Excalibur 9b+

Excalibur is a short, steep sport route in Drena, near Arco, Italy, on a wall that overhangs at roughly 40 degrees. It climbs sharp micro edges and awkward pockets into a fierce boulder problem low down that includes a highly technical heel hook. Stefano Ghisolfi graded it 9b+ (5.15c), calling it the hardest of his first ascents and one of the hardest sport climbs anywhere.

History

Cristian Dorigatti and Morris Fontanari bolted the line and invited Ghisolfi to try it in early 2021. He worked it intensively through 2022 alongside Adam Ondra, Will Bosi and Jakob Schubert, who all sampled the moves and helped refine the beta, before making the first ascent on February 5, 2023, at age 29. Ondra eventually stepped back from the project over injury concerns tied to the small-hold hand positions, while Bosi kept working it afterward. It was Ghisolfi's fourth ascent at 5.15c, and he described his 9b+ proposal as one he had no doubt about.

On film

EXCALIBUR, The North Face's 2024 film, follows Ghisolfi across the two years of work described above, from the invitation by Dorigatti and Fontanari through the sessions with Ondra, Bosi and Schubert to the send in February 2023, presenting the route as one of the hardest in Italy.