On December 3, Nathaniel Coleman made the primary ascent of No One Mourns the Depraved V17 (9A). Positioned in Thunder Ridge, Colorado, the issue is a low begin to Daniel Woods’ Defying Gravity V15, a wildly dynamic downside that options one of many single hardest beginning strikes of any downside anyplace.
Clocking in at round V14, Defying Gravity’s first transfer is a coordinated throw to a glassy rail. A number of totally different strategies have been found for sticking the rail, however every one is as tough as the following. After shifting to the next set of edges, an enormous, shouldery deadpoint follows – with climbers reducing ft and bending their physique right into a scorpion-like place to carry the swing.
A number of days after Woods climbed Defying Gravity again in 2013, Jimmy Webb made the second ascent. The issue then went unrepeated for almost 10 years till Noah Wheeler made the third ascent in November 2023. Coleman’s ascent was the fourth.
The low begin to Defying Gravity had been a longstanding open mission and the unique imaginative and prescient for the road. The low begin sequence is not any joke. Clocking in round V13, Coleman used 9 hand strikes to achieve the beginning hand positions of Defying Gravity. The 9 strikes are fingery and require loads of rigidity, fatiguing the forearms and zapping energy. Instantly following the low begin, the arguably hardest single transfer on the earth awaits.
No One Mourns the Depraved is Coleman’s first of the grade. On prime of his many comp climbing accomplishments (together with a silver medal on the Tokyo Olympics), the 28-year-old American has despatched a number of the very hardest climbs in United States together with Grand Phantasm V16 and Empath 5.14d/15a. To be taught extra about his FA of No One Mourns the Depraved, I reached out to Coleman. You possibly can learn our interview under.
A movie was launched yesterday by Mellow detailing Coleman’s course of and expertise with No One Mourns the Depraved. It’s simply among the finest bouldering movies in current reminiscence. On the primary day of the 12 months, we’d have already got the candidate for one of the best bouldering movie of 2025.
The start of the movie has among the finest expositions of micro-beta I’ve ever seen in a climbing movie, with Coleman giving an attractive move-by-move evaluation of how he climbs the crux of Defying Gravity. I like to recommend watching the movie earlier than studying the interview under.
Interview with Nathaniel Coleman
In your ship go, what have been you pondering after sticking the crux and organising for the following bounce transfer?
After falling on the second bounce transfer beforehand, I used to be mentally making ready for the following time I received there and tried to visualise what it might really feel like to stay that last transfer from the bottom. Even nonetheless, once I caught the primary bounce once more I felt nervous, fatigued, and altogether not sure if I’d be capable of do the ultimate crux. However I settled my nerves as a lot as I may, reminded myself to give attention to accuracy over energy, and let my physique do the transfer because it had completed dozens of occasions earlier than. Going by means of the ultimate sequence I keep in mind pondering, “Did I actually begin from the start? Did I dab and never discover it? Is that this actually occurring?” As soon as I used to be on prime of the boulder, I needed to set free all that power with a couple of whoops and screams.”
You point out within the movie that it was eight days to do the crux beginning transfer however 13 days to actually be taught the transfer. What number of days to climb the total No One Mourns the Depraved?
On my 14th day (together with the eight from 2023), I used to be capable of stick the transfer [four or five] occasions after determining tips on how to maintain the in-swing by pulling increased with my proper arm than I assumed obligatory. That’s what made me really feel like I had lastly realized it. The twenty first day is once I caught the transfer from the start, and twenty second day I despatched. And the periods from this season have been unfold over seven and a half weeks.
Right me if I’m mistaken, nevertheless it sounds just like the low begin provides a V13 into the start of Defying Gravity. You point out within the movie that the low begin is especially laborious on the suitable hand. What have been some key stuff you unlocked within the low begin that allowed you to nonetheless have sufficient power/energy to climb Defying Gravity above?
Yeah I take into consideration V13 with my methodology. As I practiced the intro all through the season, I used to be continuously making an attempt small changes in my beta, and slowly discovering what was most effective. A very good majority of the beta switches I used got here from the individuals I used to be climbing with, so huge shout out to these of us.
For instance, there have been two foot switches that I used to be making an attempt to keep away from, however later realized it was simpler and quicker to only do the foot swaps. There was a left hand aspect pull that I adjusted my hand place on by about half a finger and that allow me management the following proper hand transfer a bit extra. I additionally discovered that for the ultimate left-hand transfer, if I pulled excessive with my proper arm to set my heel hook and opposing left foot, it truly saved my proper arm power as a result of I used to be in a position to make use of my ft extra successfully on the following transfer after putting them from a greater place.
Any classes realized that stand out in your thoughts from No One Mourns the Depraved that you just’ll apply to your huge tasks shifting ahead?
I feel it’s the identical lesson I realized from Defying Gravity final 12 months, simply on an even bigger scale. Arduous strikes take time, persistence, optimism, and perception. I feel I’ll be higher geared up to deal with failure on tasks I attempt sooner or later realizing that the distinction between session 1 and session 20 is so nice.
Did you do any particular coaching to arrange for No One Mourns the Depraved?
I didn’t. Very like 2023, I confirmed as much as the boulder in first rate health and located that I gained loads of power by means of the method of working it.
Why identify the road No One Mourns the Depraved reasonably than simply Defying Gravity Low?
I used to be planning to call it that initially as a result of I really like the DG identify a lot. It has a lot aura in my thoughts, so I felt like naming it one thing else can be like writing over the identify Daniel had given. I talked to loads of mates about it, and so they sort of pushed again on that concept. Additionally, by means of speaking to Daniel, my notion of the boulder modified and I began to see the sit begin because the fullest model of the road, as an alternative of an add on to DG. So by the tip of all of it, I felt just like the sit deserved a singular identify, and it was okay for me to place my very own stamp on it, whereas retaining it thematic in fact.
(Editor’s notice: Defying Gravity and No One Mourns the Depraved are songs from the musical Depraved.)
Nathaniel Coleman’s FA of No One Mourns the Depraved V17
