Will Bosi repeats Spots of Time to climb four different 9A boulders

Will Bosi from Edinburgh has claimed the second ascent of Spots of Time the 9A/V17 at Helvellyn in the Lake District, first climbed by Aidan Roberts in February 2024. The ascent took Will 8 sessions and was completed on Saturday 19th October.

Commenting on the ascent the 25-year-old said: "Ever since Aidan completed this project, I have been psyched to give it a go. What an incredible line! I had a really fun process finding my method as although there are only a couple of holds on the wall it’s a very technical boulder and each move takes time to work out the right beta for you. Everything about the boulder makes it amazing, from its quiet location up on Helvellyn to the fact it is a pure face with only one line and just the perfect amount of holds."

As to the grade, Bosi explained "I am pretty confident the problem is 9A and is very similar to Burden of Dreams in quite a few ways. I think the sequence I used was a bit easier than what Aidan did however I think both sequences suit our styles perfectly so I’m not sure if what I did is actually easier or not. I honestly think the boulder is one of the best hard lines in the world and I hope it attracts more people to come try it!"

9A/V17 is currently the absolute maximum worldwide and this ascent is Bosi's fourth of this grade - and also his second boulder at this grade this year - after his repeat of Return of the Sleepwalker in Red Rocks. Bosi also climbed Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane in Chironico in 2022 and Nalle Hukkataival’s Burden of Dreams in Lappnor, Finland in 2023.

The ascent makes Bosi the only climber to have sent a staggering four 9A/V17 boulders, Simon Lorenzi trails with three 9A/V17 graded boulder problems. Lorenzi climbed Soudain Seul in Fontainebleau in 2021, Alphane in 2023 and Burden of Dreams earlier this year. Aidan Roberts has also climbed three boulders at the grade with Alphane, Spots of Time and Arrival of the Birds 9A.

As for what is next, Bosi commented: "I am shortly heading to Japan to explore some of the outdoor climbing there for the first time so I cannot wait to see what a country with such a rich heritage of hard climbing has to offer."