Adam Ondra admitted that his Change in Norway may not be 1st 9b+
Adam Ondra admitted that his famous route Change in Flatanger, Norway, originally rated 9b+, could have a lower difficulty rating given today's climbing methods. This was revealed in a recent interview with Adam Ondra published by Norwegian climber Leo Bøe, who was the sixth person to climb this route. Change was created in 2012 as the first ever 9b+ route.
Since then, Stefano Ghisolfi, Seb Bouin, Alex Megos, and Jorge Díaz-Rullo have also climbed it. All except Adam Ondra used knee pads and newer beta, with some suggesting a grade of 9b/b+.
Adam Ondra said in an interview that respect for the author often prevents climbers from suggesting a lower difficulty rating, but he also admitted that today's climbing style could justify a lower grade.
If Change's grade is indeed lowered, the title of the first 9b+ route would go to La Dura Dura in Oliana, Spain, which Adam Ondra climbed in 2013 and was later repeated by Chris Sharma. Adam's other 9b+ route, Vasil Vasil in the Moravian Karst from 2013, remains unrepeated as of January 2026, as does Zvěřinec in the Moravian Karst from 2022.
The interview with Adam Ondra begins at 5:41 in the film below:
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Adam Ondra admitted that his famous route Change in Flatanger, Norway, originally rated 9b+, could have a lower difficulty rating given today's climbing methods. This was revealed in a recent interview with Adam Ondra published by Norwegian climber Leo Bøe, who was the sixth person to climb this route. Change was created in 2012 as the first ever 9b+ route.
