| Climber Name | # Ascents Recorded | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Carlo Traversi | 51 | |
| Charles Albert | 51 |
Charles Albert is one of the worlds best and most particular boulderers. Charles' ability is hard to compare to others due to how he chooses to climb: typically without the use of climbing shoes or kneepads. In this style Charles is undoubtedly a master with no one repeating any of his boulders in the the same style as he climbed them. Charles is notable for his hard first ascents, particularly in Fontainebleau: La Révolutionnaire Assis (8C+), Hypothèse Assis (8C+), Bélial (8C) and Freerider (8C). In 2018 Charles did the first ascent of No Kpote Only in which he proposed the grade of 9A, however this was downgraded by both Ryohei Kameyama and Nico Pelorson. In 2023 Charles did the first ascent of L’Ombre du Voyageur for which he proposed 9A after spending 60 sessions to complete the problem. Pietro Vidi repeated the boulder in 2025 using wildly different beta and gear to Charles, suggesting 8B+. In March 2026 Charles sent his 8 year project Charlatan. Charles did not suggest a grade at the time of the ascent but has previously suggested it as 9A.
References[2] Reel Rock 16: Barefoot Charles https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/reel-rock-s8-e2 [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVSC9vIb-PU [4] https://www.8a.nu/news/qa-with-charles-albert-6net8 [5] Sessions with Emil Abrahamsson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Gvb8f6S-k [6] Interview with Magnus Midtbø (2026) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkhh2ovhMQA |
| Tom Randall | 50 |
Tom Randall is a British climber known for being a crack-climbing specialist, one half of WideBoyz and co-owner of Lattice Training. References[1] Lake District classic rock challenge (2020) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofg5BJgAzgs |
| Jean-Baptiste Tribout | 49 | |
| Mat Wright | 49 | |
| Molly Thompson-Smith | 49 |
Very capable comp climber who has a solid track record on rock too. References |
| Pietro Vidi | 49 |
References[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2025/10/pietro_vidi_on_the_grit-74044 |
| Magnus Midtbø | 47 |
Magnus Midtbø is a Norwegian sport climber and boulderer. He competed extensively between 2002 and 2015 while also climbing hard outdoors at the same time, notably he climbed Ali Hulk (extension sit start) 9b in 2010 (without knee pads!) and onsighted Cosi Fan Tutte 8c+ in 2013. As a climber he is known for his powerful and dynamic style. Since retiring from competitions he has started a very successful youtube channel, drawing in some of the biggest audiences in climbing. He also has a couple of other businesses, most notably Rúngne which sells clothing and chalk brand, and Altitude which sells online courses and coaching events. References[1] Interview with RockClimbingUK, 2012 https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=23695.0 |
| Shauna Coxsey | 47 |
Shauna Coxsey is one of the most successful comp climbers, and most accomplished outdoor boulderers, in the UK. She has won two bouldering world cups, in 2016 and 2017 and went on to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021. Since retiring from comps she has excelled at outdoor bouldering. While she was primarily a competition climber for the first part of her career, she did occasionally climb outside, with highlights such as the first female ascent of New Base Line 8B+ in 2014, making her one of a handful of women to have climbed 8B+ at the time. Since retiring from competitions she has made rapid repeats of a string of 8B and harder boulders. References[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20171209231653/http://www.shaunacoxsey.co.uk/ |
| Dan Turner | 46 |
Owner of one of the all time great psyche screams. |
| Sean Bailey | 46 | |
| Ethan Pringle | 45 |
References[1] Ask Me Anything on reddit, 2014 https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/comments/1whcrp/hi_folks_im_ethan_pringle_ask_me_anything_be_my/ |
| Leo Skinner | 45 |
Welsh prodigy living in the shadow of his father Rich Skinner. References[1] https://open.spotify.com/episode/5d7YwIqK2q5RnOEOLeD9bX? |
| Nico Pelorson | 45 |
Nico Pelorson is a prolific developer in the Fontainebleau scene and further afield. He is somewhat infamous for his ascents of Soudain Seul 9A and No Kpote Only 9A, where he subsequently downgraded both boulders to 8C+ and 8C respectively. Nico is also known for his interesting music talents, being behind the masterpiece Mini Drill and the legendary track for Adam Ondra's Soudain Seul video.
References[2] Interview with http://escalade9.wifeo.com/, November 2015 http://escalade9.wifeo.com/nicolas-pelorson.php |
| Pete Robins | 45 |
Pete Robins is a rock climber best known for his prolific development around North Wales, in particular in opening a huge number of quality new problems and areas. References[1] Interview with RockClimbingUK [2] Profile from DMM, one of Pete's sponsors https://dmmwales.com/climbers/pete-robins |
| Sam Weir | 45 | |
| Tyler Landman | 45 |
Tyler Landman was at top of the bouldering game from the mid-2000s to 2010s. He displayed outstanding ability from a young age with impressive repeats of Voyager (8B), The Ace (8B) at 15 and Dreamtime (pre break) (8B+) shortly after turning 16. The following year he repeated the legendary Jade (8B+) and Ode to the Modern Man (8B+). Over the next year he would repeat numerous hard boulders including Practice of the Wild (8B+), New Base Line (8B+) and Radja (8B+). In February of 2009 Ty went to Fontainebleau where his exploits were captured in Between The Trees by Keith Bradbury. In an unprecedented forest rampage he made short work of most of the hard classics of the time. He was the first person to climb The Big Five (a term that he coined) in a day, and made an early repeat of Satan i Helvete Assis (8C). In 2013, on a flying visit from the US, he solved one of gritstone's 'last great problems', Smiling Buttress, at a highball 8B+. This remains one of the sternest challenges on grit. He also won the 2017 British Bouldering Championships. Rather than pursuing climbing full-time, he has focused on becoming a doctor in America, graduating in 2024. References[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/outspoken_-_tyler_landman-13258 [2] https://soundcloud.com/user-569917310/outspoken-tyler-landman |
| Dave Cuthbertson | 44 |
Dave Cuthbertson is an extremely influential Scottish climber who was operating at his peak in the 1980s. He was responsible for some of the hardest routes of the era, for example his route Requiem was established in 1983 and features ~8a climbing on trad gear, making it the hardest route in the UK at the time. |
| John Gaskins | 44 |
John Gaskins is a controversial figure in British climbing. As well as an early repeat of Hubble he has claimed many ascents of hard routes and boulder problems. However for some of his hardest ascents it is unclear whether they happened. In particular he has been unable to describe the holds or sequences on his problem Shadowplay, and shortly after claiming the first ascent was unable to pull on to the problem to get photographs for his sponsors. Similar inconsistencies exist on several other routes and problems he has claimed including Violent New Breed (9a+), Tranquilitas (8C) which John originally claimed as Karma of the Trees at 8A and Little Women Right Hand. Despite the above John was a capable climber and almost certainly climbed several hard problems, such as Anaesthesia (8A+) at Woodwell. References[1] Interview with Simon Lee from UKBouldering.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbZALxPdjZg [2] From the same interview as [1], footage of John climbing on his board https://vimeo.com/82936059. [3] A Profile of John Gaskins by Simon Panton, On The Edge 120 page 48. |
| Billy Ridal | 43 |
On 15th June 2026 Billy completed a challenge to climb 100 boulders on Gritstone 7A and above in 24 hours, eventually completing the mammoth effort in 23hrs30mins. Remarkably, the challenge involved 40km of walking and many hard boulders along the way e.g. The Terrace (7C), The Storm (7B+), West Side Story (7B+), Deliverance (7B+) etc. [1] This challenge follows in the footsteps of similar efforts:
References[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/DaAsGnrF6j9/?img_index=1 [4] Billy discusses the 100 7As challenge with Sam Prior and Aidan Roberts (July 2026) https://www.buzzsprout.com/1996606/episodes/19563658-e209-billy-ridal-s-grand-day-out.mp3 |