The German Olympian only needed six sessions to crack the boulder, thus crossing her first 8B+ off her tick list in a single trip.
On July 21, 2025, Lucia Doerffel Hazel Grace (8B+) on the Gotthard Pass in Switzerland. This makes it Shauna Coxsey the second woman to repeat this boulder.
This boulder had been on my mind for a long time. It's a beautiful line in one of my favorite places and means a lot to me.
Lucia Doerffel
Hazel Grace was first climbed in 2017 by Giuliano Cameroni 2017, which classified it as 8C. About a year later, further inspections were carried out, including by Dave Graham, Nalle Hukkataival and Gabriele Moroni The latter downgraded the boulder to 8B+.
From the very first attempt, when I was working out the moves, I knew I could climb the boulder. By the fifth session, I was already close; I only fell on the last hard move. So we extended our trip by two days.
Lucia Doerffel
I took a day off, then came the next attempt. […] It was perfect. Standing on the block, knowing I'd climbed my first 8B+, was a great feeling, and I'm absolutely ready for more.
Lucia Dörffle
Due to her health, she wasn't able to train as much as she would have liked, which is why Dörffel missed the World Cup season this year. However, she still sees this in a positive light: "It also means more time to climb outdoors."
Hazel Grace now joins Riverbed (8B), One Summer in Paradise (8B), Pura Vida (8A+) and many other boulders in French grade 8 on Lucia's list.
You may also be interested in
- Video: Giuliano Cameroni climbs Hazel Grace sit (8c / 8c +)
- Hazel Grace (8c) by Nalle Hukkataival and Gabriele Moroni repeated
+ + +
Credits cover photo: Elias Arriagada