By December, snow had begun to fall and the days left were dwindling — it became a race against time. On December 9 I finally solved all the moves, but the conditions were far from favorable. At minus 2°C, strength dropped, shoe friction declined, and the rock was so dry my fingers began to slip off. Luckily, the climb demanded little explosive power. By moistening my fingers slightly beforehand, I could offset the dryness. When I finally sent it, I was at the limit. Entering the last mantle, my fingers were bone-dry, slipping to the verge of failure. But by focusing all my nerves into the tips of my fingers and toes, latching onto tiny dimples and crystals, my body moved exactly as I had imagined, astonishingly smooth. It was an ideal climb. Standing on top of the boulder, all the tension drained away and I just collapsed there. […]
A tree grows right alongside the line. It adds a sense of fear when you fall backward, but thanks to this tree I was able to probe holds and break down the moves. I’d like to call it the “Accompanying Tree.”
I felt it was clearly harder than Winter’s Day and about two full grades harder than Zutsū, so I graded it 5-dan. In the V-scale that would likely be around V15, though since I don’t have much direct experience with V-grades I can’t be certain. With so few confirmed 4-dan problems, it’s difficult to benchmark a 5-dan honestly. But as bouldering progresses, I think it will naturally find its confirmation.