BIG ISLAND 8C

Lukas Mokrolusky claims his first 8C with the iconic Big Island in Fontainebleau. Read the full story and how Tokyo Powder supported the send. Here are some words after his send:

"I returned to Fontainebleau with the same crew as always — a great team, lots of fun, and tons of climbing. For this short trip, I picked the legendary Big Island 8C/V15, because I felt the style suited me and that this might be one of the realistic 8C lines I could actually send.

Before this, my hardest boulder was 8B, but I still wanted to see whether I could rise to the challenge.

The first session lasted only 30 minutes: I checked the moves, felt the holds, and tried to understand whether it was worth trying properly. After a few attempts I realised there was a chance — and decided to keep going.

On the second day the entire boulder was soaked. We spent an hour drying it and trying to stop water from dripping onto the holds. Despite this, we climbed for quite a while, and I made huge progress. The moves started coming together and my confidence grew.

On the third day in a row I finally managed to link the boulder into two halves — but unfortunately tore a split in my finger, so I stopped early. I knew that with a rest day to heal, I would have a real chance.

After a rest day we returned. I went through the sequences — and sent it on my very first try.
It felt incredible to climb my first 8C this quickly, and even more special that it was this iconic line.

I was equipped by Gripstone with Tokyo Powder V3, which worked perfectly in the humid conditions, and Tokyo Powder BLACK, which helped dry out the holds. They made a huge difference."