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A Dave Graham Technical Masterpiece – Celestite V16

In a new Mellow video, Graham showcases a masterclass in technical climbing on his new Swiss bloc

On March 28, Dave Graham made the first ascent of Celestite V16 (8C+) in Valle Bovona, Switzerland. Sitting directly beside Jimmy Webb’s testpiece La Rustica V15, Celestite is a problem defined by micro-beta. It’s made up of two halves, a V12 into in a V14 with no rest in between. The problem opens with a highly technical sequence of five nearly upside-down kneebars of lots of delicate hand matches and adjustments. Graham originally approached this section climbing straight on before experimenting and finding easier beta with the kneebars.

After the sequence of kneebars, the subsequent V14 section includes a powerful roof pull to an exit on a tricky, droppable, and very high slab. A new film from Mellow (linked below) shows Graham’s interesting projecting progress on the problem before his eventual send footage.

“I approached this problem with zero expectations every session as I really wanted it, but the style of climbing required patience, balance, and a laser sharp focus, hard things to bundle all together; there was no just ‘trying hard'” said Graham via Instagram. “After 3 sessions trying to progress from the start, always making it a move farther, in a magical moment, after a crazy fight, I found myself standing at the top.

“Astonished to have not drawn out the process, a habit of mine, my first thought was to question its difficulty. Could I climb something of this level that quickly? If it had taken another ten days of making mistakes, I’d have zero hesitation with the proposal, yet, I often doubt my strengths and abilities. If compare it to all the lines I’ve climbed, it seems like where it belongs, unless I missed some crucial easier beta. I’m very proud of my climbing on this one, it’s majestic, climbs beautifully, and is an amazing addition to the valley”

Dave Graham’s First Ascent of Celestite V16

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