Can You Guess How Many V17 Sends There Were in 2025? Hint: It Was the Most Ever

This year was an epic year for hard bouldering sends. There were sixteen V17 (9A) ascents, plus the establishment of the first-ever proposed V18 (9A+). The grade of V17 has only been in existence since 2016, when Nalle Hukketaival opened Burden of Dreams in Lappnor, Finland. The bouldering world did not see another V17 ascent until 2021 when Simon Lorenzi made the FA of Soudain Seul in Fontainebleau, France. Nico Pelorson repeated Soudain Seul that year, and Daniel Woods opened Return of the Sleepwalker, the first V17 in the United States.

The number of V17 ascents per year has been growing over time. In 2022, there were six V17 sends. In 2023, there were only four, but in 2024, there were nine. This year, the number of sends skyrocketed, reaching 16 sends of V17, six of which were first ascents.

Eight climbers joined the V17 club this year, growing the list to a total of 22 climbers who have ticked the grade. In 2025, Adam Ondra, Nicolai Užnik, Hamish McArthur, Sungsu Lee, Sam Richard, Ryuichi Murai, Zach Galla, and Adam Shahar all climbed their first V17. Below you can find details on all 16 V17 ascents this year, organized roughly by date.

1. Elias Iagnemma – The Big Slam FA

In January, Elias Iagnemma made the first ascent of The Big Slamm in Southern Italy. It was the Italian climber’s second V17, his first being a repeat of Nalle Hukkataival’s Burden of Dreams. It took Iagnemma 35 sessions over the course of a year and a half to unlock The Big Slamm. The sandstone problem consists of a V11 move followed by another V11 move into a V13/14 section. “It was truly a crazy fight between conditions, mind and body,” said Iagnemma on Instagram.

2. Adam Ondra – Soudain Seul

In February, Adam Ondra made the fourth ascent of Soudain Seul V17 in Fontainebleau, France, topping the sandstone problem on just his fifth day of effort. The line was his hardest bouldering send to date, and his first of the grade. He has four V16s to his name, three of which were first ascents near his home: Brutal Rider, Ledoborec, and Terranova. The day after topping Soudain Seul, Ondra flashed both Ubik Assis V13 and La Ligne de Bête V14.

3. Nicolai Užnik – Mount Doom FA

In March, Nicolai Užnik made the first ascent of Mount Doom in Maltatal, Austria, suggesting a difficulty of V17. The bloc was the first of the grade for the 24-year-old Austrian climber. Mount Doom is a sit start to Hide and Sick V14, which had been an open project for years.

4. Noah Wheeler – Shaolin

Five days after Užnik’s ascent of Mount Doom, Noah Wheeler made the second ascent of Shaolin V17 in Red Rock, Nevada. Established by Sean Bailey in February last year, Shaolin was the United State’s third V17 after Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker and Shawn Raboutou’s Megatron. The sandstone boulder links a tough V13 starting sequence into a single-move V13 into a final throw that clocks in around V11. Shaolin was Wheeler’s second V17, his first being Return of the Sleepwalker, which he sent at the end of December 2024. Two V17s in a little over two months was a strong start to the year for the 22-year-old American.

Simon Lorenzi – Return of the Sleepwalker 

That same month, Simon Lorenzi has made the fourth ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker V17 in Red Rock. It was the 28-year-old Belgian climber’s fourth of the grade. Projecting the line since December, Lorenzi incredibly sent the problem on the final day of his trip before flying home.

Hamish McArthur – Megatron

In late April, U.K. climber Hamish McArthur made the second ascent of Megatron V17 in Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon, his first of the grade. Shawn Raboutou established Megatron in 2022, fresh off his first ascent of Alphane V17. The climb had been a long-standing open project, with some of the best boulderers in the country trying their hand at the line, including Daniel Woods and Drew Ruana. In 2017, Woods established the stand-start version of the problem, Tron V14. According to Woods, the full Megatron links seven moves of solid V15 into the ten moves of Tron V14 without any rest in between. The climb was the second of the grade in the United States, the first being ROTSW.

Hamish McArthur – No One Mourns the Wicked

A couple weeks after his Megatron ascent, McArthur made the second ascent of No One Mourns The Wicked at Thunder Ridge in Colorado. Shocking the world of climbing, he climbed the problem in a single session. The line was McArthur’s second V17. The problem is a low start to Daniel Woods’ Defying Gravity V15, a wildly dynamic problem that features one of the single hardest starting moves of any problem anywhere. Defying Gravity’s first move along clocks in at around V14—it’s a coordinated throw to a glassy rail. A few different methods have been discovered for sticking the rail, but each one is as difficult as the next. After moving to a higher set of edges, a huge, shouldery deadpoint follows, with climbers cutting feet and holding their body in a scorpion-like position to keep tension for the swing.

Will Bosi – Realm of Tor’ment FA

In May, Will Bosi made the first ascent of Realm of Tor’ment and suggested V17 for the grade. The eight-move power line is found in the Peak District, U.K. It was Bosi’s fifth of the grade. In October 2022, he climbed his first V17, making the third ascent of Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane. Less than six months later, he bagged his second with his second ascent of Nalle Hukkataival’s Burden of Dreams. Last year, he made the second ascents of ROTSW and Aidan Roberts’ Spots of Time.

Sungsu Lee – Burden of Dreams

The day after Bosi’s FA, Korean climber Sungsu Lee made the fifth ascent of Burden of Dreams V17. Burden was established by Hukkataival in 2016, who spent four years on and off projecting before his eventual send. Lee battled with the problem, getting incredibly close on one attempt, falling after matching the final hold. On another session, he topped the problem, but only realized later while watching footage that he dabbed the pad. After lifting his butt off the pad in the sit start, he did one pump before shooting up to the second hold with his right hand. During the downwards motion of the pump, his shirt (and potentially his butt) brushed the pad. Since he was still in the starting position on the starting holds while dabbing, many believed the send to be valid. Others argued that a dab is a dab. Wanting to send the problem with better style, Lee went back for another session on May 12 and sent the problem cleanly.

Sam Richard – Soudain Seul

After Lee’s send of Burden, the world of climbing had to wait over four months for the next send of the grade. In October, Sam Richard repeated Soudain Seul V17. Richard had sent Chris Sharma’s epic deep water solo Es Pontas 5.15a the month prior. Richard placed a book under his kneepad, just as Lorenzi did for the first ascent. In total, Richard took 27 sessions (7 for the upper part, 20 for the beginning). “I was tired during the send, but I’ve never executed a try that well, surely my proudest achievement so far,” he said on Instagram. “I used a kneepad, a book under my kneepad, and I asked a guy to customize my Instincts with a Drago toe hook and Drago heel (like Lorenzi). Absolutely essential.”

Sean Bailey – Arrival of the Birds

In November, Sean Bailey made the second ascent of Arrival of the Birds in Chironico, one of the most mysterious V17s in the world. Arrival of the Birds was established in summer 2024 by Aidan Roberts. Roberts described the climb as “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.” Roberts has yet to release footage of his ascent. Bailey released grainy footage, leaving the climbing world still guessing about the exact nature of the bloc.

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Jakob Schubert – Mount Doom

Also in November, Jakob Schubert also made the second ascent of Mount Doom V17. In December 2023, Schubert became the first 5.15d climber to send a V17 boulder with his repeat of Alphane. With his ascent of Mount Doom, he became the first 5.15d climber to send two V17s. Mount Doom is located in Maltatal, Austria and was established by Nicolai Užnik in March of this year. Aiden Roberts and Janja Garnbret have both attempted the problem, but neither has topped it yet.

Ryuichi Murai – Return of the Sleepwalker

November was a busy month for V17 sends. Ryuichi Murai made the fifth ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker. Murai is one of the top boulderers in the world, but his ascent of ROTSW was his first V17. He has climbed many V16s, including first ascents of United, Nexus, and Floatin in Japan. He’s repeated Gakido V16 in Japan, Sleepwalker V15/16 in Red Rock, and the highball Livin’ Large V16 in Rocklands.

Zach Galla – Shaolin

On December 4, American climber Zach Galla sent Shaolin in Red Rock, Nevada. Galla’s send of Shaolin marked the third ascent of the problem and his first of the grade. “What a damn battle,” he said via Instagram. “No other climb has ever challenged me the same way as Shaolin…I went to war with this one.” He sent the problem on only his fourth session.

Zach Galla – Return of the Sleepwalker

Exactly one week later, Galla also ticked Return of the Sleepwalker. He opened up a discussion on the grading of the world’s hardest problems, saying on Instagram, “Bouldering grades at the top end are at a weird spot right now. In my mind there is a pretty clear soft, solid, and stiff of every grade until V16. From my experience the V16 grade doesn’t feel very deep because there are seemingly so few climbs in the upper end of it. V16 stiff and V17 soft are very minutely different, and small things like finger size or wingspan can change so much about how a climb feels. If I compare Return and Shaolin to the V16s I’ve done, they are both an obvious step up but with my current experience at that level it’s hard to say for certain where they lay exactly. It will be interesting to me to see how they stack up with the other proposed 17s when I have the opportunity to try them.”

Adam Shahar – Return of the Sleepwalker

On December 16, Adam Shahar made the seventh ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker. ROTSW was Shahar’s most difficult climb to date, and his first of the grade. He ascended Sleepwalker back in December 2024. He ticked his first V16—The Process—in the Buttermilks in February 2024. He has climbed at least six V15s, including a few classics like Nalle Hukkataival’s The Understanding in Magic Wood, Woods’ Defying Gravity in Thunder Ridge, Colorado, and Paul Robinson’s Lucid Dreaming in the Buttermilks.