Climbing with pro-climbers - Interview with Adam Ondra
Can you tell me about yourself?
I am a professional climber. I have always wanted to be a climber and live from it. That was my dream and it came true. I am very grateful for that.
Which kind of climber would you say you are?
I am a climber that likes the whole perspective of climbing – I like to climb everywhere: gym, rock, competition and all styles: lead, bouldering, trad, multipitch…because I like the full spectrum of climbing and at the same time, doing it all can be very helpful – bouldering can help you in the multipitches, the experience of climbing outdoors can help you during competitions. I find that doing it all is the most fun and it is impossible to get demotivated or bored, because if I would have to train all the time for the competition and to follow a super strict regime, and just going for competition and doing it all over again every single year, I would probably do it, but I would not be that psyched about climbing as I am.
Climbing is my passion and I am living it. I think it is important to have passion in life in general, no matter for what it is, it can be any sport or activity – every human being should have a passion that really drives them and in which they invest full heartedly so that life is more interesting and has deeper meaning.
How did the pro climber training project come to life?
Rockbusters was organising a trip to Spain in March and, after talking to my friend Jan and we came up with this idea of coaching with pro climbers. I was in Spain at that time anyway, so I thought that the idea was good. I loved the idea of dedicating two days to help climbers get better and the persons I climbed with were very nice. I very much enjoyed the experience.
Do you like coaching? Would you see yourself as a coach later?
Some years ago, I would not have been able to imagine doing this because I have always been very individualistic. In general, I do not like being told what to do. In my own climbing, I have been my own personal coach. I did not want anybody else to write a training programme for me. It was only 3 years ago that I finally believed that there was one person that I can learn from and that could be my coach and this is Patxi Usobiaga. He helped me realised that there is also a strategic approach to climbing that help become an even better climber. More brain means more climbing.
It is nice to discuss certain things with a coach or a trainer and to have a more feedback on performances. This changed my perception – I understood the use of coaching. Based on this perception shift, I did several workshops and I definitely enjoyed the experience.
What do you think of Patxi’s PUC training? Did it help you become a better climber?
It definitely helped me improve as a climber in the last 3 years. I am stronger. I am now able to climb routes that cannot be climbed unless you are strong enough. As I got stronger, my confidence increased.
But I am at a certain level that every few progression must be done with a hell lot of training. It is possible to sustain this level, but further progressing requires a huge amount of work.
