| Grade | 9c |
| Type | Sport route |
| Crag | Flatanger Cave |
| Country | Norway 🇳🇴 |
| Rock type | Gneiss |
| History | |
| First ascent | Adam Ondra (3rd Sep 2017) |
| Bolted by | Adam Ondra (2013) |
| Recorded repeats | 0 |
| Grade | 9c |
| Type | Sport route |
| Crag | Flatanger Cave |
| Country | Norway 🇳🇴 |
| Rock type | Gneiss |
| History | |
| First ascent | Adam Ondra (3rd Sep 2017) |
| Bolted by | Adam Ondra (2013) |
| Recorded repeats | 0 |
Silence was established by Adam Ondra in 2017. It was the first route to be graded 9c and is still a contender for the hardest sport climb in the world. Bolted by Ondra and originally dubbed Project Hard, it features a notoriously strange boulder problem crux with feet-first jamming through a slopey crack. Ondra rated this section alone 8C, whilst Will Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi thought 8C+ was more appropriate.
Bosi and Stefano Ghisolfi have put serious time into trying to repeat the route, with both climbers linking the crux section.
[1] Will Bosi giving a very detailed breakdown (2026) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CyaewHQiU8
1 successful ascent and 3 unsuccessful attempts recorded.
| Climber | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Ondra | Lead | worked | 3rd Sep 2017 | 9c | |
| First ascent. | ||||
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The first 9c in the world and a new benchmark in sport climbing. Adam spent a lot of time training specifically for the route, going as far as to strengthen his calves so he could get a better rest out of the kneebars. References[1] Send Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRTNHDd0gL8 [2] Photo by Keith Sharples https://www.instagram.com/p/C8fK3MPB7eH/?img_index=1 |
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| Pete Whittaker | Lead | did not finish | 2020 | ||
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Pete had a little play on the crack section to see if he could work out a sequence. References |
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| Will Bosi | Lead | did not finish | After 1st Jan 2025 | ||
| Suggested grade breakdown: 8b+ G 6C M 8C+ M 8A+ B 7C+ G 6B. | ||||
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Around 20 sessions just to link the crux boulder. [5] References[1] Live Q&A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNAfAujGczo [2] Footage from Will's first trip in 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujb7YRfE-7k [3] Will found new beta for the crux in his second trip https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYM9-ezKidJ/ [4] Linking the crux sequence for the first time https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LMIqR4A_eHs [5] https://youtu.be/41KxMZWxx8g?is=tclFz_p5ZyLe_Bkn [6] Working goes in September 2026 https://youtube.com/watch?v=dS3IGCl62p8 [7] A very detailed breakdown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CyaewHQiU8 |
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| Stefano Ghisolfi | Lead | did not finish | |||
References[1] Podcast with Alex Megos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7DLZ0wAhwU [2] 5 video YouTube playlist of his process (2022): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfD18zMI-Pk8iXcqbVtq2S1YPc9BvLJe- [3] Progress update (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmfytvG6n8 |
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