The Grand Illusion (V16) First Ascent

[@totheair247]

I honestly like how quiet it was when he finished it and just Nathaniel taking it in. So good

[@CJski]

these guys are getting TOO mellow

[@lukemoorefield9596]

Agreed, it was a cool moment

[@EricBurbeck]

So much better than “fucking let’s gooooo!!!”

[@MrSilencetreatment]

I missed the allez!!!! stay tight!!! come on!!!! drill it dude!!!! yells until your ears bleed

[@hooger1313]

And so intimate too...

[@Perrseus]

This is probably one of the best videos on mellow... These are some crazy strong boys god damn

[@weebig]

Ya man agreed, The video, the strength of drew and nathanial. I like how theyre different dudes but still have the same passion. literally the best mellow yet

[@TheCorrectionist1984]

Cuz it's the closest to a sport route.

[@harry_c]

I love how Nathaniel's realization that he will send the boulder unfolds naturally on the screen without unnecessary exposition or commentary. The story is so powerfully told by just the video footage alone. Bravo

[@EmilAbrahamsson]

Damn, thanks for this

[@thewateringwiz7118]

I hope we'll see you on Mellow too one day !

[@erraticbro]

Motivation for the big island 💪🏼

[@Goofygreyhoundgoober]

Oh man I’d never thought about that but I’m fuckin hyped to see the uncut ascent on mellow of that.

[@erraticbro]

@@Goofygreyhoundgoober I'm pretty sure Guiliano sends it in one of the old font vids, go check it out!!

[@erraticbro]

@Walter Lotte Ya that's what I meant by my first comment haha xD

[@sweatfootm]

So Nathaniel skipped V15? Crazy.

[@timignatov7394]

Who needs v15 when you can have v16... next, first ever v18

[@constanceelaine3909]

He was saving up

[@ericlee4893]

THE best climbing video I've seen this year. Cinematic intro, history behind the problem, the motivation behind the climb, the process, and finally the SEND. Hats off to Ben and Brennan! Nathaniel is an absolute monster and you know Drew is gonna send it SOON.

[@Dardjiskien]

Eric Lee and also less show off compared to other videos

[@brennanrobinson6640]

Thanks man! Super fun shooting this thing with Ben.

[@Grayz_TV]

@@Dardjiskien This! All about the climbing

[@aspzx]

Absolutely incredible. How did the camera guy consistently get those smooth tracking shots out of the cave? Mind blowing.

[@brennanrobinson6640]

Ben & I used the DJI Robin S gimbal and the Ronin Handheld gimbal

[@gallanonim6535]

@@brennanrobinson6640 Excellent work, major props. The shots at the end are so crisp it's mindblowing with the 'material' shot. I've been watching Nathaniel crush in comps for so many years and always wished him to do some hardcore stuff outdoors. It made me feel warm in my heart seeing him legitimizing his outdoor climbing, especially on a line like this. Picture Perfect. Bravo!

[@tobiasgruber1273]

@@brennanrobinson6640 Which camera were you using? Phantastic footage. Looking forward seeing more of your work.

[@brennanrobinson6640]

Vanilla Climbing I am using the Sony A7R IV with 24-70 2.8 GM, and the DJI Robin S gimbal. Ben is using the Panasonic GH5 with the Ronin Handheld gimbal.

[@dannyholley]

"It just wouldn't have been possible without Drew, and without you, and everybody else coming to session with me..." Super humble after one of the most unreal ascents of all time. An incredible climber and an absolute class act of a person.

[@marcuschong307]

This is incredible

[@bgreal5]

That’s gotta be one of the all time best climbing videos, the feeling I got watching that was something else

[@Garbaz]

the attempt comparison is great!

[@blakeadams2921]

That tracking camera shot at the beginning is about as cinematic as it gets, great climbing and videography guys.

[@Bran47040]

one of the goat climbing films

[@willhatt5367]

Best climbing movie/vid I’ve seen for years: Stunning line, incredible climbing, brilliant editing and wonderful sound design. Good work gentlemen.

[@abecarloto1185]

I watched this at least 4 times a year

[@stubbles]

The middle section with Nathaniel warming up, interspersed with Drew starting to struggle to make progress, then Nathaniel taking over is so well edited, chapeau!

[@portzblitz]

Coyg!

[@BreakingBeta]

What a mega problem! I can't believe how calm Nathaniel was when he topped, I'd have screamed instantly. Great video, really well done!

[@Metalgear222]

instinctive respect for all animals sleeping

[@Daniele.Rossini]

@@Metalgear222 yeah he screamed right after doe but who really cares? hahaha

[@noahjeffery5670]

@ALANSHEARERISGOD bro I've seen a lot of europeans not saying ratio isn't higher but like there's a lot of Europeans who do it lol

[@joaquincasco89]

damn that sequence starting at 6:08 is cinematic af

[@JD-uq5sh]

So fitting that the last word as it fades out - "dude..."

[@timotheeastier249]

The editing is amazing and the ending emotionally strong. That flow was something else. Congrats for the FA!

[@TristanCleveland]

Climbing videos are getting better and better. The production on this is amazing. Also, yes, 11:23 shows some amazing muscle memory.

[@anosnd]

So good to see Nathaniel on Mellow and to see him absolutely smashing it! Such a cool dude, always has good energy it seems.

[@bizmonkey007]

Jesus. I’ve seen some insane boulder problems but this is on another level. This is superhuman.

[@frictitiousclimbing4991]

Hard to judge how competitive these guys were, but it reminded me a lot of Chris Sharma vs Adam Ondra on La Dura Dura! SO GOOD! Can't over state how much fun it is to work projects with similar level climbers.

[@whelmking6497]

How is every Mellow video somehow even better than the last best ever video? Just amazing in every way, climbers and production. And could Nat Coleman be any more humble? Such a great role model.

[@unattendedcandle]

What a Chilling intro…

[@weekendbikingwarrior360]

The last continous film sequence at the end... just WOW!!! What a film!

[@hellsangel2005]

Been watching Drew since he was 14/15. He is a F-ing Beast of a climber. He will one day put up something super special!

[@nickhenscheid369]

Wow! I've been watching climbing videos for 10 years and this is one the of best shorts I've ever seen. Amazing job.

[@FallLineJP]

Insane climbing and beautiful cinematography! One of the all-time best climbing films on youtube. 👏👏

[@skltr21]

thank you to the dude filming for not yelling "come on! come on! come on! breathe..... deep breaths. easy..... so strong. come on!"

[@drtimoneill]

Really well put together Ben and kudos Nathaniel for the send. Great to to see a classy, intelligent and stylish approach for once and less 'dude' and yelling.

[@Gandalf_The_Jacked]

Wow. This has everything. An incredible line, a great backstory, masterful editing and video quality. Really wanna give a shout-out to how great this was from a cinematic perspective. Angles, color grading, exposure, composition , and audio mastering were all on point.

[@charliezachariades]

Not sure what's more amazing, the climbing or the cinematography

[@haydengrosz9242]

I’ve watched this probably 10 times now and I still just can’t get enough of it. Best video I‘ve seen on Mellow

[@cameronb763]

This video summarized the way climbing makes you fall in love with the sport over and over as you make yo way past projects like no other! Film was a piece of art! Wonderful job all of you!

[@herreraerik95]

Damn this is the gold standard for climbing videos. Ultra high definition, great storytelling, and pacing. Just wow...

[@winedineclimb]

One of the bouldering videos ever! It's so nice when the motivation shouts are really just on point and not some constant jabbering.

[@MrBlackseth296]

The middle of the night, and the fact that it was just the sound of Nathan and nature was incredible. I am a sucker for a good primal top out scream, and Nathan held the suspense perfect for that.

[@korkypnoy]

The "dude" at the end... Wouldn't be a mellow video without it

[@davel9492]

Mellow with that FIRE edit as always. Amazing.

[@argo2265]

What an incredibly well done video and climb. That shot of the night climb almost had my eyes welling - something between the serenity of the moment and the passion for the climb really caught me. Beautiful.

[@calnick0]

Best mellow video yet? Love that there was suspense because I wasn’t sure who was gonna send it first.

[@ThomasLindinger]

that's exactly how a bouldering short movie must be! a little story, emotions...makes my fingers SWEATY :D great work Ben Neilson and props for the sent Nathaniel 💪

[@spencertodd1526]

The song is called Motherboards by Ridlaa. The video uses the instrumental

[@rongranado6135]

I always find it interesting how we humans react to success. Some of us are overcome with elation, from all the work and obstacles we faced, culminating in exuberance through a celebration that has to be let out. For others, its a quiet relief, measured by reflection and an internal celebration that comes from disbelief that they actually achieved that with which they worked so hard to obtain and overcome. Both equal in humility, but different in their expression. I guess you can say i am one of those people who like to see humans succeed. If you watched this video, my guess is you think and feel the same way . Amazing video, great send

[@dave990]

I think we can all agree that this is no doubt the greatest bouldering video of all time. The camera man was flawless, whilst Drew and Nathaniel flow through this insane line so gracefully. The icing on the cake for me was Nathaniel's chilled reaction when getting the ascent.

[@justinjakimiak1998]

Drew's hair progression is like Steve's in stranger things season 1

[@joelkinder3197]

Amazing.... Best vid yet from Mellow and one of my new favs from Ben. Ya'll are BEASTS Drew and Nathaniel!!! I WANNA TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@benneilsonmedia]

Yo! thanks Joe!

[@joshuacameron2594]

Holy Jesus that was incredible. What a good send, that was a treat to watch. The edit was fantastic too. Good job to everyone!

[@AdventureswithAixe596]

Some videos just make you go out and climb. The humbleness and friendship glowing through are adorable.

[@MF-CLIMB]

Why would anyone seriously dislike this video? Absolutely brilliant cinematography 👌🏻

[@stevemiller1937]

One of the best climbing videos I've ever seen and I watch tons. Amazing!

[@thique_nicc]

One of the best climbing films Ive seen in so long

[@GiantRock]

Such a killer video. All-time line and great story telling. Congrats to Nathaniel and the filmmakers.

[@Noahtherway]

Attempt Comparison needs to be a thing, especially with as much footage as there is! That was sick!

[@HarryZumwalt]

This is absolutely ludicrous! Well done!

[@GorillaGoggles]

Amazing video - sound editing, camera work and angles, music, story - this has it all and is one of my new favorite climbing videos. Incredible work and kudos to the entire team involved.

[@heretic.climbing]

"Just like that....felt really good" Perfect.

[@christovalkov3931]

Fantastic effort, in front and definitely behind the camera. It is unbelievable that Nathaniel can leapfrog a full outdoor grade at the top end of hard climbing. That's beyond prodigy

[@FraGeeela]

this video is pure magic from the start to the end, great job, keep it up

[@aidanloeser4890]

Can't wait to see more of Drew on this. Both his and Nathaniel Coleman's climbing just looked impeccable and superhuman. Congratulations on the send and on telling its story through an exceptional video.

[@olivierlessard6783]

Definitely amongst the best Mellow videos yet made.

[@bigdogsonly1577]

everything about this video is so fucking well done. The super buttery smooth shots pulling out of the cave, the pacing, process, snippets, sound design. Everything. So impressed and stoked for this.

[@nickbalfe4995]

Im in tears that line is ridiculously beautiful.

[@HotSauceSlots]

Amazing work guys !! So great to see the support u2 gave to help each other reach the top without caring who got first send. Well done & Congrats Nathaniel !!

[@AubLambe]

Humbled and honoured to see this kind of content. Thank you Nathaniel and Drew for your try hard, and to Mellow for keeping the stoke alive.

[@aksunai-99]

V16 can serve as a rating for both the video and the climb. Well done.

[@evanmaclean943]

This climb looks so fun! I'd love to project that climb.

[@frankheiser2775]

one of the best productions from Mellow! Absolutely loved it

[@moehassani]

What a great vide!! Thank you for sharing this experience with everyone. Love Nathaniel!

[@jakesevins5179]

The camerawork and editing are on the same world-class level as the climbing. Amazing

[@CourtneyWarren]

Absolutely incredible all around! From the climbing to the way it was captured and edited, just beautiful

[@andrewskerratt8353]

The ability to calmly breathe during such moves and tension is 🔑 to climbing such hard routes

[@Stevecon6]

Coleman consistently has the best/funniest reactions to sending the most insane lines.

[@thelightwarriorsway7734]

This is incredible!! I'm blown away by this video. Great job guys!!

[@speedsweets67]

Wonderfull, in climbing, experience from sound and image. Love to see what comes up in the future!

[@vashusan1984]

One of your best features to date! Nathaniel is a beast!

[@torreyintahoe]

You can't name a friction boulder problem after a classic route.

[@shaunboyle5479]

Take a bow you guys. Oscar level climbing and filming.

[@chazott]

Agreed - best mellow video yet. Big difference I noticed is in the breathing between Drew and Nathaniel. Nathaniel breathes deeply between every move which keeps him going to the end, where Drew ends up holding his breath through the hardest moves which causes him to eventually lose strength. It's totally a sport climb, barely a boulder. But it sounds like this is on the same level as the recent enduro V16s Ondra put up, which I think he said would be like 9b or 9b+ sport climbs.

[@andrewpritchett]

I've been unable to climb the past couple weeks with finals and then a broken toe, and I haven't been psyched enough to even watch climbing videos. This just put my stoke through the roof! Fucking excellent climbing, filming and editing. Hands down the best I've seen since the last Reel Rock.

[@spencerinspain]

Best Mellow video yet - perfection! Amazing storyline, filming and send.

[@smithjones1696]

Crazy to think that Nathaniel just hit this, maybe hardest boulder ever at just about the same time he would have been performing in the 2020 Olympics... that boy was gonna bring home that gold

[@notericmoore9479]

This is some of the best climbing content there is!

[@crescentfuze]

Big up in production quality!

[@ManitheMonkey]

looks pretty steep

[@evanhansen5064]

i think it’s just a camera trick, probably v2 maybe v3

[@phin422]

@@evanhansen5064 lol

[@idmarts1]

This deserves like 1 million views

[@maxbeaudry2019]

Sick vid. I need to know the name of the song starting at 02:30. Anyone has a clue?

[@bootlegbobby]

Ya like what everyone else said: one of the best climbing videos I ever saw!!!

[@jessewphoto]

Amazing job film crew and climbers, that was inspiring. Drew and Nathaniel are two of the nicest guys and so crazy talented... Honestly though, Nathaniel is the best kendama player I know.

[@chriswatts4672]

So psyched to see this line get done! Congrats Nate! I’m sure Drew will get it done when he’s back in town!

[@ShakespeareanBroncobuster]

I just took a road trip to Utah and climbed at Little Cottonwood. That’s awesome!

[@anguskirk8904]

What a dude! That gave me shivers... Awesome to watch!

[@gordonneverdies]

I love just hearing the climbing. I kept gasping as he stuck the last hard moves one by one. So good!

[@kiter93kiter]

This is so epic!! Can someone name the track starting 3:00 min! I wanna listen to that while I'm training for that boulder!! Everybody stay safe!

[@HilleCine]

Mellow "up-skilled". Next level Mellow. The Mellow project is coming together. The vision has arrived. Nice work.

[@aaronnewton2473]

Nothing to say about the video that hasn't already been said. Bravo gents. Keep the sick videos coming.

[@michalifabian9646]

Such sick cinematography!! And and awesome line!

[@EmileModesitt]

Man MAJOR step up in storytelling and visuals in this video. Love it!!

[@charliebarker1939]

just when I thought mellow bids couldn't get any better wow