Zach Galla Makes Third Ascent of Shaolin V17
The American climber tops his first V17 with Sean Bailey's Shaolin in Red Rock
On December 4, American climber Zach Galla sent Shaolin V17 (9A) in Red Rock, Nevada. Established by Sean Bailey in February 2024, Shaolin was the United State’s third V17 after Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker and Shawn Raboutou’s Megatron. The sandstone boulder links a V13/14 starting sequence into a single-move V12/13 into a final throw that clocks in around V11/12.
Noah Wheeler made the second ascent in March of this year. The ascent came a little over two months after topping his first V17, Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker, which is also located in Red Rock. In his last few sessions before sending, Wheeler had this to say about the difficulty of the climb on his 8a.nu page: “I was able to climb the intro boulder 95% of the time, the crux throw 75% of the time, and the last move 100% of the time. Yet linking these sections together felt super improbable. I really had to push for my determination to trump my expectations.”
Galla’s send of Shaolin V17 marks the third ascent of the problem and his first of the grade. “What a damn battle,” he said via Instagram. “No other climb has ever challenged me the same way as Shaolin. After sorting out my method and dialing in all the moves, it seemed close to coming together. Quickly after I started trying from the bottom, I stuck the first jump and blew it on the second. I was stoked it was feeling so close, but with how consistent the two jump link felt in Iso, I couldn’t help feeling like it was a punt.
“For the entirety of last season, I felt confident I would do it, but somehow I kept fumbling the final jump (around 25 times). It was incredibly frustrating because after so many sessions, the difficulty of the climb was no longer physical, it was mental. Every sesh I would hike out confused why it hadn’t come together yet — It was almost like I built the muscle memory of not doing it.
“Coming back this season I picked up right where I left off, falling on the last move. I started to get worried that I was in my head again. Then on my fourth sesh back, under a rising full moon, it all came together. I went to war with this one. To finally latch that last hold felt absolutely electric. For sure one of the hardest and best pieces of rock I’ve ever climbed. Thank you [Sean Bailey] for bringing this one to life. I’ll never forget my times raging up there!”
Galla, 25, is one of the strongest boulderers in the United States. In September, he repeated America’s first V16, Daniel Woods’ Hypnotized Minds in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. In addition to Hypnotized Minds, he has several absolute classic V16s to his name, including Grand Illusion, Sleepwalker, Sosa, and perhaps most impressively, the long-awaited second ascent of The Process. He had a very successful trip to Squamish last spring, with highlights being repeats of Seven V14/15, Zazen V14/15, Room Service Low V14, Deadlift V14, and Offenders of the Faith V13. He also flashed Shelter V12 and Room Service V12. On a short visit this year, he topped The Singularity V16.
Sean Bailey’s FA of Shaolin V17
Noah Wheeler’s second ascent Shaolin V17
