OK. But grades on the Dawn Wall are definitely not overrated. Great success for today and 5 pitches to go tomorrow to have our ropes fixed under the crux pitches.”

–BD Ambassador Adam Ondra, Oct. 17, 2016.

On Monday, (Ondra's) first day on the wall, he reached the top of Pitch 7, although not without falling. Photographer and climber Dustin Moore reported to Rock and Ice that Ondra onsighted the first pitch (5.12b) and fell once and hung once on the second pitch (5.13a).

tired after having jugged up the first 7 pitches.

They've fixed up high, maybe 12-15 pitches if not more. Heinz Zak was here taking pics too. Even if the Junk Show!

Just him and a buddy belaying.

pavelblazek - Kevin Jorgeson (@kjorgeson) stopped by to give Adam some beta on the climb. The line on the ground is the pitches 11 - 15. That's where we managet to get last night. Adam even tried to climb the pitch 16 in the dark, but it was getting really late and he decided to rather do it during day.

pavelblazek - In my point of view, it's easier for Adam to climb the traverz (pitch 14 & 15), than for me to jug it up (going sideways) .

pavelblazek - We both find it quite funny - Adam never really trad climb, I've never been on multipitch climb, neither of us ever had to jug up or set the fix ropes on big wall ... The learning curve is bit steep :) :) :) .