Esperanza, Yves Gravelle, and his Process in Hueco Tanks
Bloc Shop's Mathieu Elie just released an incredible new bouldering film with Canada's strongest man, Yves Gravelle
Earlier this year, Bloc Shop’s Mathieu Elie joined Canada’s strongest man, Yves Gravelle, on a trip the birthplace of American bouldering. Elie released his long-anticipated film Esperanza late this morning.
Originally established by the godfather of modern bouldering Fred Nicole, Esperanza V14 climbs a steep series of edges through one of the most famous bouldering areas in the United States. The 12-move boulder problem sits in Hueco’s North Mountain Martini Roof alongside other area classics such as Baby Martini and Tequila Sunrise.
The film itself opened with Gravelle’s attempts on numerous Hueco classics. The strong Canadian made massive links on many of the area’s hardest problems. He just failed to secure the closing moves.
Gravelle expressed anxiety over the trip following a series of near misses. However, he found relief in his powerful ascent of the area’s most famous boulder problem.
The Ottawa local has been in the news quite a lot this year after he established Canada’s second V15 in Kanata-Tremblant. Along with other V14 first ascents, the arm-lifting World Champion appeared to break through a barrier this year. Not only did he open numerous hard problems at home, Esperanza became Gravelle’s first V14 Gravelle outside of Canada.
What’s more, Gravelle appeared on one of the largest climbing podcasts in the North America last week. The Nugget Climbing Podcast has made a name for itself in interviewing over 100 industry professionals. Gravelle shared his insights in this exciting interview.
Finally, the film concluded with Gravelle’s aspirations for the upcoming season. After his 2021 ascent of Widowmaker V13, Gravelle hopes to return to establish the difficult sit. This old Chris Sharma project, once dubbed the Gas Station project, is one of the many exciting boulders tucked away in one of Canada’s best, fastest growing, and quietest bouldering areas.
Featured image by Bloc Shop’s Mathieu Elie of Yves Gravelle in Hueco Tanks.
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