Czech climber Adam Ondra is currently visiting Canada and made a number of big sends and historic statements with hard onsights and flashes.

On July 9, he watched Miles Adamson attempt Evan Hau’s route in Echo Canyon called Honour and Glory before trying to flash it.

Honour and Glory was first climbed by Hau last year and Hau gave it a grade of 5.15a, but like all grades it needed to be confirmed.

And who better to confirm it than Ondra, who made the first ascent of Silence 5.15d last year and has over 170 flashes of 5.14c or harder.


Last week, Ondra onsighted First Flight 5.14c and Ojas 5.14a at Acephale and is currently working on a 5.15 project at that popular crag.

There were a lot of people at The Coliseum hoping to watch Ondra flash Honour and Glory, including Hau, Sonnie Trotter, a number of other local crushers and two film crews.

But Ondra didn’t flash the proposed 5.15a, it took him two tries before he downgraded it from 5.15a to 5.14d.

One letter grade is not a big deal, in Europe it would be 9a+ to 9a, and Ondra has downgraded countless climbs over the past few years.

Hau said that he was nervous watching Ondra on his route, but felt it would be downgraded because other local climbers had unlocked new sequences over the past few weeks.

Ondra visited Echo Canyon on the weekend, but it was too cold and rainy to climb anything.

Hau deserves a lot of credit for establishing the line and making the first ascent. Having sent a number of 5.14ds, he felt because Honour and Glory felt harder it deserved a harder grade.

Big respect to Hau, Ondra and everyone else out there pushing the bar higher in the Bow Valley. Ondra has not yet attempted Alex Megos’s Fight Club 5.15b in Banff.

On another note, this means that there still is no Canadian to climb a confirmed 5.15a. With Ondra projecting a number of 5.15s in the area (including attempting one of Hau’s next to Honour and Glory that he said is 5.15b) there will be many local projects for Canadians to get strong on.

Ondra’s Canadian Sends, So Far

Honour and Glory 5.14d

First Flight 5.14c onsight

Existence Mundane 5.14b onsight

Ojas 5.14a onsight

Endless Summer 5.13b onsight

Whale Back 5.13c osight

Army Ants 5.13c flash

The Shine 5.14a

Leviathan 5.14a

Hairball Direct 5.13d first ascent

Beam me up Scotty 5.13c