From 9a+ to 9b+ | Leo Bøe repeats »Change« in Flatanger

Exactly 13 years to the day after the first ascent by Adam Ondra, Norwegian climber Leo Bøe has repeated the route "Change" in Flatanger. It's the 25-year-old from Bergen's first 9b+, and he also jumps over the grade 9b.

In terms of climbing grade, it's likely the biggest leap of his career so far: Leo Bøe has climbed his first route at this grade, Adam Ondra's "Change" (9b+) in the Hanshelleren Cave. The Norwegian had just ticked his first 9a+ route last year: "Change P1," the first pitch of 9b+. With the ascent of his major project, Bøe now skips the 9b grade entirely.

From 8c+ to 9b+ in just under three years

For almost three years, Leo Bøe has felt like he's only been going in one direction: upwards. This applies not only to his projects, but also to his progression through the difficulty grades on the rope. In January 2023, the young climber from Bergen landed his very first 9a, "JoeDan," in Lleida. By the end of 2023, he would already have seven lines of this grade – collected in Spain, Mexico, and his native Norway.

Leo Bøe has now accumulated a total of 18 routes rated 9a or 9a+. The fact that he has now managed a 9b+ before a 9b may also be due to the amount of time the 25-year-old has recently spent in Norway's most famous cave.

Bøe also uses kneepads for »Change«

Nevertheless, Leo Bøe had to push himself like never before – physically and mentally – to complete his fall-free ascent of »Change« (9b+). Interview with 8a.nu The six-time Norwegian Lead Champion reports on his “extremely instructive” process on Adam Ondra’s 55-meter endurance test piece, which the Czech climbed in 2012 as the world’s first 9b+.

Bøe shares one crucial difference with all previous repeaters of "Change," including Stefano Ghisolfi, Seb Bouin, Alex Megos, and Jorge Díaz-Rullo since 2020: Like all of them, the Norwegian used kneepads during his ascent, something Adam Ondra had dispensed with 13 years ago.

Bøe also followed his predecessors' lead on the beta. According to Bøe, placing kneebars with kneepads, in particular, reduced the route's first boulder problem from an 8B+ to approximately 8A+. Alex Megos also said after his record-breaking ascent last summer: "The kneepad makes the crux of the first pitch a bit easier than Adam Ondra's original beta." 

Despite a "lighter" beta and the use of knee pads, Bøe says he put a total of two and a half months of work into the line. Instead of specific training for the route, the Norwegian was primarily concerned with finding the right mental attitude for his huge project. "At some point, I was simply mentally exhausted after so many days on the route," Bøe said in Interview with 8a.nu.

What ultimately helped him master the approximately 185 moves of "Change" was being satisfied with his own performance when he felt he had given it his all. In the end, this approach was enough for perfect focus and ultimately the top of his first 9b+.

Personal evaluation is still pending

Leo Bøe hasn't yet announced whether he'll rate the route as 9b+ like Ondra and Megos—or as a soft 9b+ like Díaz-Rullo, or even as a 9b/+. One thing is already certain: Even if it's a slash grade, it's the hardest route of his climbing career, and it's really gaining momentum.

That might interest you

• How difficult is "Iron Curtain" 9a+(/b)? – Alex Megos secures the second repeat of the Flatanger gem
• Dylan Chuat repeats one of the hardest routes in the world – »Move« (9b/+)

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Credits cover photo: Doug McConnell