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“You’re Gonna Kill Some of Those Kids”: Alex Honnold Recalled the First Time He Saw Adam Ondra

Published 01/15/2023, 4:09 PM EST

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Although Alex Honnold and Adam Ondra have two completely different climbing styles and techniques, they share the same love for rock climbing. Despite having a similar “relaxed and cool personality”, the two also have very different ways of going about it, which is why Honnold was absolutely stunned when he first met the Czech climber.

In 2021, Alex Honnold was featured in one of Adam Ondra’s YouTube videos, where the iconic climbers had a candid chat about the sport and other things. To kickstart the conversation, the climbers decided to let the fans know how the two had met each other a long time back.

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When Alex Honnald met Adam Ondra

While narrating the story, Honnold recalled, “It was in a gym, and we were like supposed to be meeting kids. And I was like, ‘Yeah this is super casual.’ And you did an actual bouldering session, going to the death, trying like these crazy hard problems, and I was like, ‘What?’ You were trying 8A boulder problem, you were jumping to the top, and I was like ‘You’re gonna kill some of those kids.’ You were training and I was there to shake hands with babies. I was like ‘What the f**k?'”

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Honnold seemed to be surprised by Ondra’s outgoing personality. What Honnold believed to be a casual event Ondra turned it into a complete training session. He further added, “I remember you walked around and touched random holds, and the first thing you climbed is the 7C, I think. I couldn’t even pull off the starting holds! Everything about that was mind-blowing to me.” However, this was not the only thing about Ondra that impressed Honnold. The American was shocked by Ondra’s climbing skills and greatly appreciated them.

Honnold could never do rock climbing like Ondra

Further in their conversation, Honnold appreciated the Czech climber’s unique and quick climbing skills. The legendary climber also added that he could never climb the way Ondra did because his movements are not as precise as the latter. Ondra tends to move his hands and feet at the same time, which Honnold believes he cannot pull off.

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But, at the same time, Ondra also disclosed that his style is riskier and he himself tends to get afraid most of the time. Although the legendary climber is confident about his style, he is afraid that his risky climbing could make him fall into unfortunate spaces. Besides, Honnold, who usually likes to take easy climbing routes, also respected Ondra for taking dangerous routes.

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However, despite all these differences, the two are legends of the sport and have equal respect and gratitude towards each other. The candid chat between the two rock climbers turned out to be extremely informative and wholesome for the viewers.

Tell us who you would like to accompany on their climb in the comment section.

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Written by:

Soumya Bontra

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Soumya Bontra is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She has been working as a sports journalist and writer for the past two years. Soumya has a Bachelor’s in Mass Media.
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Edited by:

Anupama Ghosh