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Monkey Wedding

Monkey Wedding is an 8C/V15 boulder problem in Rocklands, South Africa. It is one of 20 problems on the ‘A Question of Balance Boulder’, in Roadside, one of Rocklands most popular bouldering sectors.

Discipline

Bouldering

Location

South Africa

Grade

V15/8C

Height

22 Moves

First Ascent

Fred Nicole

Date of FA

20/08/2002

Monkey Wedding

Ascent Log

ClimberSuggested GradeDate of AscentNotes
Frédéric Nicole8B+/V1420th Aug 2002
Paul Robinson8C/V1524th Aug 201010 days of projecting
Adam Ondra8C/V1514th Aug 20114 days of projecting
Daniel Woods8C/V1513th Aug 2012
Ignacio Sánchez González8C/V1527th Jun 2015Instagram post
Shawn Raboutou1st Jul 2016
Vadim Timonov8C/V1524th Jul 2016YouTube video
Nalle Hukkataival8C/V1524th Jul 2016Facebook post
David Graham8C/V1514th Aug 2016Instagram post
Charles Albert8C/V1516th Jun 2017Sent in 5 sessions. YouTube video
Alex Khazanov8C/V156th Jul 20173 days of projecting
Alexander Megos8C/V1510th Jul 2017Instagram post
Toby Saxton8C/V1521st Aug 2017
Aidan Roberts8C/V151st Aug 2018Instagram post
Toshi Takeuchi8C/V1513th Aug 2018YouTube video
Giuliano Cameroni8C/V1531st Aug 2019Instagram post

Climb Profile

The Route

The notoriously difficult 14-move problem was put up by Fred Nicole in August 2002. At the time of his first ascent, Nicole awarded the problem the grade of 8B+/V14. Since then the route has had over a dozen repeats with the consensus being that the route is closer to the 8C/V15 grade.  

As a result, the upgrading of Nicole’s Monkey Wedding problem not only makes it a contender as one of the harder problems in the Rocklands but also amongst the first boulder ascents to be in the 8C grade range.

Monkey Wedding Rocklands
©Charles Albert

Wall of Glory

Second Ascent: Paul Robinson

24th Aug 2010

For over 8 years since the FA, the notoriously difficult route went without a repeat. It wasn’t until 2010 that Paul Robinson eventually opened the door and claimed the first repeat. 

After starting to learn the beta on 15 July, it took Robinson almost 2 months of working on the problem before he would claim the ascent, stating the ascent was a “huge mental and physical struggle”. 

Despite making it to the final move on several occasions within the first few weeks, Robison cited the hot summer temperatures of South Africa as a big challenge. Eventually, on his final day in the Rocklands, Robinson claimed the first repeat on the 25th of August 2010. He claimed the line was his second hardest send at the time, behind Lucid Dreaming, which he had topped out 5 months prior.

Paul Robinson Monkey Wedding Rocklands
©Paul Robinson

Monkey Wedding wasn’t the only Nicole classic Robinson managed to claim on his 2010 South Africa adventure, he also left the Rocklands with an ascent Black Eagle (V14) under his belt.

Third Ascent: Adam Ondra

3rd Feb 2014

Hot off the competition circuit, and claiming gold at the overall IFSC World Championship in Acro the previous month, Ondra made a trip to Rocklands to focus on claiming boulder ascents.

In less than three weeks, Ondra claimed over 22 ascents of V11 or higher on this trip. Unsurprisingly, the Czech sending machine made light work of Monkey Wedding, bagging the third ascent with just four days of work. On his 8a Logbook, Ondra stated that it was his “hardest problem so far” and agreed with the V15 suggestion of Robinson, stating that the problem deserved the grade. 

Legacy

In the decade since Robinson’s first repeats, Nicole’s iconic problem has become a test piece for world-class climbers.

After Ondra, Daniel Woods claimed the fourth ascent in 2012. Woods mentioned that they found the problem “very mentally challenging”, partly due to the fact that the holds are so sharp that it only allows for a couple of burns during each session. 

Woods wasn’t the only elite climber to struggle with the problem. Nalle Hukkataival, who eventually claimed the eighth ascent, had attempted the route over several trips to the Rocklands, although he faced skin issues due to the razor-sharp rock. Dave Graham also called the line one of his “ultimate global nemesis projects” after getting shut down for almost two weeks in 2015. He eventually managed to claim an ascent in August 2016, after discovering beta for the crux sequence. 

Other noteworthy ascents followed over the years, including a 30-minute send from Alex Megos, and a barefoot top out from Charles Albert.

Video Library

Angel

Meet Angel, a former desk-jockey turned global wanderer. After catching a severe case of the climbing (and travel) bug, she's now a world traveller, living the dirtbag dream. Highballs? Too mainstream for her taste. She's all about the thrills of lowballs, where the real action happens. Nowadays, you'll find her in Thailand, either precariously balanced on a granite slab or trading stories with Nemo and his buddies underwater!

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