Ondra's Ground Up 14d?

Anybody see this video of Adam falling repeatedly with a drill in hand trying to put up a 14d ground up?

dailymotion.com/video/xmgq8…

I can't figure out what he's hanging on that he keeps hitting with his hand? Must of been exciting.

If it's the part about 7:50 in, it looks like he's slapping a hook to try to get it to set better. Someone who speaks Czech might help. My brother does, I'm tempted to ask him to translate the whole thing. It's interesting to watch Ondra take those whips while trying to drill.

By the Way he's hitting it straight in I'd think it was a cam hook. You wouldnt hit a bat hook like that. I guess it could be a knife blade or pin of some kind but the speed with which he places it and then weights it make me think it's a cam hook.

Can't believe he tried to drill while free climbing - that looked a bit dangerous. Hooking seemed way safer. I think it's really cool that he is doing this type of stuff. He must be having the time of his life right now.

I bet his friends are as well. Look at that dude hanging out in the tree.

Look at the bolt he is falling on. It looks like a bunch of dust flies out when he takes the fall. Strange...

That's pretty...hardcore.

Jonathan Ward wrote:Look at the bolt he is falling on. It looks like a bunch of dust flies out when he takes the fall. Strange...

It's chalk dust transferred to the rope from his hands when he jugs back up. It's not coming from the bolt itself.

Suggest you look up such FA's on sight ground up such as "Innominate" 500' and others ..on the Eastern Reef.. San Rafaen Swell in Utah by Lance Bateman
"Only" 5.12 but all bolts placed on lead from free stances no hooking.

Looks like he figured out rap bolting. :)

If you want to do a good job, ground up for a sport route seems pretty silly to me unless there is some practical reason for it. It looks like somebody got him a decent drill too, instead of that little thing that sounded like it was ready to incinerate. Both those crags he was working on look super sweet. I wish I could find one like them in my neck of the woods.

Ground-up is the only permitted style for first ascents on Elbe sandstone. Aid between bolts is not permitted, hooking to drill is.

Hooking to drill is aid.

Personally I agree, once you hang on something to install a bolt it might as well be a piece of 10mm static from the top.
However I don´t make the rules there, illogical as they may be.

Jim Titt wrote:Personally I agree, once you hang on something to install a bolt it might as well be a piece of 10mm static from the top. However I don´t make the rules there, illogical as they may be.