Will Bosi Makes Second Ascent of Excalibur 5.15c
It's the V17 climber's hardest sport route to date
On February 3, Will Bosi made the second ascent of Excalibur 5.15c (9b+) in Drena, near Arco, Italy. Established by Stefano Ghisolfi exactly two years before Bosi’s ascent, Excalibur has thwarted attempts from some of the sport’s best climbers including Adam Ondra, Jakob Schubert, Shawn Raboutou, and Jana Švecová. It took Bosi multiple trips in the past two years and over 20 days of projecting to finally unlock Excalibur, one of the most coveted second ascents in the word of sport climbing.
The line is short, steep, and powerful. It works its way up a series of sharp micro edges and small awkwardly-positioned pockets to a fierce boulder problem up high, requiring an extremely technical heel hook. “Wow!!! Lost for words standing on top of this!” said Bosi on his 8a.nu page. “What an incredible route and such a crazy journey.”
Excalibur was originally bolted by Cristian Dorigatti and Morris Fontanari. Shortly after bolting the route, the pair invited Ghisolfi to try the project in early 2021. Ghisolfi put substantial effort into unlocking the complex beta in 2022, working the moves with some of the world’s top climbers including Adam Ondra, Will Bosi, and Jakob Schubert.
Considered one of the hardest routes in the world, there was much speculation as to whether Excalibur would be 5.15c or 5.15d once completed. Via Instagram, Ghisolfi had this to say about the grade: “I’m also confident to propose [5.15c] as [the] grade, this time I have no doubt about it, and for sure it is the hardest of all my first ascents, and probably the hardest route in Italy now!”
Known more for his bouldering, Bosi also has lots of hard sport routes to his name, including many 5.14d and 5.15a routes. In Winter 2021, he made first ascents of Furia de Jabali and King Capella in Siurana, suggesting 5.15b and 5.15c for the two routes respectively. They’ve since both been downgraded one step by multiple climbers. In 2020, he repeated La Capella 5.15b, but that route has since experienced a few downgrade suggestions, including from its first ascensionist Adam Ondra.
Bosi’s hard bouldering resume is unmatched. He now has four V17 repeats to his name. In October 2022, he climbed his first of the grade, making the third ascent of Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane. Less than six months later, he bagged his second V17 with his second ascent of Nalle Hukkataival’s Burden of Dreams. In February last year, he made the second ascent of Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker in Red Rock, Nevada. In October, he surprised many with a rapid second ascent of Aidan Roberts’ Spots of Time.
With his Excalibur ascent, Bosi joins Jakob Schubert and Sean Bailey in the very small group of climbers who have climbed both 5.15c and V17. He’s the first British climber to tick 5.15c.
Stefano Ghisolfi’s FA of Excalibur 5.15c
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