"Grand Illusion" 8C+ by Daniel Woods

Daniel reports  his Insta, the 3th ascent of Nathaniel Coleman’s ‚Grand Illusion‘ 8C+ at Little Cottonwood Canyon. Until last April, the boulder was considered the hardest boulder in the USA. Then Daniel himself sends this year a potentially harder boulder with the sit start variant of „Sleepwalker“ „“Return of the Sleepwalker„“, which he classified as 9A.

„The intro consists of compression moves on granite pinch like grips, which lead into a bicep blaster undercling section, followed by an intense right hand gaston move into a left hand undercling. After all this build up you have the crux move at the end. I fell on this move numerous times. So many times that I accepted I’d get there tired or fresh and fall. the move is powerful, off balance (due to shitty feet and a frictionless hold), and requires accuracy. Hard to do this move well after climbing a resistant 8C/v15.

Props to @drewruana and other slc climbers who helped with all the rock removal to make this world class line available to us. The cave was filled in and impossible to climb before the work was done. Cheerz for that!“

Photo: (c) Nathaniel Coleman