Another Nicole’s record in Hueco Tanks

"If I had to choose two places in the world that are my favourites, they would be Hueco Tanks and the Rocklands. I really feel good in these places, I feel harmony. The rock there offers options for lots of  climbing styles. You can discover lines that fit your climbing style."

Fred Nicole

Fred Nicole has established a new superhard boulder problem at Hueco Tanks, Texas. During a visit in his beloved region in December, the 35-year-old Swiss added a “logical sit start” to his last winter’s problem Terre de Sienne V15. The new line, Terremer, links Terre d… with Diaphanous Sea V12.
Nicole, who has established most of Hueco’s testpieces during more than a decade of visits, said, “I have … never done anything which felt that hard at first, except maybe Entlinge” [a problem Nicole climbed last spring in Amulgtal, Switzerland – ed.]. “I’m not sure, but I might propose V16 (8c+)”. 
The only other person who suggested this grade for his problems is Dai Koyomada, who rated so two of his hardest lines. Both of them can be found at the Hollow Mountain Cave in Australia, and both are very long traverses.
Fred Nicole is without doubt a boulderer with the biggest number of ascents of 8c and harder problems; he’s put up or repeated more than 10 by now (Entlinge, Amandla, Le poinçonneur des lilas, Dipende, Golden Shadow, Tierre de Sienne, El techo de los tres B, Monkey Wedding, Black Eagle SD., New Base Line, Prometeus and the old Dreamtime). Taking it all into consideration, it seems that Terremer may be a likely candidate for the most difficult boulder in the world.

Big Fred’s most important testpieces in Hueco Tanks

 
Winter 1993-1994
Shaken Not Stirred V12
Full Monty V12

Winter 1994-1995
Crown of Aragorn V13
New Map of Hell V12
Diaphenous Sea V12+

Winter 1996-1997
Li V13

Winter 1997-1998
Slash Face V14
Cour de Leon V14

2001
Esperanza V14

2005
Tierre de Sienne V15
El Techo de los Tres V14

2006
Terremer V16 (?)