- The Mandala
The Mandala is a "boulder problem" (a sequence of hand and foot holds constituting an ascension route) in The Buttermilks, which is a popular "
bouldering " area nearBishop, California .The problem climbs a steep prow on a large granite boulder and was considered a great project for many years before it was first climbed by
Chris Sharma in early 2000Fact|date=April 2008 . This ascent received much acclaim in the climbing communityFact|date=April 2008. Although Sharma did not rate the problem (jokingly, he stated that if he did, it would have been V16)Fact|date=April 2008, it was thought by many to be hard V14 in the bouldering grading system.Over time, however, the grade was consolidated at V11 or V12. Since the first ascent, several holds have broken including one of the crux holds. The problem is now thought to be soft V12.
It was given a "sit-start" by
Tony Lamiche in2002 . The sit-start is about V14/8B+. The Mandala is one of the most widely known boulder problems in the world.Other famous "boulder problems" include "Dreamtime" by
Fred Nicole and "The Wheel of Life" byDai Koyamada .
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