Return of the Sleepwalker | 9A Boulder problem at Black Velvet Canyon

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First ascent. 52 sessions.

The final 16 days of my trip I put myself in complete isolation in the desert and camped. Every night I just watched video footage of myself on the line to stay psyched. I started talking to myself a lot as if someone was there with me haha. The final week the climb was starting to feel more stressful than fun. I’d wake up every morning with butterflies in my stomach, anxious to know if I could get one more move further or not. Waiting for the point where I was gonna see regression and then that was it for my motivation. But each day I told myself to go one move further... every day was just a training day to get fitter. 2 days before I sent I stuck the final move and fell kicking my toe hook up into the final end jug. I knew then that I had sent... but didn’t. I also knew I had one more good day left before conditions were too hot to do it. I put everything in on that final day and sent. Sent alone (got iPhone footy of the send). It was a powerful feeling doing it alone. My friend Jon Glassberg walked up as I was preparing for the final slab and filmed me topping out. Was a fuckin dope experience that I will take with me into the next projects. [1]

From the video of his ascent [3].

Spotter:

How'd it feel?

Daniel:

Hard.

References

[1] https://www.8a.nu/news/woods-explains-his-successful-9a-insanity-f7jh0

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/CNK44j-jDtP/

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoEeHwd5GTs

Second ascent. 12 sessions.

12 sessions in total, including 3 spent on the stand start Sleepwalker, completed during a single trip to try the boulder.

In the last session before the send, everything just clicked. I was feeling confident, but as the weather forecast looked bleak with a storm closing in, I was only able to take one rest day before heading back out for another session. I still felt quite tired from the previous session so I was unsure about even trying it.

However, after warming up, the moves were feeling great and I decided to give it a go. The first attempt went perfectly up to the sloper but then I really messed up the next move through to the slot and almost dropped it. Somehow, I recovered and hit the last hard move perfectly. Pulling onto the slab was incredible and I had to take a minute to get my breath back before heading up to the top. [1]

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2024/02/return_of_the_sleepwalker_9a_for_will_bosi-73602

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/C3nLKdJrZCC/?img_index=1

[3] https://open.spotify.com/episode/3PwOTtkyJJ3IM0A8MxUemD?

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8awesjyAGTg

Third ascent.

An athletic coming-of-age. Pulled on the last move of SW freshman year as a ridiculous “what if?!” Sent the sit senior year.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/DESn7bfSCf9/?img_index=2

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvQWPuR-Nls

Fourth ascent.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/DHAJfw3J5jq/?img_index=1

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/DHG3Mh8o_Zr/

[3] https://www.instagram.com/p/DHL-6lLIu2z/

[4] https://www.instagram.com/p/DHwJPLFI30v/?img_index=1

I finally achieved what I came here for. The desert was surprisingly rainy at first, but I stayed fresh every session, physically and mentally, and in the end everything fell into place. The real crux was the full span sloper after linking into Sleepwalker. The day I finally stuck that move was the day I sent. For a total of five days, I just kept slapping that sloper and falling again and again. Looking back, everything came down to sticking that one move. Behind it were endless micro adjustments and tick tweaks, so subtle they probably looked like nothing from the outside. Still, I threw every bit of technique and creativity I have built up into making that sloper reachable. On the attempt where I first stuck it, I was too pumped and fell on the last jump. But after a long break and a reset of all the mixed emotions inside me, the next try was the one, and everything clicked. When I barely topped Sleepwalker two years ago, “Return” felt like a dream. I never imagined I would stand on top of this boulder again. This success reminded me not to put limits on myself. I would love to say I can head home satisfied now… but Shaolin is still waiting. I do not know how far I can push it, but I am going to enjoy every remaining day. The clip is from the attempt right before the send, when I stuck the sloper for the first time. [1]

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/DRh1Ky2AVcV/

[2] https://www.desnivel.com/bulder/ryuichi-murai-resuelve-return-of-the-sleepwalker-9a/