With Adam Ondra’s incredible ascent of Silence, the world’s first 5.15d or 9c, still fresh in the news, speculation has already started as to when another climber will achieve this level.  Alex Megos is an obvious candidate.  Based on their tick lists, Adam Ondra and Alex Megos are two of, if not the top two, sport climbers in the world.

While they are both clearly incredible climbers, they do both have their individual strengths and weakness.  However, if we look at them from a scientific perspective how do their testing numbers compare?  This is exactly what Tom Randall of Lattice Training did.  To do this, Tom used the data he had from testing Megos and whatever data he could find and extrapolate on Ondra.  Before we get any further though, it’s important to note that this isn’t a fool proof scientific study and Tom wrote this article “just for fun.”

“We thought it might be interesting to look at whether Adam’s performance could potentially be matched by Alex Megos. To do this we’ve taken a few basic elements of physical performance and made some broad assumptions (yes this is a “fun” article and not super serious!) about what’s required to achieve 9c and whether… yes, the big one…. could Alex Megos actually go out and do 9c fairly quickly if he really wanted?” – Tom Randall

Adam Ondra and Alex Megos by the Numbers

In assessing the relative levels of Adam Ondra and Alex Megos, Tom looked at these attributes:

• Finger Strength
• Anaerobic Capacity
• Aerobic Efficiency

Click through below to see how Adam and Alex scored!  Just remember this article was written just for fun and does not represent a complete and solid scientific look into the climbing performance of these top athletes.  Take it for what it is, be wowed by their super human abilities, and then don’t read too much into it.

Full Article: Lattice Training – Adam Ondra and Alex Megos by the Numbers

(photos courtesy Andrew Burr/climbing.com and Neely Quinn)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• TBP 088 :: How Adam Ondra Sent The World’s First 9c / 5.15d
• Adam Ondra Turns Pain to Joy- Evening Sends
• Fast and Decisive Sending with Alex Megos
• Shauna Coxsey and Alex Megos Training Video