Sean Bailey Repeats Arrival of the Birds V17
This is the second ascent of the Switzerland boulder, which is one of the hardest ever climbed
Sean Bailey has shared a video on Instagram of himself climbing Arrival of the Birds V17 in Chironico, Switzerland. The 29-year-old had previously made the first ascent of Shaolin V17, repeated Alphane V17, and sent Bibliography 5.15c.
Arrival of the Birds was first climbed in summer 2024 by Aidan Roberts. He said it’s “one of the crimpiest (and consistently crimpy) boulders that I’ve tried, and you spend a long time on the holds as you need to move slowly between them because they’re like slots. In addition to this, the feet are all way out to the sides so there are a lot of foot transitions which take time too. In total, a lot of time max crimping.”
Last fall, Bailey repeated Floatin V16 in Japan, and this year he repeated From Dirt Grows the Flowers V15 and New Base Line V14. Here’s a list of Bailey’s hard sends to date, and watch his send below.
Bouldering
V17
• Arrival of the Birds – Chironico (SUI) – November 2025 – Second ascent
• Alphane – Chironico (SUI) – December 2024
• Shaolin – Red Rock Canyon (USA) – February 2024 – First ascent
V16
• Floatin – Mizugaki (JPN) – October 2024 – Fourth ascent
• Devilution – Bishop (USA) – January 2024 – First ascent
• Grand Illusion – Little Cottonwood Canyon (USA) – November 2020 – Second ascent
V15
• From Dirt Grows the Flowers – Chironico (SUI) – October 2025
• Eye in the Sky – Val Bavona (SUI) – March 2024
• The Doors of Perception – Little Cottonwood Canyon (USA) – December 2023 – First ascent
• Lucid Dreaming – Bishop (USA) – December 2023
• Pegasus – Joe’s Valley (USA) – November 2020 – Second ascent
• Box Therapy – Rocky Mountain National Park (USA) – October 2020 – Third ascent
Sport
5.15c
• Bibliographie – Céüse (FRA) – September 2021 – Third ascent
5.15a
• Joe Mama – Oliana (ESP) – March 2019
• First Ley – Margalef (ESP) – December 2018
• Biographie – Céüse (FRA) – August 2016
