The Japanese Ryuichi Murai succeeds in repeating one of the most difficult boulders in the USA: Sleepwalker (8C +).
The Finnish climber was the first to plan the impressive line in the Red Rocks, USA Nalle Hukkataival over four years ago. In 2019, Jimmy Webb and Daniel Woods joined them and designed the boulder together with Hukkataival.
It quickly became apparent that Woods and Webb because of their span, they can omit a central point, a bad sloper. So it was Webb and Woods who cracked the boulder faster and climbed it first, specifically Jimmy Webb.
But Lange also hesitated Hukkataival not, just two months after the first ascent, or four weeks after Wood's repetition, Hukkataival also unraveled the line.
Also Ryuichi Murai with limited wingspan
With the same problems as Hukkataival had Murai to fight. He also couldn't climb a central sequence like Woods and Webb, so he had to hold the highly conditional sloper. After eight days of effort, however, all factors fell into place.
«On the second day I could already do all the individual moves. But between days 3 and 6 I didn't make much progress. The deadpoint move to the sloper was particularly difficult for me.»
Ryuichi Murai
This deadpoint move to the sloper was not only physically demanding for Murai, but also mentally. On the eighth day of planning, the temperatures were a little higher than the days before and Murai reached the sloper from the start for the first time, but fell out later. Nevertheless, Murai was fired up by this success and managed to climb the boulder into the three attempts later Red Rocks, Nevada.
Jimmy Webb on the first ascent of Sleepwalker in the Red Rocks
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Credits: Cover picture Momoka Oda