Dave Graham has climbed Hypnotized Minds (Font 8C+) after sustained efforts over seven years. The problem was first climbed by Daniel Woods in 2010 and went unrepeated for several years until Russian climber Rustam Gelmanov made short work of it in 2016.
Now 37, Graham has been a top boulderer and sport climber for nearly two decades. He has made the first ascents of a huge number of cutting edge boulder problems including The Story of Two Worlds, Big Paw and From Dirt Grows The Flowers, all Font 8C at the time. In 2016, he climbed his first Font 8C+: Creature from the Black Lagoon at Upper Chaos Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park.
In a short post about climbing Hypnotised Minds, Graham describes first seeing the problem on the Veritas boulder years before it was climbed and being 'entranced.' In 2013, he fell off the last move twice and shortly after ruptured his A2 pulley, halting his attempts for another two years.
'Fast forward two years when I was finally all healed for crimping and I broke off a key left foot for the crux move, reducing my highpoint and beta to ashes; it felt like was starting from scratch. I was still obsessed. I dedicated every Fall and Spring season to sieging Hypno, abandoning any other climbing goals in hope that I could rise above and conquer this sequence, yet amidst unpredictable sub-alpine conditions, it wasn't so simple.'
Below is a video of Graham attempting Hypnotized Minds in 2013:
Not wanting to brave the cold of winter, Graham's climbing partners left him to try the climb alone. He found it difficult without an extra set of eyes to spot his mistakes and found the new situation challenging. Weekly snow shovelling sessions and solo driving became 'synonymous' with attempting the problem. However, this October he had a breakthrough:
'First day went really well, I realized my new Five Ten Dragons were game changing on both crux moves allowing me to get the crack pocket correctly from the start, and give me a fair chance sticking the high left pinch from the ground.
'Day 2: I came super close to sticking the pinch, I felt stronger physically then I ever had, and more calm in the mind. Day 3 was 65 [degrees] at the parking, pretty warm for my taste, but as a snowstorm was rolling in it seemed smart to give at least a few tries. First go I fell off the last move (can't wait to share that), second go at the crux, and third try, I SENT.'
Daniel Woods originally graded the climb Font 8C but later upgraded it based on the experience he had gained in subsequent years. Rustam Gelmanov declined to comment on the grade as he climbed it fast and it suited his body type so well.
Daniel Woods climbing the problem in 2010:
Comments
Wow DG so psyched that his instagram post makes total sense?!
the little squirt is 37 - about time he got a proper job