Dai Koyamada Explained

Dai Koyamada (ja|小山田大, born 23 August 1976) is a Japanese rock climber and known as one of the leading boulderers of his generation who established some of the first-ever boulder problems at . He has also established and repeated, some of the hardest sport climbs in the world.

Early life

Dai was born on 23 August 1976 in Kagoshima Prefecture and started climbing in 1993.^[2]

Climbing career

Competition climbing

In 1996, Koyamada won the Japanese National Championship. This is the event that allowed him to become a professional rock climber.^[3] Four years later in 2000 Koyamada left the competition climbing circuit because he realized "The real nature of my climbing resides in crags".

Rock climbing

Koyamada came to wider prominence in sport climbing when in 2001, he completed the first ascent (FA) of Logical Progression, a sport climb in Joyama, Japan, which was considered one of the most difficult in the world at the time.^[4]

In 2004, Koyamada came to international prominence when he travelled to the Hollow Mountain Cave in the Grampians National Park in Australia, and created several new extreme bouldering routes that were considered to be amongst the world's first-ever at the grade, most notably Sleepy Rave,^[5] and The Wheel of Life.^[6] Both have seen their grades softened to and respectively.^[7] Later in 2004, Koyamada traveled to Switzerland and repeated Fred Nicole's Dreamtime on November 9, then one of the hardest boulder problems in the world, and one of the first boulders to receive a .^[8]

On October 15, 2005, Koyamada repeated the famous sport climbing route, Action Directe, in the Frankenjura, Germany and proclaimed it harder than any other route that he has climbed.^[9] In a 2017 interview, Koymada called his ascent of Action Directe as "the outstanding turning point in my climbing career".^[10]

On April 4, 2017, at the age of 40, Koyamada climbed a new personal best with the first ascent of the boulder, Nayuta in Gero, Japan.^[11]

Notable ascents

^{[8] [12] [13]}

• Nayuta (那由多) – Gero (JPN) – 4 April 2017 – FA

• The Story of Two Worlds Low Start – Cresciano (SUI) – 22 March 2012 – Following an internet controversy contesting Koyamada's hand positions to start the boulder problem in 2010, Koyamada returned to honor his name and establish his own, more difficult low start.^[14]

^{[8] [12] [13]}

• Nehanna (ネハンナ) – Gero (JPN) – 4 June 2016 – FA

• Rokudou (六道) – Toyamagawa (JPN) – 25 March 2016 – FA

• Meikyoushisui (明鏡止水) – Toyamagawa (JPN) – 18 March 2016 – Second ascent 8B+/8C.

• Horizon (ホライゾン) – Mt. Hiei (JPN) – 8 May 2015 – FA

• Kawaki no umi / Sea of Dry (乾きの海) – Minamata (JPN) – 31 March 2014 – FA, 8B+/8C.

• Vanitas (ヴァニタス) – Horai (JPN) – 6 February 2014 – FA

• Eternal (エターナル) – Hinokage (JPN) – 1 May 2013 – FA

• Four Dimensional (４次元) – Hinokage (JPN) – 21 March 2013 – FA, 8B+/8C.

• Floating World (浮世) – Ena (JPN) – 7 November 2012 – FA

• Der mit dem Fels tanzt -Chironico (SUI) – 28 October 2012 – Second Ascent

• Ukiyo (浮世) – Ena (JPN) – 12 July 2012 – FA

• Daedalus Direct – Sustenpass (SUI) – 4 October 2004 – FA, 8B+/8C

• In Search of Time Lost – Magic Wood (SUI) – 28 August 2011 – Second Ascent

• The Story of Two Worlds – Cresciano (SUI) – 13 May 2010 -Second ascent of Dave Graham's classic boulder put up in 2005.^[15]

• Idea (イデア) – Horai (JPN) – 8 February 2010 – FA

• Karamu – Japan (JPN) – 28 April 2009 – FA

• Epitaph – Hourai (JPN) – 20 January 2009 – This first ascent took him over a year to complete, and he says it's the most beautiful line he has ever made the first ascent on.^[16]

• Euphoria (ユーフォリア) – Yatsue (JPN) – 20 March 2008 – FA

• Bongo (ボンゴ) – Frankenjura (GER) – 28 October 2007 – FA, 40+ move roof climb.

• Angama – Fontainebleau (FR) – 24 October 2006 – FA, Traverse

• Hyper Ballad – Shiobara (JPN) – 31 March 2006 – FA

• Hydrangea – Shiobara (JPN) – 22 April 2005 – First ascent by adding a sit-start to his Hydra (V13/8B, FA on 2004 December 20).^[17]

• Dreamtime – Cresciano (SUI) – 9 November 2004 – Although Dai has logged this ascent as V14 it was considered V15 at the time prior to broken holds.^[12]

• The Wheel of Life – Grampians (AUS) – 12 May 2004 – FA

• Methuselahzation (メトセラゼーション) – Yatsue (JPN) – 8 February 2004 – FA

• Byaku-dou – Hourai (JPN) – 11 November 2003 – first ascent.^[18]

• Hull Shea Nation (ハルシネーション) – Horai (JPN) – UNKNOWN – FA

• Agartha – Toyota (JPN) – 12 April 2011 – 8B+(V14) first ascent.^[19]

• Big Paw – Chironico (SUI) – 13 November 2010 – At the time of ascent considered 8C(V15) but has subsequently been downgraded.^[20]

Redpointed routes

• Action Directe – Frankenjura (GER) – 15 October 2005 – Dai proclaimed it to be his most difficult climb yet.

• Hugh – Les Eaux Claire (FRA) – 1 November 2002 – first ascent (FA) by Fred Rouhling in 1993.^[21]

• Logical Progression – Joyama (JPN) – 27 November 2001 – first ascent (FA) of 9a (5.14d) sport climb.^[4]

External links

• KOYAMADA Dai@daihold.com (Japanese)
• The Way of the Weekend Warrior
• http://www.project-climbing.com/, Yokohama bouldering gym produced by Dai Koyamada
• http://koyamada.dai.hiho.jp/, Dai's diary (Japanese)
• http://vimeo.com/23101550, video of the first ascent of Agartha V14
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3EJctYJzpk, video of Dai Koyamada climbing Action Direct (9a)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUoFXV7MgR4, video of Dai Koyamada climbing Dreamtime

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bleau Info . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110527212923/http://bleau.info/daikoyamada.html . 2011-05-27 .
2. Web site: Dai Koyamada - Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110930153437/http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/climbersskiers/global/detail/username/daikoyamada . 2011-09-30 .
3. Gripped Magazine Vol.6 Iss.6 Dec 2004/Jan 2005
4. Web site: Josune Climbs Possible 5.15 . 2011-07-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120612222408/http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/josunebimba/ . 2012-06-12 .
5. Web site: UKClimbing.com . Ashima repeats Sleepy rave, ~8C . Bjorn . Pohl . 4 August 2016 . 8 January 2022.
6. Web site: V16 in the Grampians of Australia. Climbing. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110727125258/http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/koyainaust/. 2011-07-27.
7. Web site: Second Ascent of V16 Boulder . 2011-07-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101101214354/http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/wheeloflife2nd07/ . 2010-11-01 .
8. Web site: The Hardest Boulder Problems in the World (2019 Update). 5 March 2019.
9. Web site: Dai Koyamada's first press release on Action Directe + pictures. freakclimbing.com. 2011-07-17. 2015-09-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924015348/http://www.freakclimbing.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=812. dead.
10. TheProjectMagazine . DAI KOYAMADA ON PROJECTS, GRADES AND THE IMPACT OF THE OLYMPICS. Neal . Mann . 18 December 2017 . 30 January 2022 .
11. Web site: Nayuta, ~8C+, first ascent by Dai Koyamada. 6 April 2017 .
12. Web site: Home . 8a.nu.
13. Web site: Hardclimbs.info. 29 November 2021.
14. Web site: Dai Koyamada and The Story of Two Worlds at Cresciano. planetmountain.com.
15. Web site: Koyamada Repeats Story of Two Worlds . Climbing . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120723095632/http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/koyamada_repeats_story_of_two_worlds/ . 2012-07-23 .
16. Web site: New Koyamada 8C. ukbouldering.com.
17. Web site: Another V16 for Koyamada? . Climbing . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120612222340/http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/koyamadahydrangea/ . 2012-06-12 .
18. Web site: 8a.nu – GLOBAL. 8a.nu.
19. Web site: UKC. ukclimbing.com. 2 May 2011 .
20. Web site: Swizzy Bouldering Rundown . 2011-07-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110120101208/http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/swizzy_bouldering_rundown/ . 2011-01-20 .
21. Web site: Koyamada Repeats Action Directe . Climbing . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120614223714/http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/daiactiond/ . 2012-06-14 .