The Boss 8B

The Boss is a steep, powerful gritstone boulder problem at Yarncliffe Edge in the Peak District's Hope Valley, England. It climbs a roof on poor holds and finishes with a long, blind slap made from a horizontal body position, a style of sustained, physical climbing that is unusual for grit, where problems are more often short and crimpy. It is generally cited at 8B, though the first ascensionist himself suggested 8B+ and most subsequent repeats have used that harder grade.

History

Ned Feehally made the first ascent on March 9, 2020, at the time touted as a candidate for the hardest boulder problem on gritstone. He named it after John Allen, an influential figure in Peak District climbing history who died shortly before the first ascent. Micky Page took the second ascent later that year or in 2021, and Billy Ridal made the third ascent on March 2, 2021. Shauna Coxsey climbed it in April 2024, becoming the first woman to climb the grade on British grit and recording the eighth ascent overall. By 2026 the problem had 17 recorded ascents, a relatively high number for a boulder at this level, reflecting steady traffic from strong UK boulderers.

On film

WIFE ON HOLD - Gritstone Bouldering (2026) is a roughly 25-minute film shot across gritstone venues in the Peak District, Northumberland and northern Yorkshire, following Sam Carling, Leo Skinner, Solly Kemball-Dorey and Finn Parry. The Boss appears among the hard grit problems the group works through during the edit, alongside other testpieces of the genre.