08 Apr Jon Glassberg and a dream come true…
Another story of dedication and perseverance … and perhaps a little bit of obsession!
In recent days, between one bomb and another, we have also witnessed ascents characterized by a truly intense and prolonged process, which ended in success thanks to the determination and willpower of the climbers involved.
Daniel Woods is the most blatant example of this, with months dedicated to the first ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker; as well as Alex Jonhson, who, ten years after the first assaults, finally sent The Swarm in Buttermilks.
Now, they are also joined by Jon Glassberg, a climber who started climbing in 1994 and who, 27 years after his beginnings, still wants to get involved, after a life dedicated to high-level climbing and to become an established filmmaker (Jon is the creator of the well-known production company Louder than 11).
In fact, Jon had a great dream, that of completing an 8C boulder problem, a difficulty that when he started climbing still would not have existed for a few years. As he himself tells us on his Instagram profile, the first target was “The Big Island” in Bleau, which however not only he failed to repeat but also caused him serious problems to his back. Despite this, Glassberg persevered and found the right line in Red Rocks, with the famous The Nest, 8C symbol of this area in Nevada before the advent of Sleepwalker.
If we are here to talk about it, it is because in the end this story of great perseverance also ended in success and Jon’s own words are the best to describe this long journey, even a bit obsessive, which led him to realize his lifelong dream.
“I thought about posting “The Nest (V15)” with a or maybe a “dream achieved” caption with some emojis, or even more badass – just straight up retiring from the game, but none of that felt right and honestly I don’t know how to even talk about this climb and how badly I wanted to tick V15 in the first place.
I’ve been climbing for 27 years and when I started in 1994, the grade hadn’t been proposed yet. In 2000 Fred Nicole did Dreamtime calling it 8C and the Story of Two Worlds in 2005 by Dave Graham became the first confirmed 8C. I imagined that grade to be reserved for the best of the best who could dedicate 100% of their time and effort to achieve the goal, definitely not for me to ever realize.
In 2017 I decided I was going to give V15 a shot and train, diet, and prepare as best I could for the one 8C that might just be “my style” and suit me well enough to go down. I thought it was “The Big Island” in Fontainebleau and I started to siege over the course of 4 trips resulting in a couple herniated discs in my lower back and a 2 year recovery that is still ongoing. I gave up for a while, thinking my 190lb 6’3” frame wasn’t built for V15.
After a research trip to Red Rock this past December I made quick work of The Nest Stand, a V13 in its own right and thought that adding a V11 into the stand seemed like something I could train for and maybe actually do one day. I invested 3 months of power endurance training and headed to Red Rock to begin the process no matter how long it took. After 9 sessions of incremental progress it was DONE and I was on top, in shock. I came prepared and executed without an epic and damn it felt good.
I have lots of people to thank for supporting me over the years, but mainly @jess_talley for tolerating my selfish dream and my friends that told me I could do it despite being a big fella. Thanks team, y’all know who you are, I’ll thank each and every one of you in person.”
Good job and congratulations for your dream come true!
Albertaccia
News:Instagram
