Bosi claims the third ascent of Alphane (Font 9A)
- Wednesday 2nd November 2022
Will Bosi, 23, from Edinburgh has claimed the third ascent of Alphane in Ticino, Switzerland.
The problem was established by Shawn Raboutou in Spring 2022 and was given the proposed grade of Font 9A, making it at the time the third Font 9A in the world after Nalle Hukkataival's Burden of Dreams in Lappnor, Finland and Daniel Woods' Return of the Sleepwalker at Red Rocks, USA.
Will was on a trip with Aidan Roberts who claimed the second ascent earlier in October, having worked the line earlier in the year. Overall, Bosi spent 10 sessions working Alphane and two sessions previously last year with Shawn Raboutou where he explored and worked moves on the boulder before the final line and sequence were established.
Commenting on his ascent, Bosi said; "A few sessions back I was unsure as to whether Alphane would go on this trip, the temperature has been unseasonably hot, some rainy days had made it really humid and the route was damp in places. However, the crew out here managed to keep the psyche really high and the problem came together quickly. The moves on this line are so good and after a lot of time on the wall, I was really happy to claim the third ascent!"
Remarking on the proposed grade of Font 9A, Will was reluctant to confirm the grade; “In terms of a grade, I personally felt that Honey Badger (8C+) was more of a challenge for me and proposing a grade for that at the time was daunting as it was my first 8C+. At the cutting edge of climbing, grading feels so much more difficult as the margins are that much finer and personal strengths and preferences really come into play. Is it 9A? Honestly, I do not know and as I gain more experience of climbing around this grade range I may have a better view, but it is a fantastic line established by Shawn and I look forward to seeing more experienced climbers comment on where the grade sits”.
The ascent of Alphane is another milestone for Bosi since his decision to switch full-time to climbing outdoors. This spring, Bosi had a hugely productive trip to the Czech Republic to climb with Adam Ondra and in summer, he established the Peak District's hardest boulder problem, Honey Badger (Font 8C+) at Badger Cove.
This is the 12th problem graded Font 8C or higher done by Will Bosi in 2022:
Alphane (Font 9A/8C+)
Honey Badger (Font 8C+) First Ascent
Beautiful Mind (Font 8C) First Ascent
Outliers (Font 8C) First Ascent
Trance (Font 8C) First Ascent
Silent Singer (Font 8C)
Iceberg (Font 8C)
Tekute Stesti (Font 8C)
Ghost Rider (Font 8C)
Bulbasaur (Font 8C) First Ascent
Pata Ledovce (Font 8C)
Drift (Font 8C)