Mind Control (8c+, 5.14c), Oliana, Spain

■Adam Ondra onsights
Joe Kinder says "Adam Ondra is truly the future of sport climbing and this is a great example of why. The guy is far ahead of the game and doing the things we are not doing right now. That is what makes him someone “pushing the sport” (always a goofy phrase, but it’s true)."

BD athlete Adam Ondra onsights Mind Control (8c+), Oliana, Spain from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Black Diamond athlete Adam Ondra went on an unstoppable onsight spree this past February and March in northern Spain, managing a stunning five 8c+ routes onsight. Five! Only Ondra’s fellow BD team member Patxi Usobiaga has managed a 5.14c onsight, and that was just one. We sent ace lensman Bernardo Gimenez to document Ondra’s onsighting at the mega-crag of Oliana, and he was fortunate enough to be rigged and ready when Ondra onsighted Mind Control (8c+), a gorgeous, 40-meter tufa/colonette/pocket line that was soaking wet on top. Gimenez had a pulley system set up and was able to capture the onsight in one single, flowing take, producing a truly unique record of one of the hardest sport-climbing onsights ever (it's amazing to watch the mental gears turning as Ondra tries to quickly figure out a way to securely engage the wet colonette at the top). None of Ondra's pterodactyl shrieks of max-effort during this onsight, just cool, calculated climbing that belies the demands of the grade. It truly does look like he's redpointing 7c+ rather than onsighting 8c+. Impressive, indeed.

■Nina Caprez

Nina Caprez enchaine mind control à Oliana