My Journey with Big Island 8C

Big aspirations rarely come overnight; they often develop slowly over time. The idea to climb Big Island was no different. 

In my early climbing I remember watching the video of Dave Graham on the FA of the Island aka Fonts last great project and later on Jan Hojer how he repeated the Big Island which basically adds two moves to the Island and was first climbed by Vincent Pochon.

At first I was just blown away how cool this climb looked and inspired by how hard people could climb. 
Years later this inspiration started to turn into an aspiration. The idea that if I ever get close to that level in bouldering I should at least try the Big Island started to slowly manifest in my mind. But it turned out that I was so intimidated by the Big Island that it took way longer than expected to feel even ready to try it, maybe for a good reason.

September 2022:
I had just finished my final exams at university and was on my way to Font. This time I had one goal in mind: trying the Big Island to see where I’m at. Even 28 degrees Celsius couldn’t stop my psyche. When I finally got to the boulder in person I was blown away, it looked even better than in video. With loads of powerspotting from my at this point new girlfriend I was able to at first get into all positions and then do all the moves in my first session. “Only” one foot transition was missing, little did I know that even though I did the transition a session later it would haunt me for the next three years.

And so time went by and multiple trips to Font ended with progress but no big send. Already in Spring 2023 I got painfully close on doing the boulder but had to leave empty handed.
One year later right after a really nice winter in Spain, I went to Font again. This time I was quite late in the season but my goes were promising. Releasing my feet after the famous move to the crimp made me still struggle from the bottom. But one day it clicked. I stuck the crimp from the bottom like many times before, I readjusted my feet a little, bumped my right hand a bit higher and cut loose. In total desperation I was able to hold the swing, but while trying to get my heel up my hand popped and my attempt ended on the crashpad again. I was happy and motivated. In my mind I only had to climb a bit smoother, a bit more precisely, in general just a bit cleaner and it should go. The go seemed like proof that the concept of me climbing the Big Island might become reality. Right after that I got sick and the weather turned on me, another season without becoming the master of my own world.

I spent the following winter in Ticino, an area that I hadn’t visited for three years and Big Island was constantly on my mind, it had been for the last three years. As soon as the weather looked stable enough for my liking I drove down to the forest of bouldering, excited and scared of how it would go. The first trip of 2025 felt promising, maybe this is my season! Maybe, but then I had that thought before and Big Island seemed different than the other climbs I had tried; way less predictable. 
Most of the time I like control in my climbing, if I send something hard it must feel right. 
But with Big Island it never did. 

After getting close to my old highpoint I had to get back home for a bit, constantly being nervous about how warm it got and if the weather was going to be alright.
When I finally came back I switched my mind game a bit, away from perfection of the movement and away from mastery, I rather started being ok with how ever I climb and just waiting for the result. I had noticed that others had the same problems and their solution was to just try anyway. For some of them with success! So I decided to copy that and implement it into my sessions as well; no matter how bad I felt on the moves while warming up I just stopped there and started from the bottom. With great success, on my second session of the trip I held the swing from the bottom again that had stopped me from topping out so many times. But again I failed to get my heel back up. 

“Will this be the highpoint of me trying Big Island” “No! It can’t be”

Two Sessions later I was chill, I took way more time to warm up properly, and when I pulled on the wall for the first time I climbed a really big link nearly effortlessly.
“Time for a walk”
Walking around between my attempts became my go to thing to stay calm years ago. Sometimes I would call some friends on the phone or like in this case my wife.
I told her about the good warmup link but without being nervous, I knew this was promising but had still no expectations. 

Back on the boulder I felt strangely ready, I put on my shoes, went to the start and tried to get focused. All of a sudden there was one thought in my mind “I’m going to do this now!” but it was less a thought and more of an emotion, not inflicted on myself, it rather had just appeared.

I knew that feeling, it had never failed me once. Nerves started to creep in but I told myself even if it fails me this time it’s gonna be OK. And then again this feeling: “But I’m just gonna do it NOW!”.
I breathe in deeply and pull off the ground, my body starts moving, I hit every hold perfectly, every foot placement is on point, no hesitation, no mistakes.
I get to the crimp, move my feet a bit higher, bump my right hand and release my feet. I hold the swing “why does this feel so easy” and get my heel up while I swing back into the wall, “This is it!” I finally reach the good holds, “I could still mess this up” “But I won't”, I’m at the mantel, I place my feet and top out. Disbelief, “did I just do this” I am on Top of the Big Island, tears are filling my eyes, laughter is mixing in, my dog is confused he never saw me like this.
The Big Island was a big chapter in my climbing, in my life even and I wasn’t sure when or if I would finish it.
In the End i didn’t “just” climb the Boulder but rather climbed it 100% perfect which made the whole experience so much more fulfilling.
The key was to forget about perfection to be able to reach a state that to me feels like another level of mastery within my personal climbing.

I was searching for something that was really challenging me and I found it, something I can only be thankful for.

Thank you for all those valuable lessons!
And also thank you to my wife who decided to marry me quicker than I could send a bloody boulder problem.