After Jakob Schubert at the end of last year, Adam Ondra can now also repeats the Chris Sharma route „Neanderthal“ (9b) in the Spanish climbing area Santa Linya. Chris Sharma’s endurance hammer with over 100 moves first ascented in 2009 and was one of the first 9b routes in the world. Adam Ondra started to work on the route in 2011. And each returned for a few days in 2015 and 2017. He also managed in Santa Linya the 7th tour of the route „Catxasa“ (9a +), which was also developed by Chris Sharma. „Neanderthal“ was Adam’s 23th route in grade 9b and harder.

Adam by Instagram: „There are not many routes that I can tell about that I really hated then at certain point. But Nenderthal was definitely one of them. Not because the route is of bad quality, just because how many times I failed again and again. Getting over it and finally suceeding was a huge lesson. 2015 – tried for like a week, and found out I just could not the dyno from the ground. It felt too had with two fingers in the pocket, and I had no idea how to squeeze my 3 fat fingers in. 2017 – I found better kneebars, figured out how to squeeze my fat fingers into the pocket and stuck the dyno on day one of the trip!! Only to fall off from the nohand-rest above because a foothold broke. Then, I tried for 5 more days, but never had good conditions or I was just too weak. Second trip of that year I got sick. 2019 – Short trip and second-last day of the trip I stuck the dyno and fell higher again, due to brutal flash pump this time. Last day of the trip, first try falling of the dyno again, sun is slowly coming, I need to go fast. Now, or yet another season. It was an epic try, but hell – it felt good to be in the sun at the anchor.