I definitely felt it was sort of expected that I would go to check out this Elias Iagnemma masterpiece. Nevertheless, I was very psyched. Elias came there to show me the boulder in September, explained all the beta to me, and I was even more psyched to get it done. Elias was incredibly nice and helpful; we made a really cool interview with him for the upcoming video about Exodia. But I got a very nasty cold, then I got more duties to do on my agenda, and as soon as I felt fit to return, it seemed that I had only two days left and the season might be over because of upcoming rain. But I kept it together and executed very well in some of the most memorable moments of my career.
There are some facts that everybody will be very curious to know
- I took 4 days in total, doing the very same sequence as Elias, changing the way I grab some of the holds (more crimping, less pinching).
- It's very much my style. It's not too much about kneebars (they are relatively simple); it is much more about heelhooking, tension and delicate body positioning.
- The second part is even more my style and I can reach one hold from one toehook without cutloose.
- My shape for this kind of boulder is pretty good, possibly my best ever?
- I totally respect Elias for proposing 9A+, having his track record, having tried some other 9A boulders and being close, and still trying Exodia for 212 days (!!!), I would have done the same. More about this in an upcoming video.
- I think the boulder is 9A (V17) I don't comment on which part of the 9A range it is. To me, personally, it felt harder than Soudain Seul, and similar compared to Alphane or Mount Doom. But Exodia is possibly much more my style, and I will not be surprised if people find this harder than Alphane or Mount Doom.
Climbing on Exodia is extremely cool and very fun to project, even long-term; it is skin-friendly and offers conditions when other places with 9A boulders become too hot. I don't believe it will be a forgotten boulderproblem in the future.
Photos by Petr Chodura.
