British bouldering specialist Aidan Roberts was able to climb two of his long-term projects: the Midnight Project in Chironico and the Helvellyn Project in the Lake District. Both lines - Arrival of the Birds and Spots of Time - are absolute high-end boulders and are considered possible 9A's.
Aidan Roberts is undisputedly one of the best boulderers in the world. He has attempted numerous difficult bouldering problems in the upper eighth difficulty level Momentum 8B+ flashed or first alphanes (9A) repeated.
The Brit is also known for not adorning himself with degrees, but simply climbing hard. He has done this in the recent past, solving two of his long-term projects.
Spots of Time: Challenge on your doorstep
The Helvellyn Project Aidan Roberts discovered in 2023 after a long stay in Switzerland when he was looking for a challenge nearby and found it right on his doorstep Lake district found. «The boulder is very hard. Smooth, small and flat edges require good movements and complex body tension,” enthuses Roberts. It took him a few days to understand the 8-move sequence and even more to execute those moves.
These unique climbs of such difficulty always motivate me. Climbs where the physics are close enough to our limits to require so much improvement.
Aidan Roberts
Video: Aidan Robert designs the Helvellyn Project
According to UKC, Aidan Roberts invested around 30 days in the Helvellyn Project and began serious trials in February. He solved most of the bouldering problem, now called Spots of Time, on his own. Around ten days went into perfecting the final sequence.
In The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast, Aidan Roberts described the first ascent of Spots of Time as one of the most important for him: «Considering my climbing so far, I think I'm most proud of this experience. I feel like it's really special that I found this boulder so close to home."
Arrival of the Birds: Maximum at the limit
The second long-term project, which Aidan Roberts was able to undertake for the first time, is located in Chironico not far from the boulder From Dirt Grows The Flowers (8C). Roberts was appointed for the first time in 2022 Midnight Project, now Arrival of the Birds, attentive.
During an extensive trip to Ticino in spring 2023, the Brit focused primarily on this line, which corresponds fairly well to his preferred climbing style: controlled movements from stable positions on tiny ledges.
Video: Aidan Roberts designs the Midnight Project
After further sessions with Shawn Raboutou in November 2023, Aidan Roberts returned to Switzerland this spring after hard winter training and was able to complete the Midnight Project in his third session.
However, the ascent was anything but effortless compared to Alphane or Spots of Time, says Roberts in his Podcast. “There are much easier moves up there, but I really exhausted myself on these holds. I never expected these moves to feel so pushing the limit... probably the hardest I've ever done while climbing."
There is a lot to be said for a 9A rating
Aidan Roberts has not yet commented on the difficulty level of his two new first ascents. What is clear is that Spots of Time and Arrival of the Birds are in the absolute high-end range. It is quite possible that the bouldering world will soon have two more 9A lines.
This is supported by the fact that Aidan Roberts, who normally repeats difficult boulders in a very short space of time, had to work quite a long time on the first ascents by his standards. He invested around 30 days in Spots of Time. And he describes Arrival of the Birds as the hardest thing he has ever climbed.
If you use the confirmed 9A boulder Alphane as a comparison and take into account that Aidan Roberts managed the second ascent relatively quickly, his two new lines could hardly be rated any easier. We are looking forward to his comments.
By the Way: Aidan Roberts is currently trying out Burden of Dreams in Finland. Maybe he will soon return home with another 9A in his luggage and therefore have even more references in judging difficult bouldering.
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Credits: Cover picture Wedge climbing