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VIDEO: Toru Nakajima - Grit E9

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 UKC News 02 Sep 2009
[Toru Nakajima - new E9 on Gritstone, 3 kb]

Visiting junior Toru Nakajima is safely back in Japan (phew!) after his three week blitz of Peak gritstone.

The 15 year old climber racked up an astonishing list of ascents given the warm and wet conditions he found in our typical British summer.

In this exclusive UKC Video, we witness Toru climbing his new E9 Black Out, plus other hard grit test-pieces such as Simba's Pride (E8).

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=49092

 Alex Mason 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: Impressive its almost like 'the new way' to climb grit. Alpine style, fast and light.
 Mutl3y 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: Awesome thanks for putting up.
 ChrisBrooke 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: Holy crap! That's some incredible climbing. If like me, you've ever stood under the blank bit of rock that is 'elm street', looked at your guide book and though "a route goes up that!?!", you'll be impressed with that quick, smooth ascent, like it's a wall of jugs. 10/10
 Erik B 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: phenomenal! 15?!! well done Naka san!
 IainAM 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Inspiring stuff
 flaneur 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Toru! Toru! Toru!
In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Elm street looks like a piece of piss in that film didn't it, might give it a go if its that easy....

...what did you say E8.... errr might leave it till its a bit colder, better friction.
 Kyuzo 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Fantastic! Very inspiring.
 gethin_allen 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:
That kid is just insane, i feel inadequate.
 James Oswald 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:
Some of the best video footage I have seen on UKC for a while.
Well done Toru!
James
 Will Hunt 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

My heart was in my mouth when he was on Life Assurance, did you see where the rope was?!

Top move on his new E9 looks insane.
Yrmenlaf 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Brilliant film, fantastic climbing, massive grins!

Y.
 220bpm 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

That was bloody good, the young man has a fantastic style.
In reply to UKC News: Awe inspiring stuff.
 MYox 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: That's incredible. Great footage. My dad was astonished.
 whistler 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:
Am I the only one who's only getting the ukc logo rather then the video itself?
 Wft 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: at any age thats amazing but 15. . . .

Thanks for the video and what the hell is he going to do when it's cold then?
 Peter Foster 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: Absolutely fantastic, such skill and determination, well done and good luck to the future.
 Carl Smethurst 02 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

I don't know whether to be inspired or to think I may as well just give up now. If climbing extreme grit can be made to look this easy, it makes me realise what poor climbers most of us are. Simply amazing...
 jazzyjackson 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Hats off to Toru

spider like movement, what a natural.
Be interesting to see what hes doing by the time he 20.

Note to self: Just quit
 Wee Davie 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Excellent video and even more impressive climbing. Samurai stuff!
 Andrew Smith 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: Oh my God, what confidence and talent, simply stunning.
 Jus 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Love it!!
In reply to UKC News:

Gives the hackneyed term 'spider man' a whole new meaning
 Jonny2vests 03 Sep 2009
In reply to Will Hunt:

Below him? How do you mean?
 jkarran 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Impressive stuff. No wonder he got so much done given the speed he climbs!
jk
 Peakpdr 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: fantastic .. just out of interest what did he do on limestone 8-)
 petellis 03 Sep 2009
In reply to jazzyjackson:

> Be interesting to see what hes doing by the time he 20.

No, the poor lad's going to be gutted when he passes puberty and starts sweating away like the rest of us - it'll put these cheekey summer ascents right out the window

Very impressive stuff though, looks like the crux on black-out might be at the top :-S

 Will Hunt 03 Sep 2009
In reply to jonny2vests:
Beware the rope behind the leg. Inversions aren't just pretty weather phenomenons.
 Dave Warburton 03 Sep 2009
In reply to pauldr: Wee Doris and Bitterfingers - in the rain.
If he'd climbed at Stoney a bit more and done some of the glassy bouldering, he'd have probably flashed most of the grit he did...

Think i saw him soloing Flying Buttress Direct - fairly sure it was him, seeing as it was dark and he did one of those one handed chalk ups.
 Jonny2vests 03 Sep 2009
In reply to Will Hunt:

Maybe for a nanosecond, its pretty much between his legs for the fall offable bit.
 phizz4 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: And did you notice he was wearing socks! I thought that it was only me that still did that. Brilliant.
 Owen W-G 03 Sep 2009
In reply to phizz4:

Really classy vid, wasn't expecting that, well done Toru and Pete.
 Michael Ryan 03 Sep 2009
In reply to Owen W-G:
> (In reply to phizz4)
>
> Really classy vid, wasn't expecting that, well done Toru and Pete.

Great editing by Dave Gill too.

 Sam1991 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: This lad is actually awsome. Looks like hes really enjoying it as well. Shame there is no footage of gaia or meshuga on this clip, but he makes elm street look like a ladder.
In reply to Sam1991:

Isn't the most incredible thing that he makes everything he does look as if he's toproped and practised every move about 100 times - got it completely wired - when almost everything in that video is i think on sight? There is an extraordinary climbing genius here, surely, in that respect alone.
 ChrisBrooke 03 Sep 2009
In reply to Gordon Stainforth: Yup. Look at the precision of his foot placements (esp. on Elm Street). Incredible.
In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Yes, absolutely, Chris. Mindboggling. He makes it look as if he's done that climb about a thousand times before. His footwork is absolutely astonishing. That earlier route, where he's slipping, in quite a relaxed way, is extraordinary - and yet he's staying on as if his toes have superglue on them.
 Keeg 03 Sep 2009
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:
Whilst it is very impressive I think (but am happy to be corrected) that only the E6 was on-sight. The others were worked, although I get the impression in a quite minimal fashion.
I don't write this to take anything away from the lad, climbing those routes in that style in summer is staggering. Just that at this level stylistic clarity is in my opinion important* and there is a world of difference between onsight and slightly worked. Climbers have previously faced unpleasant accusation due to innacuracy regarding ascents. Be that innacuracy they instigated or that generated by observers comments such as yours.

* Obviously it's not important in a world peace, famine in Africa, social inequality type of way, it's only climbing for f*cks sake. But you get what I mean.
Toby M 03 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Right at the start of the video, Toru is standing at the foot of a slab,with a corner groove to the left, what/where is this route?
 Rob Cole 03 Sep 2009
In reply to Toby M: Think it's Black Out, the same route he's on at the end!
In reply to Keeg:
> (In reply to Gordon Stainforth)
> Whilst it is very impressive I think (but am happy to be corrected) that only the E6 was on-sight. The others were worked, although I get the impression in a quite minimal fashion.
> I don't write this to take anything away from the lad, climbing those routes in that style in summer is staggering. Just that at this level stylistic clarity is in my opinion important* and there is a world of difference between onsight and slightly worked. Climbers have previously faced unpleasant accusation due to innacuracy regarding ascents. Be that innacuracy they instigated or that generated by observers comments such as yours.
>
> * Obviously it's not important in a world peace, famine in Africa, social inequality type of way, it's only climbing for f*cks sake. But you get what I mean.

Yes, I get exactly what you mean, which is just why I get as heated as I do, sometimes, with such 'trivial' things as first ascents at Black Rocks and Cratcliffe.
Toby M 04 Sep 2009
In reply to Rob Cole: Ahh yes, where is this, Burbage? Presumably there is a route up the slab,to the right?
 James_D 04 Sep 2009
In reply to Toby M:

"roof route" is up the crack and slab, and "gable route" is up the right hand side.

apparently theres an e4 up the middle but its only a couple of meters wide.
 Nic 04 Sep 2009
In reply to phizz4:

> And did you notice he was wearing socks!

Bl**dy punter! I bet he only took off the big orange helmet for the pics...
Derbyshire Ben 04 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Thanks to Dave Gil and Pete for the vid - really good.

As for the climbing. Very impressive... the last move of his new route looks hideous and if he's slapping and shouting given his cool and steady approach on Simba's Pride it must be really horrendous above that horrible landing.
 Adders 04 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: sweaty palms watching that. amazing. well done toru; looking forward to your next visit!
 kareylarey 06 Sep 2009
In reply to UKC News: Has this guy ever climbed on grit before?
 tobyfk 07 Sep 2009
In reply to kareylarey:
> (In reply to UKC News) Has this guy ever climbed on grit before?

No, inferring from this older news report:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=48849
The visiting junior is over in the Peak District for two more weeks and told UKClimbing.com "I want to climb Gritstone. It is my dream."

I asked a Japanese climbing friend about Toru. Apparently he's pretty well-known. He first became famous for bouldering V9 when he was still in elementary school (in the Japanese school system that would be aged 10 or younger)






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