21 April 2017

Ondra's advice to the kids - onsight and varied styles

Adam Ondra did his first ever interview with 8a when he was 11 years old, where he said; "I always try to climb as many routes of the grade OS (now, it is 8b). I usually don't try harder things for a long time. If I see a nice route, no matter the grade or the character, I want to climb it. Cracks too. I aim to climb all types of routes on various types of rocks." What are the changes you see on the scene in comparison to when you were like 13 years old? What advice could you give to the young climbers? I think the scene of youngsters has changed as there are way more kids climbing pretty hard. More coaches, more scientific approach, but the problem for many remain the same - I often see too much pressure from the coaches and parents (which is even worse), not letting the kids be more independent in climbing and just having more fun in general. Kids should be motivated and psyched to climb themselves - if not, they will probably quit climbing sooner or later. It is important to be ambitious but not focusing too much on the performance. I think kids in general often climb only in certain areas and certain routes, which fit their style and they can push their limits very fast and high. We know that grades are relative, most importantly for someone being only 130cm. It can be frustrating for the youngsters when they grow up, their bodies changing and they do not make any further progression, or not even maintain the level. I think it is very important to climb everything and everywhere when it comes to sport climbing, mostly onsighting but not all the time, and not onsighting in the usual areas suitable for onsights. That way one learns the most and you gain the experience to have fun in the future, because you will be capable of climbing well in any style.
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