Nathan Phillips completes "Beautiful Mind" 8C/V15

Climber Nathan Phillips has successfully completed the second ascent of "Beautiful Mind", 8C/V15 , in the Peak District National Park, England .

Phillips posted the following on his Instagram:

"Unbelievably excited to have climbed this monster today!
.
I wasn't even sure if I was going to go today, so hanging on to the holds at the finish was an incredible surprise.
.
This climb links the beginning of "Trance" 8C/V15, which I climbed in June, with the harder climb of "Dandelion Mind" 8B+V14. It's definitely harder than Trance. It took me 14 sessions to climb this problem after Trance, and now that I've climbed over 30 times, it's really exciting to think that I've only just started climbing the hardest boulders.
This is not the end..."

Posted by nathanphillipsclimbing

Wearing: Iggy shorts, black

On the difficulty of climbing

In climbing, each route has a number called a "grade" that indicates the difficulty.
For example, in Japan there are the following classifications:

• ~ Level 6 (for beginners) → Large footholds and handholds make it easy to climb
• Level 1 to Level 4 (for intermediate players) → The grips are small, so strength and technique are required
• First dan to third dan and above (for advanced climbers) → Quite difficult, even professionals may not be able to climb it

The V grade (V0 to V17) is a difficulty rating scale that originated in the United States, with the higher the number, the more difficult it is.

• V0-V2 (for beginners) → Stable footholds and easy climbing
• V3 to V6 (for intermediate level) → Small grips, requires strength and technique
• V7-V10 (for advanced players) → Quite difficult, requires finger strength and core strength
• V11-V14 (top class) - a level that even the world's best climbers struggle with
• V15-V17 (superhuman level) - difficulty that only a few people in the world can climb

People tend to think that climbing is about "you can climb if you have strong muscles," but in fact "balance," "movement ingenuity," and "endurance" are also important. The more difficult the route, the more you need to use your body and your brain, not just your muscles.

If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can do it safely at your local bouldering gym.