Yannick Flohé's Colorado trip got off to a successful start. On the first day of climbing, the bouldering pro from Essen ticked Daniel Wood's classic "Defiying Gravity" (8C). on Thunder Ridge.
A five-star boulder
The first few days were far too hot for bouldering. In fact, the western United States experienced a very early, extreme heat wave this year, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 30°C. Together with Dan Woods himself and Colin Duffy, the climber from Essen headed to Woods' classic "Defying Gravity" on the first day of climbing, which Flohé quickly ascended that same day. He describes the boulder on Instagram as a true five-star boulder.
»Amazing climb! Steep, powerful, and hard.«
With these words, Daniel Woods described Defying Gravity after its first ascent in November 2013. The first move of the crux alone is 8B+, followed immediately by a difficult sequence in the 8A range. The boulder is located on a block with an overhang of approximately 50 degrees and is known for its extremely complex moves, including the iconic comp-style dyno. Colin Duffy, who was present for Flohé's ascent, repeated the boulder in December 2024. He wrote afterward that Defying Gravity perfectly suited his style.
Flohé goes USA
Since Yannick Flohé is still at the beginning of his US trip, we can certainly look forward to more ascents from the 26-year-old. The climber from the Rhineland started 2026 with the successful ascent of Excalibur (9b+) in Arco – a long-term project that, according to some, cost him a fair amount of blood and skin. In July 2025, he achieved the hardest flash of all time: he sent Foundation's Edge (8C) in Fionnay on his first attempt. While most 8C flashes now belong to Adam Ondra (four in a very short time), Flohé was the first to achieve a flash of this difficulty.
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Credits: Cover image: Yannick Flohé Instagram