Ryuichi Murai does Return of the Sleepwalker (9A)

Ryuichi Murai, with six 8C+ boulders under his belt, has repeated Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) in Red Rock (NV). ”On this trip it took me 6 sessions. When I did Sleepwalker two years ago, it took me 8 sessions, so in total I’ve spent 14 sessions on it.”

The 31-year-old Japanese did ten Worlds Cup until 2019 and his best result was fifth. Since he stopped competing he has sent some ten boulders 8C and beyond and he has also dedicated a lot of time projecting Alphane (9A) and Burden of Dreams (9A).

For the first five days of this trip he failed doing the big span move to the sloper but later found some minor micro adjustments and sent it the second time he passed the crux and he comments.

“I finally achieved what I came here for. 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.”

What is the status of your next project, Shaolin (9A)?
The execution isn’t super consistent yet, but I’ve figured out all the moves.