Yuji Hirayama climbing in Yosemite Valley

The last time Yuji Hirayama visited Yosemite was back in 2008 when he set the speed record up The Nose together with Hans Florine. The Japanese climber has capitalised on a meeting with his sponsor The North Face to return to the valley, this time not to climb El Capitan or other big walls, but to do a spot of bouldering. Such as Stick It, a tough V11. And obviously the classic Midnight Lightening, freed in 1978 by Ron Kauk and at the time the hardest problem in the world. V8 (7B+) has obviously been surpassed since then but it’s worth remembering that at the time - and even 19 years ago when Hirayama repeated it on his second attempt - crash pads didn't exist and the mantle is anything but easy…