Watch Adam Ondra Make the First Ascent of Brutal Rider (V16)

On Instagram, Ondra wrote that he has neglected hard outdoor bouldering over the last 10 years, only using it as a tool to train while he focused on sport climbing and competitions. This year’s events have given Ondra more time to focus on his local boulders. “They might not be the best lines ever,” he wrote. “They usually lack topouts, but they are hard, they are there and they simply need to be sent, especially as the moves are usually intricate and interesting!”

Brutal Rider is one of those problems. The line links the start of Brutus (8A+/V12) into Ghost Rider (8C/V15). Ondra graded the new linkup 8C+/V16, but noted that due to the length of the route—at 25 moves—it could also be considered 9b/5.15b. To add to the difficulties, a stream flooded the landing area before Ondra could send the problem. He and his team had to used pallets to keep the crashpads out of the shallow water.

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