Matt Fultz reports  his Insta, the 4th 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.

Made the 4th ascent of this legendary @nathaniel.coleman boulder last night! Grand Ill is pretty much the only problem I’ve tried since early April. It was quite a fight to gain the specific fitness required for this boulder/sport climb hybrid. Pacing, precision, and micro-beta needed to be so dialed in for me. And of course, as usual, the long fight ended in a pretty casual first try of the night burn. Felt like I could run laps. But I think that’s the confidence the problem required of me.

I was initially drawn to Grand Illusion as I thought it would be great training for Creature from the Black Lagoon in Colorado, my main focus for this Summer. But then I got so obsessed, I actually postponed my trip to Colorado! Luckily not for too long!

Shout out to @madrockclimbing for supporting my journey, supplying me with pads, and making shoes that I can use effectively on a slab or on Grand Illusion or anywhere in between.

Matt konnte ja erst vor etwa zwei Jahren seinen ersten 8C-Boulder klettern und liegt jetzt schon bei 14! in diesem Grad und schwerer, darunter sind mit „“Hypnotized Minds“ (8C+)“ und „Sleepwalker“ 8C + auch zwei andere 8C+ Boulder.