For Florian „Flo“ Wientjes the year started quite well. He was able to climb 8C three times and 8B+/C once. Then „Off the Wagon (sit)“ (8C+) was added.

Now he could put another project aside with „Floatin“ (8C+). For the boulder in the Japanese bouldering area Mt. Mizugaki it was the first repetition.

He managed the boulder after only 5 sessions.

„I’ve fulfilled a big dream of mine with this ascent. Since @ryu____1 tried the so called „Launch Pad Project“ back in the days, I was immediately hooked by the art of pure power bouldering. 5 hard moves in a blank 35° shield of granit.

The problem consist of 2 powerful cruxes. Crux one is the first move, a huge deadpoit move from a bad pinch (lefthand ) and a tiny incut crimp (righthand) into a three finger pocket. For me initiating the move with a pogo felt more approachable than Ryuichis campus. I needed a lot of attempts to understand the move and sacraficed a lot of skin in the process of how to grab the holds properly. 

Crux two is a downwards campusmove to  a small crimp which requires a lot of contact strength to hold on.

In total I needed 5 sessions to stand on top of this gem and I invested a lot into a specific training the last three month before the trip.

Now I feel so relieved, so happy that all the effort that I put into the whole process making this dream come true, paid off.

This chapter is now closed. What brings the next?“

After a long fight, Ryuichi Murai climbed his „Launching pad project“ in the Japanese bouldering crag Mt. Mizugaki with „Floatin“ 8C+ in December 2021. Together with Toshi Takeuchi and Nomura Shinichiro, he tried for a long time on the boulder with the brutally small ledges that you have to join dynamically. The boulder is divided into two parts, with the first part rated V15 and the second V14.

„Floatin“ is only the fourth V16 boulder in Japan and so far the only boulder in this grade which has been repeated.

Photo: (c) Xaver Quintus