Noah Wheeler Repeats Iconic V15 Using Campus Beta
The young American climber gets a rare repeat of Daniel Woods' Defying Gravity V15 in Thunder Ridge, Colorado
In November 2013, Daniel Woods established Defying Gravity V15, a wildly dynamic problem that features one of the single hardest starting moves in the world. Clocking in at around V14, the problem’s first move is a coordinated jump sequence between two glassy rails. A few different betas have been discovered for sticking the rail, but each one is as difficult as the next. After moving to a higher set of rails, a huge, shouldery V10 deadpoint follows – with climbers cutting feet and coiling their body into a Janja-esque scorpion in order to hold the position.
A few days after Woods climbed Defying Gravity back in 2013, Jimmy Webb made the second ascent. The problem then went unrepeated for nearly 10 years until Noah Wheeler made the third ascent last month. Send footage of Wheeler’s ascent was just released by Mellow, which can you watch below. A few days after Wheeler’s send, Nathaniel Coleman made the third repeat of the problem.
Wheeler used some unique beta for the opening V14 of Defying Gravity. Back in 2013, Woods kept his feet on and then went out left to a practically non-existent crimp before hitting the rail. Webb and Coleman instead placed a high right heel and made a big throw to the rail. Wheeler decided to not use his feet on the wall at all, choosing to campus to the rail.
“Hard to explain how much this means to me,” said Wheeler about his Defying Gravity on Instagram. “The climb consists of a one move V14 – the hardest move I’ve ever tried – into a potentially heartbreaking V10 deadpoint sequence. It took 3 sessions to take this beast down. I quickly decided on unusual campus beta for the first move as it – though extremely precise and dynamic – fit my strengths well. Each try offered slight progression until I was able to confidently stick the move and take the dream to the top.”
Defying Gravity is Wheeler’s fourth V15. Last year his sent three of the grade – Paint it Black in Rocky Mountain National Park, Delirium at Mt Evans, and Sound of Violence in Joe’s Valley. The 21-year-old has sent many V14s, including Kook Slams Extension in Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado, which he just sent a few days ago.
Noah Wheeler’s third ascent of Defying Gravity V15
Daniel Woods’ First Ascent
Jimmy Webb’s second ascent
Nathaniel Coleman’s fourth ascent
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