Famous climbs

Burden of Dreams

Grade

9A (V17)

Style

Boulder

Where

Lappnor, Loviisa, Finland

First ascent

Nalle Hukkataival, 23 October 2016

Burden of Dreams was the world’s first 9A boulder. It is one flat face of red granite near Loviisa in Finland, overhanging at 45 degrees and only about 3.6 m long from the lowest foot chip to the lip. Five hard hand moves on tiny holds lead to a mantle.

History

Nalle Hukkataival made the first ascent on 23 October 2016, after about four years and more than 4,000 tries. His film of it is The Lappnor Project.

It stayed unrepeated for more than six years. Then came:

Lee Sung Su climbed it twice in three days. On his first send his shirt brushed a pad on the starting move, so he came back and climbed it again without the shirt.

Core Climbing sells cast replicas of the holds.

The holds

There are few of them. On this page they go by the names in the Broken Crimp file.

• Left and right start crimps: two sharp crimps, taken together from a sit start.
• D-shaped crimp: the target of the first and hardest move.
• Crimp pinch: a small pinch with room for the thumb.
• Three-finger drag: a three-finger sloper, the target of the final jump.
• Lip: the top of the face, where the climb finishes.
• Footholds: a far-left chip, a start foot, a tiny foot for pushing sideways, a high chip and a slick foot far out right.

Nalle Hukkataival’s beta

The first ascent has five hand moves.

1. Sit start. Left hand and right hand on the two start crimps, both feet out to the right, with the left foot pushing right on a tiny sidepull.
2. Move 1. The right hand throws to the D-shaped crimp, in a deadpoint. This is the hardest move, about 8B+ on its own.
3. Reset the feet. Both feet come up onto the right start crimp. Then the left foot goes back to the sidepull and the right foot goes far out right.
4. Move 2. The left hand matches the crimp with two fingers, then swaps fingers to make room.
5. Move 3. The right hand goes to the crimp pinch. The left foot goes onto the start crimp in a small drop knee.
6. Move 4. The left hand matches the pinch, and the right foot goes up to the high chip.
7. Move 5. The left foot lets go, and the right hand jumps to the drag.

Lee Sung Su’s beta, with the Lorenzi drop knee

Simon Lorenzi found a version with one hand move fewer, and Lee Sung Su repeated it.

1. Sit start. The left foot starts on the far-left chip.
2. Move 1. The same throw to the D-shaped crimp. Both feet cut loose as the hand lands, and he hangs from his hands until they come back up.
3. Reset the feet. Both feet come onto the start crimp, the right foot goes far out right, and the left goes into a deep drop knee on the start hold.
4. Move 2. There is no match. The left hand goes straight to the crimp pinch.
5. Move 3. The right hand matches the pinch, and the right foot goes up to the high chip.
6. Move 4. The jump to the drag.

The finish

Both betas finish the same way. The left foot smears back onto the rock and the left hand matches the drag. The left foot steps up onto the pinch, the right hand goes out to the lip, and the right heel hooks it. A mantle tops it out.

Open it in the app

Open it in the web app with the button below, or download the file and import it into Broken Crimp. Either way, step through both betas move by move, slow them down, or compare them side by side. A new install of the app also starts with this climb.

Open it in the web app Download the .beta file

Sources

• Core Climbing, Burden of Dreams replica and hold map
• Lee Sung Su's send, filmed face on (mellow)
• Nalle Hukkataival's first ascent
• Stefano Ghisolfi, How Are the Holds on Burden of Dreams
• Shawn Raboutou, Boulder Breakdown
• Gripped, The Many Betas of Burden of Dreams
• Wikipedia, Burden of Dreams
• Climber, Lee Sungsu sends Burden of Dreams twice

An unofficial reconstruction, put together from the public sources above. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the climbers or sources named, and it is no substitute for your own judgement on the rock. See the Terms of Use.