What attracted you to the problem initially, and what about it held your interest?
It's just an amazing piece of rock and the moves are incredible: long, hard pulls on a steep prow and a high finish with a mantel. I’d looked at the prow before it was climbed and remember people talking about it as this amazing project. Anyone who sees the line would be inspired to climb it. 

What was the hardest thing about sending The Mandala?
Having the patience to accept I could only try a few times each visit, and to wait until I was feeling good for that big, hard move at the start. This past December, when I tried it for the first time of the season, I felt so much stronger than before; I knew I would do it. But even on the second day, though I made the big move several times, I couldn't quite grab the key crimp in the right spot. Then snow buried the boulder for two agonizing weeks. On my third try of the third day this season I hit the micro-crimp perfectly and went to the top. It was a strange feeling because the problem felt easy. 

How does The Mandala compare to the other V12s you've done?
The sequence on The Mandala feels considerably harder for me than on any of the other problems I’ve climbed. Even so, I think This Side of Paradise (V10) feels as hard, because it is so scary and committing. 

Are you thinking about Mandalion (The Mandala sit start) next?
I’d love to try the moves on the sit start but I know I need to get my fitness level higher. I do know that if I can do the moves on a problem, then I can climb the problem—Lynn Hill taught me to think that way years ago and it’s driven my climbing forward ever since. Even so, there are probably other directions I’ll take my climbing, and other beautiful climbs I will probably attempt, before embarking seriously on that line. 

Anything else you'd like to add about your latest send?
One thing I learned from my mini-epic on The Mandala is how important my friends are. Wills and my friends —Jeff Sillcox, for example, and girlfriends who also climb—were so encouraging. They repeatedly went out to The Mandala with me, which made it feel like a team ascent. Climbing a hard climb or problem is something that’s accomplished together with friends and is rarely a one-person event. 

Any thoughts on the upcoming Bouldering World Cup?
Four years ago I walked away from World Cup bouldering comps with a bad knee that seemed to swell every time I practiced on plastic (so many falls, heel-hooks, and drop-knees aggravated the knee—more than regular climbing) and I’ve always felt a bit sad at having to stop competing. However, I’ve broadened my horizons since then; I feel I’m a much better climber and that I could still compete well. If I’m lucky enough to get that chance, I’d be very excited to climb in the World Cup.