Climbing Legendary Circus Maximus | Adam Ondra
"Climbing Legendary Circus Maximus | Adam Ondra" is a rock climbing video (13 minutes) published by Adam Ondra on August 3, 2026 with 391K views. Available to watch free on CouchClimbs.
Adam Ondra travels to Saxony, Germany to take on Circus Maximus XIb, a legendary 60-meter route first ascended ground-up by local legend Robert Leistner in 2012 that has gone unrepeated for over 14 years. In a historic effort, Ondra achieves the first all-free repetition — climbing every move without weighting the gear, though not yet a clean redpoint — on a line he calls one of the best he has ever seen, combining relentless pockets and crimps on slopey feet with zero rests across its entire length. What elevates this film beyond a typical hard-route video is its portrait of Saxon climbing culture: a tradition built on ground-up ascents and a strict no-chalk ethic that makes any future redpoint an even more formidable proposition. Ondra's reverence for Leistner and the local style is palpable throughout, and the footage of the massive, sculpted wall makes clear why this line has captured imaginations for over a decade. For anyone drawn to the intersection of elite difficulty, deep history, and climbing philosophy, this is essential watching.
Adam Ondra · 13:50
Hi climbers and fans, join my channel to support our production and get exclusive access to my Tips & Tricks videos and bonus content ⏩ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8eNyF9eYwgr_K-Nl4gSHWw/join During my spring climbing trip to Saxony, Germany, there was also some time to look at the Circus Maximus XI. The legendary hardest route opened by Robert Leistner, which has yet to see its first redpoint. This was the perfect last day, as I made the first repetition (all-free repetition with falls and rests, but no redpoint). This is truly one of the best lines I have ever seen. And it could be the hardest route ever ascended without chalk ground up ✌ Massive, 60-meter rock face, and perfect line just in the middle. The first 10 meters are less difficult, and then it is constantly difficult in its entirety, combining small pockets and crimps with very slopey feet and no rests. After 14 years of its existence, it still has no repetition. So redpoint without chalk will be so hard and so cool ✊ ENGLISH SUBTITLES AVAILABLE IN THE VIDEO SETTINGS ČESKÉ TITULKY JSOU DOSTUPNÉ V NASTAVENÍ VIDEA❗ 00:00 - Intro 01:05 - Circus Maximus XIb (FA Robert Leistner, 2012) 01:35 - Robert Leistner, Saxon Legend 04:20 - Saxony's ethics (opening route ground up) 12:50 - Adam describing the route Circus Maximus XIb (9a?) 13:15 - Outro Taste some snacks by @MIXITCZ ⏩ https://www.mixit.cz/adam-ondra Climbing shoes I use in this video: @LaSportivaYT Solution ⏩ https://www.lasportiva.com/alpencore/geolocalize/url?type=product&sku=zfcs014 Check my AO-Proline by @Euroholds ⏩ https://euroholds.com/ao-proline Enjoy brand new themed T-shirts, mugs and socks "I Hate Toehooks" and my AO Photo Book, posters, photographs, cool signed brushes, chalk bags by @mammut my ⏩ https://eshop.adamondra.com/ Have you seen this video of mine ?! https://youtu.be/JPsWEr_v_ak Thumbnail picture by: Petr Chodura SPECIAL THANKS TO ROBERT LEISTNER JULIUS BRUNNER VIDEO BY JAN ŠIMÁNEK CAMERA JAN ŠIMÁNEK PAVEL KLEMENT KUBA SOBOTKA ARCHIVE FOOTAGE THORSTEN KUTSCHKE THOMAS TÜRPE HELMUT SCHULZE PRODUCTION JAN VERNER JAKUB PÍNA KATEŘINA KUŘÁTKOVÁ SUBTITLES BY JARKA MARČEKOVÁ © ADAM ONDRA 2026 SONGLIST Nbhd Nick - City of Sin (Instrumental Version) Farrell Wooten - Dark Outside By Lotus - Winter Birds By Lotus - Namucuo By Lotus - Octa Gone #climbing #saxony #rockclimbing
Categories: Adam Ondra, Germany, Sport, Pocket, Crimp, 9a, La Sportiva, Mammut