Beal athlete, Serkan Ercan shares his ascent of the legendary Mandala boulder problem in the Buttermilks.
“Mandala is a boulder problem in the Buttermilks, which is a popular bouldering area near Bishop, California. Mandala climbs a steep prow on a large granite boulder and was first climbed by Chris Sharma in 2000. This ascent received much acclaim in the climbing community. Although Sharma did not rate the problem, it was thought by many to be a hard V14. After several other ascents, Mandala was downgraded to a V12. After the initial ascents, various holds were broken. Then in 2002, Tony Lamiche gave Mandala a sit-start with a V14 rating. The Mandala is one of the most widely known boulder problems in the world.”
-Wikipedia
As a young climber from Istanbul, Turkey, I would always follow climbing news and ascents from around the world. When Sharma did Mandala it was deemed the hardest boulder in the world. This ascent inspired me and brought to life my dream of seeing myself climbing that boulder. Because of my poor proximity to the Buttermilks, it wasn't logically or physically possible for a Turkish boy to just jump on it and give it a burn. The dream seemed a bit unrealistic but it kept me motivated throughout all these years to become a better climber.