He wasn’t getting younger, but he seemed to be getting stronger. Bouldering pioneer Dave Graham opened another huge rock in Val Bavona: celestite (8°C+). The breakthrough came the same day Chris Sharma opened his new line, King Line, in Siurana.
Dave Graham has been one of the big names in climbing for decades. Nothing has changed in this regard to this day – on the contrary. The enthusiasm and precision with which he discovers, designs and climbs fine new rocks is unparalleled. At the end of March this year he managed the first difficult climb in Val Bavona, which he now knows like the back of his hand: Celestite (8C+).
New technologies and new ideas
With the first climb of that technical line on a polished bump, Dave Graham hit his main goal of this year’s season at Val Bavona on March 28th. “The project is straightforward and has been tried before,” says the American bouldering professional. But what was new was his approach.
“I tried to look at the structures of this rock from a different perspective and with knee braces, a technique that I have steadily improved over the years, I have tried many ideas.”
David Graham
During the first sessions, it was difficult to find functional sequences of movements. “The kicks were horrible and unreliable.” In addition, there was a slow style of movements that differed greatly from the previous climb.
faster than expected
However, an experimental version that Dave “The Magician” Graham developed for himself led to tangible progress. He quickly began connecting the first section (intense rock 8A+) to the second section (8B+ rock).
«I approached this rock without any expectations, although I really wanted to do it. But climbing style requires patience, balance and extreme focus.”
David Graham
After three sessions from the start, in which he was advancing a little bit at a time, Dave Graham experienced what he described as a “magical moment”. After a crazy fight, he suddenly found himself at the top. This relatively fast ascent made him question his proposed rating of Celestite (8C+). “Can I climb something of this caliber so quickly?”
“If I had taken another ten days to make mistakes, I would feel no anxiety, but I often doubt my own strengths and abilities. Comparing Celestite to all the lines I climbed, unless I missed an easier basic beta, my guess seems correct.”
David Graham
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Credits: cover photo David Graham
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