Hamish McArthur makes second ascent of 'Megatron' (9A) in Eldorado Canyon

On Monday the 22nd of April, British climber Hamish McArthur successfully made the second ascent of Megatron, in Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon. The boulder, which was first climbed by Shawn Raboutou in 2022, is graded V17 (Font 9A) - making it a contender for the hardest boulder problem in the world.

McArthur spent his first two sessions figuring out the individual moves of the problem, before starting to make real attempts from the ground on his third day. After making it past the crux of the boulder and falling, around fifteen times, everything clicked into place and McArthur topped-out on Megatron at the end of only his fifth session.

The astonishingly fast repeat comes on the back of a whirlwind nine months for Hamish, which began with his fifth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Following his outstanding performance in Paris, McArthur has been enjoying an extended break from the competition circuit and spending more time rock climbing. In the past few months he has made several notable boulder ascents, including a flash ascent of Fool Me Once (V14) and a repeat of The Singularity (V15), in Squamish.

After his repeat the Brit commented: "I came to Colorado for rest and freedom. What attracted me to Megatron was its unique style and the opportunity it offered for creative expression. I knew that the mental battle was going to be a big part of my success or failure here. The boulder offers consistent difficulty and is still so droppable on the last moves. 17 moves off the deck and I’m now trying to figure out how I got here. I’m really proud to have grabbed the second ascent of Megatron, V17."

This is McArthur's hardest boulder to date, having sent the 8C+ Big Z in December 2024.