Under the radar: Nathan Williams bouldering Sleepwalker (8c +)

The 22-year-old Nathan Williams succeeds only the fifth ascent of the Boulder Sleepwalker in the Red Rocks. But who is Nathan Williams?

The name Nathan Williams won't mean anything to many. The 22-year-old American made it into the climbing media once before with his flash ascent of the 8a + Boulder Black Hawk Down in South Africa in 2016, but otherwise it remained quiet about Nathan.

A look at his ticklist in 2020 is not particularly impressive. The most difficult ascent this year were the two boulders Rust (8b) and Brass Knuckles (8b +). But now Nathan drops a bomb. A few days ago he announced the repetition of the Boulder Sleepwalker in the Red Rocks, rated 8c +.

Sleepwalker: Committed by everyone of rank and name

The boulder is by no means a blank slate or a boulder that is even overrated in terms of its difficulty. Because boulder sizes like Jimmy Webb (First ascent), Daniel Woods, Nalle Hukkataival and the young talent Drew Ruana have bitten their teeth on the block for a long time to wrest an inspection of the line. The 8c + rating is therefore confirmed.

We look forward to further inspections of Nathan Williams.

That might interest you

• Jimmy Webb climbs the heaviest boulder in the US: Sleepwalker (8c +)
• 20-year-old Drew Ruana bouldering Sleepwalker (8c +) and The Nest (8c)
• Nalle Hukkataival on the evolution of difficulty levels and his favorite boulder area

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Credits: Pictures Alton Richardson