From Climbing · Sam MacIlwaine · · 1m 50s
Adam Ondra Downgrades World’s First V18 to V17
Adam Ondra repeats Exodia, the world’s first proposed V18, calling it V17 after four sessions.
In brief
Adam Ondra repeats Exodia, the world’s first proposed V18, calling it V17 after four sessions. Adam Ondra downgraded Exodia from V18 to V17 after four sessions, ending a year of uncertainty about the world’s first proposed V18. Originally reported by Climbing.
Adam Ondra repeats Exodia
Czech climber Adam Ondra made the second ascent of Exodia, the world’s first proposed V18, in Piemonte, Italy.
“It’s very much my style”
Ondra downgrades Exodia to V17
Ondra called Exodia V17 after four days of climbing, ending a year of speculation about the world’s first proposed V18.
“extremely cool and very fun to project”
Exodia’s history
Italian climber Elias Iagnemma sent Exodia in November 2025 after four years, proposing it as the world’s first V18.
“the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life”
Exodia’s structure
Exodia contains a V14 and V16 section with an inverted kneebar rest, approximately 25 hand moves across a blocky overhang traverse.
“the face of the Exodia Yu-Gi-Oh card”
Ondra’s assessment
Ondra said the second part of Exodia is easier than Iagnemma’s version, requiring no foot cutting.
“I can reach one hold from one toe hook without cut[ting] loose”
Iagnemma’s response
Iagnemma congratulated Ondra, calling him the strongest climber in the world and hoping to climb together someday.
“You’re not only the strongest climber in the world, but an amazing person as well”
Ondra’s downgrade history
Ondra has downgraded 10 first ascents since 2003, including Stefano Ghisolfi’s Erebor and Jonathan Siegrist’s Pure Imagination.
“I wouldn’t call it downgrading, I would call it a personal suggestion or opinion”
Ondra’s grading philosophy
Ondra uses a geo-agnostic grading system that compares ascents across regions to avoid local subjectivity.
“What is a grading system worth if we are not even trying to make it objective”
Ondra’s O-grade system
Ondra’s O-grade system labels his climbs with session counts, like O4 for Exodia and O5 for Soudain Seul.
“O1 will be, it will take him one session”
Exodia’s O-grade
Exodia is O4 on Ondra’s scale, slightly lower than Soudain Seul’s O5, explaining the V17 downgrade.
“It’s O4, slightly lower on the O-grade scale than Ondra’s only other V17”
Rainman’s survival
Rainman, the hardest U.K. sport climb, survived Ondra’s 2017 attempt to downgrade it to O1.
“You can be relaxed”
Why Exodia was downgraded
Ondra downgraded Exodia to V17 because it required fewer sessions than Iagnemma’s version, aligning with his grading philosophy.
“The second part is even more my style”
The key point
Adam Ondra downgraded Exodia from V18 to V17 after four sessions, ending a year of uncertainty about the world’s first proposed V18.
