Dreamtime V15 (8C)

Dreamtime is a boulder problem on gneiss at Cresciano in Ticino, Switzerland, one of the valley's benchmark hard lines. Fred Nicole made the first ascent on October 28, 2000, proposing it at V15 (8C), the first boulder problem in the world proposed at that grade. It follows a sequence of small crimps and slopers up a steep face, demanding precise, low-percentage moves rather than raw power.

History

Nicole's 2000 ascent stood as the hardest confirmed boulder problem in the world at the time. In 2002 Dave Graham repeated it using a heel hook to ease the opening moves and proposed a softer V14 (8B+); Chris Sharma and other repeaters agreed, and V14 became the consensus grade through the 2000s. In November 2009 the crux pinch hold broke, changing the sequence; Nalle Hukkataival's repeat that December suggested the problem was back closer to V15 (8C). Adam Ondra repeated it in 2008 at age 15 in about four hours. Michaela Kiersch made the first female ascent in November 2024, and Janja Garnbret repeated it shortly after.

On film

The North Face presents: ALPHANE (2022) centers on Shawn Raboutou's project on the boulder Alphane at Cresciano, with Matty Hong, Jimmy Webb, Daniel Woods, Felipe Camargo and Giuliano Cameroni also featured. Dreamtime appears in the film as one of the valley's established hard test pieces, shown for context alongside the new line the team is chasing.