Aidan Roberts Establishes Two Possible V17s

British climber Aidan Roberts recently completed two of his long-term, ultra-hard projects. In February, he made the first ascent of his longstanding Helvellyn Project in the U.K.’s Lake District, naming the line Spots of Time. Roberts has left the problem ungraded, but it is undoubtably one of the hardest boulders on the planet.

It took Roberts around 10 sessions to complete all the moves of Spots of Time and over 30 sessions to achieve his eventual send. “I think it’s the experience I’m most proud of, and I feel like it’s really special to have found that so close to my home,” said Roberts on the Careless Talk Climbing Podcast.

In March, he made the first ascent of he Midnight Project in Chironico, Switzerland. Roberts named the problem Midnight and like Spots of Time, he left it ungraded. He worked the project during two trips in 2022 and two trips in 2023. He specifically trained for the line over the winter and managed to make the first ascent in March. Although it’s currently ungraded, Roberts did say it was harder for him than Alphane V17.

In October 2022, Roberts was the first climber to repeat Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane V17. He was also the first British climber to tick the grade. He’s put up numerous V16 first ascents, including Vecchio Leone Sit and The Lion’s Share in Switzerland and Superpowers and Isles of Wonder Sit in the U.K., the first two of the grade in the country.

Aidan Roberts projects Spots of Time

Aidan Roberts projects Midnight