Brooke Raboutou’s 5.15c and 12 More of 2025’s Hardest Ascents
Here are some of the most noteworthy redpoints for the year 5.15b or harder
It was another big year for 5.15b or harder ascents with a few firsts, lots of repeats and history being made as Brooke Raboutou became the first woman to redpoint 5.15c. No new 5.15d’s were established and there remains only three ever climbed going into 2026: Adam Ondra’s Silence, Seb Bouin’s DNA, and Jakob Schubert’s Big. Below are some of the year’s biggest sends in no particular order. Here are some of the biggest sends of 2025.
Will Bosi Climbs Excalibur
Will Bosi started the year strong with the second ascent of Excalibur 5.15c in Drena, near Arco, Italy. Established by Stefano Ghisolfi exactly two years before Bosi’s ascent, Excalibur had been tried by 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 it. “Wow!!! Lost for words standing on top of this!” said Bosi. “What an incredible route and such a crazy journey.”
Brooke Raboutou Climbs Excalibur
Brooke Raboutou then became the first woman to climb 5.15c with her repeat of Excalibur not long after Bosi’s send. Excalibur was her first 5.15 ever. “Dear Excalibur, Thank you for the lessons,” said Raboutou. “From the start, I was drawn to you, something about your unrelenting intensity. Our relationship swayed over time. Some days felt like effortless harmony; on others, we fought, our voices raised. Still, the way you pushed me was like none before. You forced me to confront my fears, detach from expectation, and feed every flicker of belief I could find. You taught me to argue with doubt until it began to doubt itself. You asked for everything, but gave me even more in return. To everyone who supported me on this big goal, thank you. I’m endlessly grateful for my people, and for the connections this climb brought into my life. It means more than I can say.”
Alex Megos Climbs New 5.15b/c
Alex Megos recently made the first ascent of Tuareg Blanco 5.15b/c in Margalef, Spain at the Racó de les Espadelles crag. Megos spent a total of 15 days over two trips before his send. He just released a film about his first ascent, which you can watch below. “I came to Margalef with this one route in mind,” said Megos. “I didn’t really know if it was possible in the amount of time I had, but I wanted to give it everything. Almost 3 weeks later and 11 days of trying (plus 4 days some years ago) I managed to clip the chains of this legendary project. Legendary for me at least. It was mostly only tried by [Ramon Julian] which didn’t make it more appealing. A little more info (and a video) will follow. Looking forward to hearing what other people think about the grade. Thank you to all the people who supported me on this journey.”
Stefano Ghisolfi’s Sendy Trip
Stefano Ghisolfi had an amazing trip to Spain, where he climbed three 5.15b’s with Neanderthal, Sleeping Lion and The Full Journey. “The Full Journey went down first!” said Ghisolfi. “Actually, I was struggling a bit on the first part of the route (The Journey, 9a+) and I fell few times before the anchor. Yesterday I could finally clip the first anchor and decided to try to keep going for The Full Journey (9b), and surprisingly managed to climb it on the same go.st First 9b of the year is done, let’s go for the next one.”
Jules Marchaland’s New 5.15b
French climber Jules Marchaland made the first ascent of 5.15b in Claret, France, for his first line ever at the grade. Marchaland said after: “When [Lucien Martinez] told me about this project, I immediately wanted to check it out. And, unsurprisingly, I loved it straight away. The crux is a mega cross dyno into a good pinch, exactly what I love. I’d never tried a hard route that suited me as well. After more than 20 falls at the dyno and 4 falls at the last [easy] boulder problem I finally send this route which occupied my mind for some time,” he added. Marchaland had this to say about the grade: “We first thought it would be a hard [5.15a]. But after a lot of struggle on this crux move I started to doubt and it turned out to be way harder than I thought. This route is much more in my style than any routes I’ve ever tried. And for sure harder than the [5.15a’s] I’ve done. This is why I grade it as a [5.15b]. I hope it will motivate people to come and try it.”
Jonathan Siegrist Climbs Erebor
Jonathan Siegrist redpointed Erebor 5.15b in Arco, Italy. The power endurance test-piece was bolted by Stefano Ghisolfi who made the first ascent in January 2021. Coming off his repeats of Perfecto Mundo 5.15c and Change 5.15c, Ghisolfi believed Erebor to be 5.15b/c, but it was later downgraded by Adam Ondra. “A bad ass strength enduro test piece from Stefano,” Siegrist wrote on 8a.nu. “So incredibly psyched! To be honest I underestimated this route, I made rapid progress at first but then I hit a wall. When I finally broke through and felt close, the weather shit the bed and I had to wait two weeks until the bitter end of our trip for decent conditions. Very proud that I stuck with it. These high pressure sends are killing me.”
Domen Škofic Sends Move
On May 22, Slovenian climber Domen Škofic redpointed Move 5.15b/c in the Hanshelleren cave in Flatanger, Norway. Established by Adam Ondra in August 2013, the route is one of a few lines in the world with a slash grade of 5.15b/c. Ondra didn’t give a definitive grade assessment upon his FA, suggesting the route was hard 5.15b or 5.15b/c. “I admit I was intimidated to commit to this thing but I’m glad I did!” said Škofic. Move was his first route 5.15b or higher. Last year he sent the famous Chilam Balam as well as Catxasa, both located in Spain.
Sébastien Bouin Does New 5.15b/c
Sébastien Bouin made the first ascent of Vidra la Vida 5.15b/c, now the hardest route in Croatia. The climbing on Vidra La Vida is long, powerful, and features a crux in the roof section with an unconventional 360° spin. The move clocks in around V11. About the route, Bouin said, “When difficulty meets beauty. I am So happy to bring this dream line to life. I started the trip with no expectations, no idea what I’d find. Step by step, I uncovered a stunning, inspiring line. It ended up demanding more from me than I first thought. But what an amazing time, surrounded by the incredible vibe of the island.”
Filip Schenk Sends Erebor
Filip Schenk climbed his first 5.15b with the famous Erebor in Arco. Erebor has a cruxy boulder, for which Schenk trained using a replica on his home wall. About his send, Schenk said: “I had my first attempts in autumn 2024, and I immediately realized it suited me well. The only part that gave me trouble was the first boulder: I couldn’t do it with the original beta, so I had to come up with my own sequence to get through it. Throughout last competition season, I kept thinking about when I’d finally return to try it again, and once November arrived, I decided to dedicate myself entirely to Erebor.”
Leo Bøe Sends Change
In October, Norweigan climber Leo Bøe climbed Change in the Hanshelleren cave in Flatanger, Norway. The line consists of two distinct halves. Change P1 (5.15a) features a shoulder-wrecking crux that has shut down many climbers over the years. The full-length Change takes Change P1 and adds a 5.14c/d pitch on top, upping the total grade to 5.15c. Bøe’s send comes roughly one year after he sent Change P1. “Months of effort exploded into emotions yesterday when I finally clipped the chains,” said Bøe post-send. “I’m beyond proud and relieved! I’m left with so many great lessons from this experience as I’ve pushed myself so far, both mentally and physically.”
Felipe Camargo Climbs Abaporu
Brazilian climber Felipe Camargo made the first ascent of Abaporu 5.15b in Serra do Cipó, Brazil. It’s the first 5.15b in South America. “What a beautiful and intense process, from spotting the line, bolting it, working out every move, and piecing the sequences together,” he said. “I fell nine times on the last boulder, it was starting to get really tough mentally. In the end, I just had to let go, I was ready to send, but I had to learn to also be ready not to send. This is honestly one of the most beautiful routes I’ve ever climbed.”
Yannick Flohé Upgrades Ratstaman
Yannick Flohé made the second ascent of Alex Megos’s Ratstaman Vibrations 5.15b/c in Céüse, France. He added a slash upgrade after taking 30 days across two seasons to send it. “The main crux of the final boulder problem is a deadpoint move into a blocked three finger crimp, which I managed to stick twice last year,” Flohé said. “But catching that crimp perfectly and engaging the next move, another big move to a three finger pocket, turned out to be another problem from the ground. It was a big rollercoaster dealing with weak fingers, cuts, and a lack of motivation.”
Dylan Chuat Sends Move
Dylan Chuat, 24, repeated the test-piece Move 5.15b/c in Flatanger, Norway, first climbed in 2013 by Adam Ondra at hard 5.15b or 5.15b/c. Chuat had this to say about Move: “My biggest project so far. For the first time, I was finally able to try a hard route and go all the way through my process without injuries or setbacks. Despite bad conditions, and even days that were totally unclimbable, I managed to find the right weather windows to put in some good burns, and finally the victorious one. It was a real battle, with so much support behind me, and in the end a pure and unique climbing moment. I’m super happy that Move became my first at this grade, it’s definitely not known as the easiest. Honestly, it felt much harder than its neighbour Change (same grade), which I got to check out once during a heatwave.”
With notes from Aaron Pardy.
