In exclusive interviews, two legends from the world of rock climbing – Adam Ondra and Beth Rodden – share their passion for the sport.

Adam Ondra, from the Czech Republic, is often described as the world’s best climber. His list of hard ascents is staggering – including some 130 routes graded 9a or above. It was way back in 2012 that he climbed the world’s first 9b+ in Flatanger, Norway. In 2016 at the age of 23 he repeated Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson’s Dawn Wall in just eight days – it took them 19. He’s a familiar face on the podium of the IFSC circuit and is currently preparing for Paris 2024 qualification.

Beth Rodden is inextricably linked with some of the hardest climbs in Yosemite, having made a number of historic free ascents, including the first free ascent of Lurking Fear in 2001 and a free repeat of The Nose in 2005, set by her childhood hero, Lynn Hill. With Meltdown in 2008, she established the hardest first ascent of a single pitch ever done by a woman. Beth recently released her autobiography: A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story. In it, she doesn’t hold back and details not just the climbing adventures, but the long-lasting trauma of a much-publicised kidnap ordeal in Kyrgyzstan, the breakdown of her relationship and climbing partnership with Tommy Caldwell, the inequality in female sponsorship and her battles with injury not to mention, herself.

The UIAA thanks Mammut for their support in organising the interview with Adam Ondra.

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