In his new video, Adam Ondra focuses primarily on two generations of extreme climbing on the immense south face of the Marmolada, the jewel of the Dolomites. The Czech climber begins with the “Fish” route, the legendary “Attraverso il Pesce,” first climbed in 1981 by Igor Koller and Jindřich Šustr, which he tackles alongside Pietro Dal Prà. A great classic that, despite the passing decades and evolving standards, remains a serious challenge given the considerable commitment required between protection points—including on the crux pitch rated 7b/+.
The interview with Igor Koller, in which he explains how he top-roped his masterpiece from the bottom using water-drop hooks, is a highlight. The lower section of the route is soaked, but it takes more than that to make the two climbers give up. “The 6b routes are frankly underrated,” comments Adam Ondra, noting that the widely spaced protection makes the route “particularly challenging.”
Another epic route : Ego Land marks a new era, having been repeated by Ondra last June. First established in 2024 by Bernardo Rivadossi and Massimo Faletti, then completed and free-climbed with Luca Bana, the route spans 410 meters over ten pitches, with grades up to 8c/+ and a mandatory 7c+ section, on rock that the Czech climber describes as exceptional.
This time, the spotlight is on the two brilliant Italian climbers who opened Ego Land, discovering a perfect 8c in the middle of the wall. “It’s simply one-of-a-kind!” enthuses Adam Ondra, who truly deserves credit for highlighting the climbers who opened these routes before him in his video.
Just two years after its opening, Ego Land has already built an impressive pedigree: following Edu Marín and Marcello Bombardi, Adam Ondra climbed it this summer, soon followed by two French climbers, Enzo Oddo and then Louna Ladevant in August. This succession led us at Alpine Mag to wonder why Ego Land had become the new benchmark route on the Marmolada in such a short time.
Ondra’s video provides the answer in images: an extremely difficult, high-commitment modern multi-pitch route on one of the Dolomites’ most iconic walls. Featuring drone footage and on-site shots, the video for Ego Land is well worth watching on the big screen.