BURSTRyuichi Murai recently made the fifth ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker V17 (9A) in Red Rock, Nevada. The problem is a sit-start version of Sleepwalker, a V15/16 put up by Jimmy Webb in 2019. ROTSW is extremely eye-catching, the sandstone etched with deep, scooping lines. Until recently, V17 was the hardest bouldering grade. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Elias Iagnemma established Exodia in Italy and proposed the first ever V18.
Daniel Woods established ROTSW in March 2021. His first ascent was historic, as ROTSW became the first V17 in the United States. Will Bosi made the second ascent in February of 2024. Noah Wheeler was the next to top the problem, followed by Simon Lorenzi. Nearly two years you, Murai repeated Sleepwalker, giving it a grade of V16. Being 5-foot four-inches tall, the crux sloper slap of Sleepwalker is extremely reachy for him.
Murai is one of the top boulderers in the world. His ascent of ROTSW was his first V17. He has climbed many V16s, including first ascents of United, Nexus, and Floatin in Japan. He’s repeated Gakido V16 in Japan, Sleepwalker V15/16 in Red Rock, and the highball Livin’ Large V16 in Rocklands.
“I finally achieved what I came here for,” said Murai on Instagram. “The desert was surprisingly rainy at first, but I stayed fresh every session, physically and mentally, and in the end everything fell into place. The real crux was the full span sloper after linking into Sleepwalker. The day I finally stuck that move was the day I sent. For a total of five days, I just kept slapping that sloper and falling again and again. Looking back, everything came down to sticking that one move. Behind it were endless micro adjustments and tick tweaks, so subtle they probably looked like nothing from the outside. Still, I threw every bit of technique and creativity I have built up into making that sloper reachable.
“On the attempt where I first stuck it, I was too pumped and fell on the last jump. But after a long break and a reset of all the mixed emotions inside me, the next try was the one, and everything clicked. When I barely topped Sleepwalker two years ago, ‘Return’ felt like a dream. I never imagined I would stand on top of this boulder again. This success reminded me not to put limits on myself. I would love to say I can head home satisfied now… but Shaolin is still waiting. I do not know how far I can push it, but I am going to enjoy every remaining day.”
Daniel Woods First Ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker V17
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