After securing his place among the 9A boulderers with a repeat of "Shaolin" (9A) on December 4th, Galla repeated this feat just one week later, on December 11th, with "Return of the Sleepwalker" (9A). He thus ticked two of the hardest boulders in the world – within seven days.
What a damn fight. No other boulder has ever challenged me like Shaolin.
Zach Galla
Precision boulder »Shaolin« (9A)
Shaolin was founded in 2024 by Sean bailey First ascent in First Creek Canyon in the Red Rocks. At that time it was still known as the "Trieste Project", since Shaolin It is located on the same block as the 8B+ boulder problem "Trieste". The line starts with an 8B sequence consisting of five moves. This is followed by the crux: a dynamic jump to a narrow lip, followed by another jump to an extremely difficult sloper. These two dynamic moves after the initial sequence are considered crucial to the grade and justify the suggested grade of 9A for those who have climbed it.
In March of this year, just over a year after the first ascent, it was achieved Noah Wheeler The first repetition. He confirmed the grade, but described Shaolin as a rather soft 9A.
Zach Galla's first 9A boulder
Zach Galla worked intensively on Shaolin last season. Throughout the project, he was absolutely confident he would send the boulder – but one move kept getting in his way. The second jump, in particular, became a mental and physical stumbling block. "It was incredibly frustrating," the 25-year-old wrote on Instagram. "Because after so many training sessions, the difficulty of the climb was no longer primarily physical, but also mental." When he resumed the project this season, little changed at first: he fell again and again on the final move. However, in his fourth session, the American finally sent the route.
When I finally grabbed the last hold, it was an absolutely electrifying feeling. Definitely one of the hardest and best boulder problems I've ever tried.
Zach Galla
Return of the Sleepwalker
Just one week later came the next coup: Galla won with »Return of the Sleepwalker", also in the Red Rocks, his second 9A. The boulder is a sit-start variation of the classic "Sleepwalker" (8C+) by Jimmy Webb from 2019. Daniel Woods opened the significantly more difficult low-start version in 2021, giving the USA its first 9A. The first repeat was achieved. Will Bosi in February 2024, followed by Noah Wheeler and Simon Lorenzi. Just last month, Ryuichi Murai The fifth ascent has been recorded – now Zach Galla joins as the next repeat ascender.
Two 9A tests in just one week
After his breakthrough on Shaolin, Galla felt a palpable sense of relief: “Climbing Shaolin felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Finally, my mind was clear, and all the self-imposed pressure was gone.” With this newfound lightness, he turned his attention back to Return of the Sleepwalker – a line that had long seemed unattainable. This year, however, the boulder felt completely different. A new solution for a key move was crucial: “I was able to reach a crump with my right hand while standing, which had previously been simply unreachable. This allowed me to skip some underclings and the intermediate holds for the crux move onto the sloper. Once I had found my new method, I was able to quickly put the boulder together.”
Is 9A the same as 9A?
Galla's comparison of the two 9A boulders is particularly interesting. While he found Return of the Sleepwalker more physically demanding, he completed it faster than Shaolin. "Return felt harder, but was easier to control. Shaolin relies on precision – that made it more difficult," Galla explains. He also offers a nuanced perspective on the grade debate: the difference between a hard 8C+ and a soft 9A is minimal and highly dependent on individual factors. However, he is certain that both Return and Shaolin represent a clear progression from 8C+.
“Regardless of the numbers, both are among the hardest and best boulders I’ve ever climbed. The fact that I managed to send both within a week feels like a dream.” With two 9A ascents in such a short time, Zach Galla has impressively underlined that he belongs to the very top of the current bouldering elite.
- Daniel Woods bouldering Return of the Sleepwalker (9a / V17) - video
- Uncut: Will Bosi climbing the 9a boulder Return of the Sleepwalker
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Credits: Cover image: Archive image – Zach Galla in 8C+ »the Process«