Nicholas Milburn Sends ‘Flex Luthor’ (5.15a)
Nicholas Milburn, 28, has sent Tommy Caldwell’s historic Flex Luthor (5.15a) at the Fortress of Solitude near Rifle, Colorado. It was a first of the grade for the Louisiana native, currently residing in Boulder.
Milburn has over the years made a point of pursuing iconic lines; he’s ticked classics such as Mr. Hyde, Dreamcatcher, and Algorithm. In February 2022, after sending his third V15, The Game, Milburn went to check out Flex with Ben Spannuth. Although the cliff was mostly too wet, Miburn was able to sample the crux; after doing all the moves, he made plans to return in the fall.
“Climbing Flex feels like wrestling a bear,” Milburn says to Climbing. “It’s like Rifle climbing, but the most extreme version of Rifle that I’ve ever done.” The route traces a 5.13a/b intro into a V11 crux boulder followed by a taxing 5.14b to the finish. “The boulders are hard, and the rests are kinda decent, at least in the top half.” Milburn said most of the holds were fairly positive, so finger strength was less of an issue than full-body fitness.
Milburn works remotely as a software engineer. He said he’s thankful for his company’s “work-life” culture, which grants him the freedom to essentially change his schedule as needed and to travel to his projects—a perk he took advantage of while working Flex. Whatsmore, he grew up in a culture of climbing; his parents and uncle are all passionate about the sport. His first climbing trip came at just six months old when his parents took him to Rifle. After his family moved to Tomball, Texas, when Milburn was 9, his parents even assisted in building a Houston climbing gym.
In fall 2022, Milburn rented an Airbnb in New Castle (about 30 minutes away from the Fortress) and he began sussing out Flex’s beta. After a phone call with Hong, who made the route’s second ascent in 2021, he had his sequence fairly dialed. Milburn surprised himself by one-hanging the route fairly soon afterwards, but then progress came in inches. “I proceed to one-hang it for the rest of the month,” he says. Following a quick trip to Spain, Milburn returned in the dead of winter, car camping in minus seven. Still he managed a few more high points before the ice set in.
Thereafter, determined to return stronger, Milburn began a training block. He was set to try Jumbo Love the following spring, but when the time came and Clark Mountain was still wet, he pivoted to France and spent five weeks working Biographie. Throughout the summer, he focused on climbing moderately difficult routes in Rifle to continue building confidence and proficiency. He returned to Flex this past October in good form, making quick progress over the ensuing month.
The send proved to be a non-stop battle. “Even before the mid-point I was huffing and puffing, but I just kept on going,” he said. “When I clipped the chains I remember being a little worried I didn’t start from the bottom. I suppose I must have blacked out a little.”
Commenting on the grade, Milburn says, “I think Flex is quite a bit harder than like La Rambla, but quite a bit easier than Biographie. And I think those two routes might be about as broad of a range as 5.15a gets. So I guess this route is in the middle. It definitely feels like the hardest I’ve done so far.”
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