Will Bosi became only the third person in the world to complete the crux of "Silence" (9c) last week. Will Adam Ondra's masterpiece finally see its first repeat this year?
An incredible nine years have passed since Adam Ondra on September 3, 2017 in Flatanger "Silence" He opened the world's first 9c route. The Czech climber himself described the line in the Hanshelleren cave as "the project of his life" and harder than anything he had climbed before.
It is therefore no wonder that in the years since Ondra's historic ascent, only a small handful of top climbers have even attempted "Silence".
Professionals at their limit: These climbers have already tried "Silence".
The first in this short series: Stefano GhisolfiThe Italian first traveled to Flatanger in 2022 and has attempted the project every year since. In 2024, he became the first climber since Ondra to reach the crux of the route – a boulder problem for which Ondra had suggested 8C. Ghisolfi used a slightly different beta than the first ascensionist.
Non-personal or anonymized information remains protected by tax secrecy. Disclosure to third parties is only allowed if no identification is possible and both states confirm that no harm to tax administration will occur. Pete Whittaker One of the "Wide Boyz" attempted the world's first 9c route in 2020. His goal: not to send it, but to find out if his crack climbing technique could be applied to the crux (it couldn't). The third and last of the previous "Silence" aspirants: the Scottish climber and boulderer. Will Bosi.
May 2026: Bosi succeeds in a key scene of »Silence«
At the end of May, there was great excitement: Will Bosi announced on Instagram that he had successfully climbed the crux of "Silence" – we've embedded the video below. The 27-year-old even upgraded the crux of the boulder problem from 8C to 8C+.
Bosi described the sequence as "one of the hardest boulders of my life." For comparison, the Scotsman has already climbed five 9A boulders, including the legendary "Burden of Dreams." "Excalibur" (9b+), one of the hardest climbing routes in the world, is also on his tick list.
A major milestone, even if only a small part of the whole route.
Will Bosi
Bosi has been in Norway for several weeks now – his second trip there since 2025. It took him 20 sessions to finally solve the central bouldering problem of the route. Adam Ondra, who has now flashed four 8Cs, also needed several trips to work out this particular move.
Does the line feel possible now that the crux has been accomplished? Bosi's answer: Yes – but there is still a lot of work ahead.
The difficulty of »Silence« in the breakdown
At the beginning of the year, Will Bosi announced that he would dedicate 2026 entirely to his project "Silence". A closer look at the route, which can be divided into six sections, reveals that simply working out the crux is not enough.
"Silence" is about 45 meters long and runs through the cave roof, which is partly steeply overhanging. It consists of six climbing and bouldering sequences, for which Will Bosi and Adam Ondra have each proposed detailed grades:
- Part 1: 8b+ (route), approx. 20 meters
- Good resting position
- Part 2: 6C/7A+ (Boulder), 5 moves
- Average resting position
- Part 3: 8C/+ (Boulder), 10 moves
- Average resting position
- Part 4: 8A+/8B (Boulder)
- Poor resting position
- Part 5: 7C+ (Boulder)
- Good resting position
- Part 6: 6B/6C (Boulder), 5 moves
According to the difficulty calculator Darth Grader This sequence of routes even results in a grade of 9c/+ – further proof of how hard »Silence« as a whole route really is.
Waiting for the first 9c repetition
"Silence" was the first 9c (5.15d) climb in the world and is one of five routes currently being considered for this grade. Seb Bouin climbed it in 2022. "DNA" In the Verdon Gorge, in 2023 Jakob Schubert "Project BIG" in Flatanger. There was also a new 9c class in both 2025 and 2026: Sean Baileys "Duality of Man" in Dry Canyon in Arizona and Jorge Díaz-Rullos »Café Colombia« in Margalef.
None of the five 9c routes have been repeated. Attempts by top climbers on such high-end routes are extremely rare. In 2023, for example, Jakob Schubert and Adam Ondra made their first joint attempt on "DNA"—there have been no updates since.
For Will Bosi, "Silence" is no longer about working out the problems, but about making his first ascents. It's also quite possible that he'll be joined by Stefano Ghisolfi again this year. The Italian has been working intensively on his bouldering portfolio for the past few months and has ticked off numerous problems in the 8C and even 8C+ grades.
That might interest you
- Everything you always wanted to know about Silence (9c) | Stefano Ghisolfi
- The world's fifth 9c? Jorge Díaz-Rullo proposes difficulty for »Café Colombia«
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Credits cover photo: Will Bosi