The Joker 8A

The Joker is a gritstone boulder problem at Stanage in the Peak District, graded 8A. It typifies grit bouldering at this level: the holds are marginal enough that precise body position and foot placement matter as much as raw power, and the line has to be sequenced carefully so that energy is still available for its decisive moves near the top.

History

Jerry Moffatt made the first ascent in 1996. The problem appeared in the 1998 climbing film Hard Grit, which helped cement its reputation among UK grit testpieces. Ben Moon worked the problem in 1998, and Malcolm Smith made a repeat on December 20, 2001, on his sixth attempt, climbing it the same day as two other hard grit problems, The Ace and Careless Torque. Adam Long worked the line in March 2009. As of the most recent records checked, only four successful ascents of The Joker have been logged, underlining how few climbers have repeated it despite its fame. The Ace, a harder 8B sit-start version of the same boulder, sits directly above it on the same feature.

On film

WIFE ON HOLD - Gritstone Bouldering (2026) follows Sam Carling, Leo Skinner, Solly Kemball-Dorey and Finn Parry across gritstone venues in the Peak District, Northumberland and northern Yorkshire in a roughly 25-minute edit. The Joker is among the classic Peak District grit problems the group attempts during the film, sitting alongside other testpieces from the area's bouldering history.