Akito Matsushima Grabs A Quick Memento

by Kevin Avery The Japanese climber Akito Matsushima who is currently placed 9th in the IFSC bouldering world ranking, has made the  fourth repeatof Bernd Zangerl´s mega-problem, Memento Font 8c/+, high in the Austrian mountains. What is even more astounding is that it took him only 2 hours (video of this ascent). The problem was first discovered in 2003 and is apparently “pure power” consisting of only seven moves up a steeply overhanging face. Zangerl made the first ascent in August 2005 and tentatively gave it Font 8c+/V16, saying that it was far harder than anything else he´d ever tried or climbed. Since then it has been repeated by Kilian Fischhuber, Bernard Schwaiger and Kornelius Obleitner with the latter pair both stating that they felt Font 8c was closer to the mark. Whether Matsushima will agree with these downgrades remains to be seen, but what is clear from the speed of his ascent is that the problem didn´t provide him with too much trouble. Sources: 8a.nu, naturized.com Watch a video of Bernard Zangerl Climbing Memento

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