15 February 2024
Ethan Salvo completes The Singularity (8C)
Ethan Salvo has sent
The Singularity (8B+) in Squamish after projecting for some 60 sessions over four years. It was put up by Tim Clifford in 2007 as an 8B+ and the upgrade comes from the later repeaters who started one move lower. (c) Pat Valade
โTo me, the singularity was my most fulfilling journey as a boulderer, and also the longest. Although the boulder looks quite simple, I had to go really deep to understand what it would take to climb the problem. In my years of effort, the problem pushed me to improve in every way.
By time I was able to execute the crux move, I had grown so much as a granite boulderer. My understanding of body position, hand placement, conditions, weather pattern, skin tactics, and more had greatly improved. It was clear that all the days I put in were finally paying off, and that the end was near.
My 2023 season ended by falling after the crux move 4 times total. I honestly never thought it would be possible to fall after the crux, but the slightest error in my set up for the crux made the 4th move extremely hard to execute in comparison to trying that move in isolation. I went to Bishop after that, climbed some hard classics and learned a lot about myself while doing so.
When I got back to Squamish in Feb, it was pouring rain and I had to wait for the room to dry out again. After patiently waiting what felt like months to have more tries, the problem finally dried out, but i felt like I had to relearn things again. After a poor session, I went home and watched the video of Nalles send on repeat for 45min. Everytime the video played back, Iโd focus on the movements of a different body part. I woke up the next morning pretty sore from the day before, but decided I should try anyway. Everything I learned the night before watching nalles vid on loop definitely had an impact on my tries, in a way I felt like I had learned everything there was to understand about the problem. All that was left to do was close the chapter. I pulled on for my last try of the session, which ended up being my last try ever.โ
โTo me, the singularity was my most fulfilling journey as a boulderer, and also the longest. Although the boulder looks quite simple, I had to go really deep to understand what it would take to climb the problem. In my years of effort, the problem pushed me to improve in every way.
By time I was able to execute the crux move, I had grown so much as a granite boulderer. My understanding of body position, hand placement, conditions, weather pattern, skin tactics, and more had greatly improved. It was clear that all the days I put in were finally paying off, and that the end was near.
My 2023 season ended by falling after the crux move 4 times total. I honestly never thought it would be possible to fall after the crux, but the slightest error in my set up for the crux made the 4th move extremely hard to execute in comparison to trying that move in isolation. I went to Bishop after that, climbed some hard classics and learned a lot about myself while doing so.
When I got back to Squamish in Feb, it was pouring rain and I had to wait for the room to dry out again. After patiently waiting what felt like months to have more tries, the problem finally dried out, but i felt like I had to relearn things again. After a poor session, I went home and watched the video of Nalles send on repeat for 45min. Everytime the video played back, Iโd focus on the movements of a different body part. I woke up the next morning pretty sore from the day before, but decided I should try anyway. Everything I learned the night before watching nalles vid on loop definitely had an impact on my tries, in a way I felt like I had learned everything there was to understand about the problem. All that was left to do was close the chapter. I pulled on for my last try of the session, which ended up being my last try ever.โ
1 comment
Sort by:
Date
Reply
Most commented
Jorge Diaz-Rullo reports on Instagram that he has made the first ascent of Cafe Colombia in Margalef. At 27, heโs already stacked four 9b+ sends and now heโs adโฆ
26 January 2026
Sean Bailey FAโs Duality of Man (9c)
Sean Bailey reports on Instagram that he has done the first ascent of Duality of Man (9c) in Dry Canyon. โ After four total years and three seasons of climbing,โฆ
23 March 2026
Jorge Diaz-Rullo proposes 9c for Cafรฉ Colombia
Jorge Diaz-Rullo elaborates on the reasons for him to suggest 9c for Cafรฉ Colombia on Instagram, which he took down last week after projecting it for 240 sessioโฆ
Related
4 July 2025
Zach Galla ticks The Singularity (8C)
Zach Galla, with four 8C+โ to his name, has completed The Singularity (8C) in Squamish.
(c) Ryan Moon
Can you tell us more about the ascent?At first glance thiโฆ
15 February 2023
Ethan Salvo (20) does Zazen (8C)
Ethan Salvo has made what seems to be the first post-hold-break ascent of in Squamish. Harry Robertson did the original FA of the line, as an 8B, back in 2003.โฆ
Ethan Salvo, with four 8Cโs under his belt, has during the same week repeated Chris Sharmaโs Dreamcatcher (9a) and Andy Lambโs Event Horizon (8C+), both in Squaโฆ
Related news
4 July 2025
Zach Galla ticks The Singularity (8C)
Zach Galla, with four 8C+โ to his name, has completed The Singularity (8C) in Squamish.
(c) Ryan Moon
Can you tell us more about the ascent?At first glance thiโฆ
15 February 2023
Ethan Salvo (20) does Zazen (8C)
Ethan Salvo has made what seems to be the first post-hold-break ascent of in Squamish. Harry Robertson did the original FA of the line, as an 8B, back in 2003.โฆ
Ethan Salvo, with four 8Cโs under his belt, has during the same week repeated Chris Sharmaโs Dreamcatcher (9a) and Andy Lambโs Event Horizon (8C+), both in Squaโฆ
Favorites
8 June 2026
Janja Garnbret does Bibliographie (9b+)
Janja Garnbret has added another milestone to her remarkable climbing career by becoming the first woman to climb Bibliographie (9b+) in Cรฉรผse, one of the hardeโฆ
Jorge Diaz-Rullo reports on Instagram that he has made the first ascent of Cafe Colombia in Margalef. At 27, heโs already stacked four 9b+ sends and now heโs adโฆ
16 March 2026
Ondra flashes 3*8C in two weeks
โI stopped focusing on competition bouldering after last yearโs World Cup in Prague, partly because I can already feel it on my body, especially in my shoulders. The modern competition style, with a lot of jumping from one hold to another, is very demanding for the shoulders.
Outdoor bouldering isโฆ