Will Bosi repeats Burden of Dreams 9A in Finland!

On Wednesday 12th of April Will Bosi made the coveted second ascent of Burden of Dreams, Nalle Hukkataival's masterpiece in Lappnor, Finland. The boulder problem was established in 2016 by the Finn and was the first boulder problem in the world to be proposed at the grade of 9A following three years of work. Comprised of only 5 moves, Burden of Dreams is characterised by a pure style moving through tiny crimps and crystals on a 45° boulder and has repelled some of the very best climbers in the world.

Bosi spent 14 days on the boulder as well as 10 days on a copy of the problem at the Lattice Headquarters in Sheffield that uses 3D printed replica holds, a practice that is becoming increasingly popular among elite athletes. In total he spent 24 days working the problem and this is the longest Bosi has spent on a single boulder problem - by comparison, Alphane at Chironico in Switzerland took 12. The 24-year-old has confirmed the grade as 9A/V17. Check out this exclusive interview with the man with the strongest fingers in the business!

Nice one Will! Not bad for your first boulder in Finland!
Haha! Thanks a lot. And yes, definitely a good one!

When did you begin thinking about doing this problem?
I only started to consider this as a boulder I could actually try in February when I had my second sessions on the replica! Up to this point I never thought I’d be able to even get close to this climb.

As you just said, you approached it via some replica training in the UK. How important was this?
It was incredibly important for me to train on the replica. It felt like every replica session was almost as good as a session on the real boulder, which meant that I got an extra ten days of very good training and learning of the moves. Also, without the replica I don’t think I would ever have thought I could climb it and probably wouldn’t have even come to Finland.

Out of interest, how precise were the replica?
The replica was very precise as it was made with holds from 3D scans Aidan Roberts took of the actual holds when he was here in Finland. He also measured the angles and distances between them so when I came here I really felt like I already knew the holds and moves well. Of course it isn't perfect, but it is very close.

So when you first pulled on to the real thing, how did it feel?
The first session on the replica felt insanely hard! I managed to do the two easiest moves after the full session, but only just. Coming to the real boulder after the replica training felt way better than I expected. I did all the moves on the first day and even starting trying links.

As we saw on the livestream on IG and Youtube. How did that come about?
So the idea to livestream my sessions came from the debate everyone was having on whether or not training on a replica means you can or can't flash the boulder anymore. I knew that to flash BOD is pretty much impossible, so I thought it would be fun to show my flash go live and have some interaction. I then asked people if they wanted me to keep streaming, which they did, so I kept doing it. I don’t think it added any pressure as I only streamed my first couple of sessions, where I was mostly working the moves anyway.

You sessioned this with a crew of some of the world's strongest climbers. What was this like?
It was an absolutely amazing experience and definitely made the progress go a lot faster, as well as making the trip super fun! I learned so much off the other guys, it really helped me a lot.

It sounds silly being a short and intense boulder problem but: it would be great to get a breakdown of the moves. And is the start really the hardest single move you’ve ever done outdoors?
Yes, I think the first move is the hardest move I’ve done so far, gradewise around 8B/+. The second move is around 8A, the third move is around 7C. The fourth move is maybe 7B and the last move is 8A I think.

Conditions are always an important factor. Here it looks like they were pretty much excellent all the time
Yes I think we got super lucky with the conditions this trip! The first week was quite snowy and a bit wet, but in general it’s been dry most days with good temperatures.

So if the first move is the hardest, was that the stopper? Or how close did you get before the actual send?
I actually fell twice on the last move, which was pretty heartbreaking and also so psyche inducing!

In the end, how "simple" was it?
The send go was pretty much the perfect go, I did the first four moves perfectly and felt like I was floating. However on the fifth move I hit the hold too far to the left and was only just able to stick it and hold the swing. So although it was a lot more simple than expected, it was still hard and complex.

9A?
I think so! I am confident it is the hardest boulder I’ve done and I think it’s a big enough step up from the 8C/+s I’ve done in the past. I reckon it’s either solid 9A or soft 9A though, and a long way from 9A+.

The problem dates back to 2016. 7 years is a long time in any sport, especially in bouldering. Any thoughts about Nalle’s ascent?
It's definitely been a while, which I think has added to the problem and I think it's got to be one, if not the, most impressive boulder ascent ever. The amount of work and time Nalle put into this line not knowing if it would go is super inspiring to me.

Bosi is sponsored by Adidas Terrex, Five Ten, DMM, Lattice Training, Friction Labs and Beta Climbing Designs.