Climbing grade milestones on film

First 5.13a in the United States5.13a

The Phoenix, Yosemite Valley, United States · Trad route

Ray Jardine and John Lakey, 1977. Jardine had just invented the camming devices he called Friends, and used them to protect the thin upper crack after working the moves on gear. Jardine called it the hardest thing he had done.

Watch: Alex Honnold Solos The Phoenix (5.13) - Behind The Scenes (2022), Alex Honnold Solos The Phoenix (2011) · Source ↗

One of Britain's first 8A boulder problems8A

Careless Torque, Stanage, United Kingdom · Boulder problem

Ron Fawcett, March or April 1987, not Ben Moon as is sometimes assumed. He practiced the top-out by jumping from higher and higher points on a neighboring boulder, at a time when a fall meant landing on bare ground.

Watch: WIFE ON HOLD - Gritstone Bouldering (2026) · Source ↗

First free ascent of The Nose5.14a

The Nose, El Capitan, United States · Big wall route

Lynn Hill freed the route over four days in 1993, a year after a jammed piton at Changing Corners stopped her. She came back in 1994 and freed it again in under 24 hours.

Watch: Jorg Verhoeven Free Climbs The Nose | Full Documentary (2023) · Source ↗

First proposed 8C (V15) boulder problem8C

Dreamtime, Cresciano, Switzerland · Boulder problem

Fred Nicole, October 28, 2000, at Cresciano. Dave Graham's 2002 repeat with a heel hook brought the consensus down to 8B+ (V14), then a hold broke in 2009 and the grade drifted back up.

Watch: The North Face presents: ALPHANE (2022) · Source ↗

First 9a+ (5.15a) in the world9a+

Biographie, Céüse, France · Sport route

Chris Sharma, July 18, 2001, at Céüse. He linked Arnaud Petit's 8c+ lower section into the finish Jean-Christophe Lafaille had bolted in 1989 and called his version Realization.

Watch: Rotpunkt: Bibliographie (2021), Margo Hayes Makes History (2019) · Source ↗

Britain's first E11E11 7a

Rhapsody, Dumbarton Rock, United Kingdom · Trad route

Dave MacLeod, April 9, 2006, at Dumbarton Rock, after two years on the route and falls that injured him. It was the hardest trad route in the world at the time and the E11 grade stood as the benchmark for over a decade.

Watch: E11 (2006) · Source ↗

First deep water solo at 9a+9a+

Es Pontàs, Mallorca, Spain · Deep water solo

Chris Sharma, 2006, on the sea arch at Mallorca. The moves are 9a+ and the only protection is the water, so it saw very few repeats in the years after.

Watch: Es Pontàs: The First Ascent (2007) · Source ↗

First free ascent of WoGü, a 9 pitch 8c8c

WoGü, Ratikon, Switzerland · Big wall route

Beat Kammerlander built the route in 1997 but could not free the hardest pitches. Adam Ondra, then 15, made the first redpoint in 2008 with Pietro Dal Prà, confirming the 8c grade after the route had resisted for about a decade.

Watch: "WoGü" (350m / 8c) Full Ascent by Cédric Lachat - CLIMBING RAW EDITS (2022) · Source ↗

Proposed at E12, settled at E9E9 6c

Walk of Life, Dyer's Lookout, United Kingdom · Trad route

James Pearson graded the first ascent E12 7a on September 29, 2008. Dave MacLeod made the second ascent that January and called it E9 6c. Pearson later said the E12 came from a boulderer's read of a long slab.

Watch: Anna Hazelnutt climbs the Walk of Life (2022) · Source ↗

Century Crack freed at 5.14b5.14b

Century Crack, Canyonlands, United States · Trad route

Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, 2011, after two years of offwidth training on a replica built in a Sheffield cellar. They climbed it first with gear pre-placed and came back two weeks later to lead it.

Watch: Wide Boyz (2012) · Source ↗

First onsight of a 9a9a

Estado Critico, Siurana, Spain · Sport route

Alex Megos, March 24, 2012, at Siurana, after failing to find the route he had planned to try. It was the first time anyone had climbed a 9a first try with no prior information.

Watch: Rotpunkt (2019) · Source ↗

First confirmed 9b+ (5.15c)9b+

La Dura Dura, Oliana, Spain · Sport route

Adam Ondra made the first ascent on February 7, 2013, and Chris Sharma repeated it on March 23. Two independent climbers agreeing on 9b+ made it the first confirmed route at the grade.

Watch: La Dura Complete: The Hardest Rock Climb in the World (2013) · Source ↗

The Dawn Wall goes free5.14d

Dawn Wall, El Capitan, United States · Big wall route

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson topped out on January 14, 2015, after 19 days on the wall and a project that started in 2007. About 30 pitches, with pitch 14 at 5.14d the hardest.

Watch: Darkest Before Dawn: A Dawn Wall Story (2023) · Source ↗

First 9A (V17) boulder problemV17

Burden of Dreams, Lappnor, Finland · Boulder problem

Nalle Hukkataival, October 23, 2016, after four years on the same boulder in Lappnor. Climbing magazine gave him a Golden Piton for proposing the grade. Will Bosi made the second ascent in April 2023.

Watch: The Lappnor Project (2017) · Source ↗

First 9c (5.15d)9c

Silence, Flatanger, Norway · Sport route

Adam Ondra, September 3, 2017, in the Hanshelleren cave at Flatanger. Three boulder cruxes at 8C, 8B and 7C+ linked through an inverted kneebar rest. Unrepeated as of mid 2026.

Watch: Silence (2021) · Source ↗

First free solo of El Capitan5.13a

Freerider, El Capitan, United States · Big wall route

Alex Honnold climbed Freerider without a rope on June 3, 2017, in 3 hours 56 minutes. He returned with Tommy Caldwell the next year for a 1:58:07 speed record.

Watch: Yosemite Experience (2026) · Source ↗

First flash of a 9a+9a+

Supercrackinette, Saint-Léger-du-Ventoux, France · Sport route

Adam Ondra, February 10, 2018, at Saint-Léger-du-Ventoux. Clean, bottom to top, first try, on a route Alex Megos had spent three days establishing in 2016.

Watch: World's Hardest Flash - Adam Ondra Climbs 5.15 (9a+) First Try (2018) · Source ↗

Proposed as the second 9c, settled at 9b+9b+

Bibliographie, Céüse, France · Sport route

Alex Megos, August 5, 2020, at Céüse, after about 60 days over three years. Stefano Ghisolfi repeated it in August 2021 and the consensus moved to 9b+. Janja Garnbret made the first female ascent.

Watch: Rotpunkt: Bibliographie (2021) · Source ↗

Neil Gresham's first E11E11 7a

Lexicon, Lake District, United Kingdom · Trad route

Neil Gresham made the first ascent at Pavey Ark in September 2021. Steve McClure, Dave MacLeod and Mathew Wright repeated it over the next few years.

Watch: Hardest Trad Flash Ever | Adam Ondra | Lexicon E11 (2025) · Source ↗

A candidate third V17 in the worldV17

Alphane, Chironico, Switzerland · Boulder problem

Shawn Raboutou, April 6, 2022, at Chironico, after about 25 sessions. He kept it quiet until August, when the footage came out through The North Face and Mellow. Only seven climbers had repeated it by late 2024.

Watch: The North Face presents: ALPHANE (2022), Alphane (2022) · Source ↗

A 9a+ deep water solo, 17 years after Es Pontàs5.15a

Black Pearl, Mallorca, Spain · Deep water solo

Chris Sharma, November 7, 2023, at Sóller on Mallorca, six years after he first tried it. He has said it may be harder than Es Pontàs.

Watch: Black Pearl (2023) · Source ↗

First V16 by a womanV16

Box Therapy, Rocky Mountain National Park, United States · Boulder problem

Katie Lamb, September 6, 2023, on her fourth try at the problem, at over 10,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park. She had never climbed V15 and went straight from V14.

Watch: In Sequence: Katie Lamb and the Craft of Hard Bouldering (2024) · Source ↗

First 5.15b in South America9b

Abaporu, Serra do Cipó, Brazil · Sport route

Felipe Camargo, 2025, at Serra do Cipó in Brazil, after falling nine times on the final boulder problem. His first ascent of Auto Retrato in 2023 had given the continent its first 5.15a.

Watch: Abaporu (2025) · Source ↗

First flash of an E11E11 7a

Lexicon, Lake District, United Kingdom · Trad route

Adam Ondra, May 2025, sixth ascent of Lexicon and the hardest trad flash on record. He rappelled the line facing away from the rock so he would not see the holds before his try.

Watch: Hardest Trad Flash Ever | Adam Ondra | Lexicon E11 (2025) · Source ↗

First proposed 5.15a trad route5.15a

Drifter's Escape, Squamish, Canada · Trad route

Connor Herson, July 14, 2025, in Squamish, after about 20 sessions over two summers. Two bolts protect the opening boulder problem, which has started a debate about whether it counts as pure trad.

Watch: Born From the Climbing Life: Episode 4 — Drifter's Escape, The World's Hardest Trad Climb (2025) · Source ↗