The atmosphere on the Malham Catwalk was palpable yesterday – King Wad, a.k.a. Adam Ondra was in town! And man was he pulling down big style. Ondra, one of the best climbers on Planet Rock at the moment, is here for a week and clearly means business. Between tie-ins he was scanning the guidebook and scoping the crag. He looked to me like a big game cat stalking his prey before pouncing and going in for the kill...

 

He wasted no time adding to his score-card (check it out here www.8a.nu) with on-sights of Zoolook (F8a) and Overnite Sensation (F8a+). Next up was Overshadow (F9a+), Steve McClure’s 2007 mega route. His second go up was only a tad short of amazing; he was clearly in red-point mode! Having belayed Steve prior to and then on his actual ascent of Overshadow, as well as having photographed him on it afterwards, I felt like an expectant father. Did Ondra dispatch it on his first go? No, is the short answer – but boy did he look wicked. Falling from the crucial bulge, that just above Overnite lower-off, he worked it some more then tore up the rest of the pitch to the lower-off. Hmmm – impressive stuff; at least I didn’t need to ring Steve and tell him Ondra had hiked his route on his first red-point!

 

An hour later, his rope hit the catwalk below Cry Freedom (F8b+). Given he had on-sighted F8c+, surely a lowly F8b+ should be a walk in the park? Having seen plenty of folks on this before I knew where the hard bits were. However, watching Ondra dispatch the first crucial section in three big moves I was left thinking that the on-sight was gonna be perfunctory. Having pulled thru the first crux with what appeared to be comsumate ease, a tricky wall guarded the final roof; a prominent feature and one commonly considered as the red-point crux. Whether he would have gonnen thru the top and so claimed the first on-sight of Cry Freedom we’ll never know as the tricky wall spat him off into the air. I don’t speak Czceh; but I reckon he might just have just sworn at that point! It had been close but (sadly) no cigar. The crag was holding up – just...

 

And that was that for the day. Ondra’s here for the week – I wonder what odds we’d get down at Ladbrokes for him going home without a bunch of scalps? Did I get loads of images – course I did - it would have been rude not too. Here a selection to be getting on with…

 

King Wad – a.k.a. Adam Ondra – tearing up the upper bulges of Overshadow (F9a+)

 

Ondra on the first crux of Cry Freedom (F8b+)

 

Ondra approaching the top bulge of Cry Freedom (F8b+) having dropped the on-sight on the wall just below

 

The Catwalk with Ondra hanging out on (or rather off…) the crux Overshadow. Cry Freedom takes the wall and bulges left