Adam Ondra just repeated Dawn Wall for the second ascent in a ridiculously fast time, congrats, but I have to say I knew he was going to do it. The only way he was going to fail was if the weather stopped him, or if he broke a leg, or he was struck by lightning, or if he failed to get through American Imigration! Why did I know, short answer, he is strong mentally and physically, flexible, and has every single move at the end of easily accessible synapses.
Possibly too flexible.
This is by way of a congratulation of Adams great climbing achievement, he doesn't need it, but maybe his mates who helped him do it do. My own flexibility stretches to trying to learn from others, and I try to adopt that flexible, and at the same time firm mind. There's a Training interview of me talking to Kris Ordub Hampton (it's linkable on my Timeline) which people might mind find interesting, and if they don't they might at least find it funny, click on to it if you want a laugh. If you want to get flexible, do Yoga, and always remember, Yoga is the handle that opens the door to your mind.
Is Adam more flexible than me at my most bendy? Is Adam stronger than me at my most bullish? He is defiantly a better climber, so what is his secret? It's his flexibility! His mind is both strong, and flexible. When many critics said he hadn't done Trad climbing, a few, like me thought he has done a bit, and is flexible enoung to bend his mind around this small knot. When you watch him skipping draws for red points, or doing Elbe sandstone run outs, you know he has what it takes. And it took a lot, but he didn't break, he just bent, like Bamboo.
