Shauna Coxsey is The Boss (8B+) of Yarncliffe

Shauna Coxsey has climbed The Boss (V14/8B+) at Yarncliffe in the Peak District, making her the first woman to climb the grade on British soil. The Boss was first climbed by Coxsey’s husband Ned Feehally in 2020 and believed to be the hardest problem on gritstone at the time. 

Commenting on her repeat, Shauna said: "[The Boss] has been on my list ever since Ned did the first ascent. It is such a gem! The climbing is steep and powerful with some bad holds. It feels improbable at first. The last move is a huge blind slap overhead from a horizontal position. It is really committing and a bit spooky".

The Boss is Coxsey's second 8B+ of the year, having climbed Fotofobia Sit in La Pedriza in March, and her third of the grade having done New Base Line at Magic Wood in Switzerland in 2014 before committing herself to competition climbing. She won the Boulder World Cup in both 2016 and 2017 and competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, before retiring from competitions. Since then Coxsey has given birth to a son, making her return to maximum form even more impressive.