The grade of 5.15c, or 9b+, is currently the second hardest difficulty in sport climbing. There are nine recognized 5.15c routes in the world. Four of these have been repeated and had their grades confirmed. Five have yet to see a repeat. The world’s hardest sport grade is 5.15d (9c). There are only three 5.15d routes currently in existence – Adam Ondra’s Silence, Seb Bouin’s DNA, and Jakob Schubert’s B.I.G. None have seen a repeat.

Eight climbers have climbed one or more 5.15c routes: Adam Ondra, Chris Sharma, Alex Megos, Stefano Ghisolfi, Jakob Schubert, Seb Bouin, Sean Bailey, and Jorge Díaz-Rullo. Will Bosi should also be mentioned alongside this group as he’s climbed 5.15b/c.

These nine climbers have performed at the highest levels of sport climbing. Making the group even more impressive is the fact that each climber has had success in outdoor bouldering as well. They each have varied in their historical interest and contributions to bouldering, but all have had bouldering achievements worth discussing. So, how hard have each of these nine climbers bouldered? Here are some quick stats:

• Bosi and Schubert have climbed V17, the highest bouldering grade in the world
• Ondra, Bailey, and Díaz-Rullo have climbed V16
• Sharma, Megos and Bouin have climbed V15
• Ghisolfi has sent a V14 boulder, although it’s important to note that he’s climbed the crux of Silence, which clocks in around V15

Below, we dive into the bouldering accomplishments of each of these 5.15c (or d) climbers. We organize climbers by their hardest V-grade, but remember that there is a lot more complexity to each climber’s bouldering history than just their max grade. Major sport climbing sends are briefly mentioned for each climber as all. For a more in-depth history on 5.15c and 5.15d achievements in sport climbing – the routes, the first ascensionists, the repeats – read our previous article here.

V17

Jakob Schubert

Schubert is a unique case among these nine climbers. To date, he hasn’t climbed any V16 boulders but he has climbed V17 (as well as several V15s). In December last year, he sent Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane, the most repeated V17 in the world.

In sport climbing, Schubert climbed one 5.15c – a repeat of Alex Megos’ Perfecto Mundo – and one 5.15d, a first ascent of B.I.G. in Flatanger, Norway. With his Alphane ascent, he became the first climber in history to climb both 5.15d and V17.

Will Bosi

Bosi is arguably the least accomplished sport climber on this list, but he’s inarguably one of the strongest boulderers on the planet right now. He was the first climber ever to send three V17s, ticking Alphane in 2022, Burden of Dreams in 2023, and Return of the Sleepwalker in 2024. He has climbed two V16s – an FA of Honey Badger in the Peak District and a repeat of Ephyra in Chironico, Switzerland. On top of these V16 and V17 sends, he’s topped over 20 V15s and over 30 V14s.

In early 2021, he made the first ascent of King Capella in Spain, grading the route 5.15c. In November that year, Megos went on to repeat the route but did not comment on the grade, although he did say he found a different sequence. Schubert made the third ascent the following month and suggested a grade of 5.15b.

V16

Adam Ondra

Ondra is the only climber on this list to send V16 before sending 5.15c. His first of the grade was an FA of Terranova in November 2011. Located in Czechia’s Holštejn, the line remains unrepeated despite some solid attempts from top climbers. The following month that same year, Ondra made the second ascent of Gioia V16 in Varazze, Italy. In 2020, he climbed two other V16s in Czechia, Ledoborec and Brutal Rider. He has climbed 17 V15s and nearly 40 V14s.

Ondra was the first climber in history to send 5.15c with his FA of Change in Flatanger in October 2012. He now has four of the grade to his name – all first ascents – plus an FA of the first-ever 5.15d, Silence.

Sean Bailey

Bailey climbed his first V16 in 2020, making the second ascent of Nathaniel Coleman’s Grand Illusion in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. He climbed his second earlier this year, making the historic first ascent of Devilution in the Buttermilks. He has several V15s to his name, including the FA of The Doors of Perception. He sent his first and only 5.15c route in 2021 – a repeat of Megos’ Bibliographie at Céüse.

Jorge Díaz-Rullo

Last month, Díaz-Rullo made the second ascent of Muerte por Asfixia V16 in La Pedriza, Spain, his first boulder of the grade. The climb was opened in January this year, and being quite new, hasn’t seen much action from other top boulderers. Prior to Muerte por Asfixia, he had climbed seven V15s and 15 V14s, all in Spain.

Known more for his sport climbing, Díaz-Rullo has completed some of the hardest routes in the world including a first ascent of Mejorando la Samfaina 5.15c and a repeat of Megos’ Bibliographie 5.15c.

V15

Chris Sharma

At 43 years of age, Sharma is the oldest climber on this list by a decade. Widely considered as the best sport climber of his generation, Sharma made significant contributions to both bouldering and sport climbing at different points in his career. He has climbed several V15 (or V14/15) boulder problems, including first ascents of Practice of the Wild (2004), Witness the Fitness (2005), and Catalan Witness the Fitness (2016).

His list of sport climbing accomplishments is long, but highlights include the second ascent of La Dura Dura 5.15c in 2013 and the first ascent of Sleeping Lion 5.15b/c ten years later in 2023. He also FA’d the first-, second-, and third-ever 5.15b routes – Jumbo Love, Golpe de Estado, and Neanderthal respectively – as well as the first consensus 5.15a, Realization (also known as Biographie).

Alex Megos

Megos’ top bouldering grade is currently V15. He’s sent many problems at that level of difficulty, some well before he climbed 5.15c. His most recent V15 was a first ascent of Upgrade U in Frankenjura. His top sport climbing achievements include FAs of Perfecto Mundo in Margalef and Bibliographie at Céüse, both graded 5.15c.

Seb Bouin

Compared to the other climbers on this list, Bouin is perhaps least known for his bouldering. He’s climbed one V15, a second ascent of Quoi de Neuf in Orsay, France.

His top-end sport climbing accomplishments, however, are plenty and even rival Ondra’s greatest hits. Since 2019, he’s climbed one 5.15d (D.N.A.), three 5.15c’s (Change, Suprême Jumbo Love, and Bibliographie), and four 5.15b/c’s (Move, La Rage d’Adam, Beyond Integral, and Nordic Marathon).

V14

Stefano Ghisolfi

Ghisolfi is definitely better known for his sport climbing than his bouldering. That being said, he has made improvements in his bouldering skills in recent years. He’s sent three V14 boulders, the most recent being Goldfish Trombone in Bishop, California.

More interestingly, he’s the only climber besides Ondra to successfully climb the wildly unique full crux of Silence 5.15d. The sequence sits somewhere around V15, making it the hardest set of moves Ghisolfi has ever done. He’s also done the notoriously difficult first move of Burden of Dreams V17, which has been estimated to be V13/14.

Ghisolfi has climbed four well-established 5.15c routes. These include repeats of Change, Perfecto Mundo, and Bibliographie and a first accent of Excalibur near Arco, Italy.