Ryuichi Murai is Livin' Large (8C+) in Rocklands

There seems no stopping Japanese rock climber Ryuichi Murai who after making the first ascent of United (2019) and Floatin (2021) at Mizugaki, and after repeating Sleepwalker at Red Rocks earlier this year, has now climbed yet another 8C+, namely Livin' Large at Rocklands. The 28-year-old travelled to South Africa with this porblem in mind that tests but the climber's physique and psche; put up by Nalle Hukkataival, the first half consists of compression moves with friction slopers, while the second half is a mental battle in the V11 region that required delicate footwork in order not to fall off 8 meters above the deck.

Murai only found the right conditions to work the problem early in the morning before 9:00am or in the late afternoon, as otherwise conditions simply trashed his skin and forced him to rest for 2-3 days. Nearing the end of the trip, he eventually opted for a different approach and sent on a cloudy day. He stated "The conditions were great on this day and every move worked perfectly on the second try. I just focused on each hold in front of me, and didn't feel any fear of heights. It would have been really bad if I missed the last move. I'm glad I climbed, but more than that I'm glad I didn't fall."

The grade of the problem swings between 8C+ and 8C and while full consensus has not yet been reached, Murai told planetmountain.com "Comparing by simple strength, I think it does not reach 8C+. However, if mental elements are added to it, the grade will go up. Also, compared to other 8C's in Rocklands, the number of repeats is small, so even soft 8C+ is acceptable."