The next 8C Flash: Jules Marchaland in »Power of Now Direct«

With his flash of Power of Now Direct (8C), Frenchman Jules Marchaland becomes the second climber to climb an 8C boulder on his first attempt.

Just last month, Yannick Flohe with Foundation's Edge (V15/8C) in Fionnay, the first ever flash of an 8C boulder. Now Jules Marchaland The Frenchman bouldered in Magic Wood Power of Now Direct (8C) in the first attempt – as the first climber ever.

«Welcome to the 8C Flash Team»

Power of Now Direct is the 8-year-old's third 24C, following Foundation's Edge and Big Nose in Fionnay. The latter two lines are considered rather rewarding for their difficulty. Yannick Flohe had noted this after his flash from Foundation's Edge. The German, who is two years older, is called Marchaland Instagram story Welcome to the 8C Flasher community, which currently consists of only two people.

There are several reasons why Marchaland, who climbed his first 9b on a rope in the spring, managed to flash Power of Now Direct (8C) this spring. The outdoor specialist from Nice had long had his eye on the line in Magic Wood which is characterized by particularly powerful and dynamic moves and a good portion of commitment in steep terrain.

Rarely repeated direct variant

Power of Now Direct (8C) is one of the younger and hardest classics in the popular Swiss bouldering area in Val Ferrera. It is the direct variant of power of now (8B+), first ascended by the Ticino professional climber Giuliano Cameroni in June 2020. The original version is one of the most popular 8B+ in Magic Wood, but the 8C variant has only seen four ascents so far: from Simon Lorenzi, Samuel Richard, Clément Lechaptois, and now Jules Marchaland. Except for Lechaptois, who gave the line a "soft" rating on 8a.nu, all have rated the line 8C.

"I'd had this boulder in my head for so long, it was like a dream," the 24-year-old writes on Instagram. Explosive power moves on the roof are also right up his alley. Marchaland's tick list for grades 8B and up includes many physically demanding classics like Off the Wagon (8B+) and Never Ending Story (8B+). When he's not trying hard outdoor lines, Marchaland kills time with challenges like "100 Kilterboard 8As in One Day."

Uncut video: Jules Marchaland flashes Power of Now Direct (8C)

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Credits cover photo: Timothée Nitschke