The Hardest Trad Routes in the World aims to list the hardest trad routes by considering both their physical difficulty and how dangerous they are. This list is based on pure physical difficulty.
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99 entries on the list.
| # | Climb | Grade | First Ascent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drifter's Escape | 9a+ (E12) | Connor Herson, Jul 2025 |
| 2 | Bon Voyage | 9a (E12) | James Pearson, 1st January-9th February 2023 |
| 3 | Tribe | 9a (E11) | Jacopo Larcher, Mar 2019 |
| 4 | The Best Things In Life Are Free | 9a (E11) | William Moss, 12th Mar 2023 |
| 5 | Crown Royale | 9a (E11) | Pete Whittaker, 23rd-28th September 2023 |
| 6 | La Bruja | 9a (E10) | Ignacio Mulero, 2021 |
| 7 | Rhapsody | 8c+ (E11) | Dave MacLeod, 9th Apr 2006 |
| 8 | Meltdown | 8c+ (E11) | Beth Rodden, 14th Feb 2008 |
| 9 | Magic Line | 8c+ (E10) | Ron Kauk, 6th Dec 1996 |
| 10 | The Recovery Drink | 8c+ (E10) | Nicolas Favresse, 22nd May 2013 |
| 11 | Blackbeard's Tears | 8c+ (E10) | Ethan Pringle, 2016 |
| 12 | Into the Sun | 8c+ (E10) | Bernd Zangerl, Aug 2017 |
| 13 | El Boulder del Pedal | 8c+ (E10) | Ignacio Mulero, Feb 2023 |
| 14 | Yma O Hyd | 8c+ (E10) | James McHaffie, Sep 2024 |
| 15 | Empath | 8c+ (E10) | - |
| 16 | Viceroy | 8c (E10) | Matt Wilder, 2009 |
| 17 | Stoning the Fascist | 8c (E10) | Pete Kamitses, 20th Sep 2010 |
| 18 | Century Crack | 8c (E10) | Pete Whittaker, Tom Randall, Nov 2011 |
| 19 | The Pura Pura | 8c (E10) | Tom Randall, 2014 |
| 20 | Family Man | 8c (E10) | Sonnie Trotter, 2014 |
| 21 | Stranger Than Fiction | 8c (E10) | Mason Earle, 2015 |
| 22 | The Millenium Arch | 8c (E10) | Pete Whittaker, Tom Randall, 3rd-13th October 2016 |
| 23 | Power Ranger | 8c (E10) | James Pearson, 2017 |
| 24 | Lamb of God | 8c (E10) | Pete Whittaker, Before 25th Sep 2017 |
| 25 | Crown Duel | 8c (E10) | Pete Whittaker, Aug 2019 |
| 26 | Hard Cheese | 8c (E10) | Craig Matheson, 28th May 2021 |
| 27 | Eigerdosis | 8c (E10) | Pete Whittaker, Aug 2023 |
| 28 | Autobahn | 8c (E10) | Tom Randall, 23rd Sep 2024 |
| 29 | Lapoterapia | 8c (E10) | - |
| 30 | Mangia Che Ti Passa | 8c (E10) | Pietro Vidi, |
| 31 | Sammansvärjning | 8c (E10) | - |
| 32 | Gondo Crack | 8c (E9) | Jacopo Larcher, 2017 |
| 33 | Black Mamba | 8c (E9) | Pete Whittaker, Tom Randall, Apr 2019 |
| 34 | The Crack of Destiny | 8c (E9) | Didier Berthod, 23rd Jun 2023 |
| 35 | Lexicon | 8b+ (E11) | Neil Gresham, 4th Sep 2021 |
| 36 | Equilibrium | 8b+ (E10) | Neil Bentley, 24th Feb 2000 |
| 37 | Sewer Rat | 8b+ (E10) | Dave Sharratt, Before 18th Aug 2006 |
| 38 | Direquiem | 8b+ (E10) | Sonnie Trotter, 6th May 2008 |
| 39 | Ill Fire | 8b+ (E10) | Pete Kamitses, Before 26th Sep 2008 |
| 40 | The Bull | 8b+ (E10) | Jeremy Smith, May 2013 |
| 41 | The Bigger Baron | 8b+ (E10) | Pete Whittaker, 31st Mar 2014 |
| 42 | Choronzon | 8b+ (E10) | Neil Mawson, 21st Sep 2014 |
| 43 | Le Voyage | 8b+ (E10) | James Pearson, 2017 |
| 44 | En Passant | 8b+ (E10) | Nathan Hadley, 1st May 2019 |
| 45 | Les Amoureux du Vent | 8b+ (E10) | Mathieu Miquel, Before 17th Jul 2024 |
| 46 | A Denti Stretti | 8b+ (E10) | - |
| 47 | Gunslinger | 8b+ (E10) | - |
| 48 | Sans Liberté | 8b+ (E9) | Stevie Haston, 1994 |
| 49 | La Zébrée | 8b+ (E9) | Jeff Beaulieu, 11th Oct 2004 |
| 50 | Cheating Reality | 8b+ (E9) | Matt Wilder, Before 1st Jan 2005 |
| 51 | Cobra Crack | 8b+ (E9) | Sonnie Trotter, 23rd Jun 2006 |
| 52 | The Path | 8b+ (E9) | Sonnie Trotter, 21st Aug 2007 |
| 53 | Oppositional Defiance Disorder | 8b+ (E9) | Pete Kamitses, 19th Sep 2011 |
| 54 | Necronomicon | 8b+ (E9) | Jean-Pierre Ouellet, 1st Nov 2011 |
| 55 | Psychogramm | 8b+ (E9) | Alex Luger, 13th Feb 2014 |
| 56 | Dina Crac | 8b+ (E9) | Tom Randall, 15th Aug 2014 |
| 57 | Kokanee Corner | 8b+ (E9) | Hayden Kennedy, 2015 |
| 58 | Crown of Thorns | 8b+ (E9) | Pete Whittaker, Tom Randall, Before 4th Oct 2016 |
| 59 | The Cruzifix | 8b+ (E9) | Pete Whittaker, 12th September-1st October 2017 |
| 60 | Vertigo | 8b+ (E9) | Daniel Fisher, Sep 2019 |
| 61 | Daydream | 8b+ (E9) | Naoki Komine, 2020 |
| 62 | Kilogram | 8b+ (E9) | Connor Herson, 30th Jul 2021 |
| 63 | Prayer for a Friend | 8b+ (E9) | Adrian Vanoni, 6th Oct 2023 |
| 64 | Flying Vikings Direct | 8b+ (E9) | - |
| 65 | China Doll | 8b+ (E9) | - |
| 66 | Smart Went Crazy | 8b (E10) | Matt Segal, Mar 2009 |
| 67 | Hanuman | 8b (E10) | Jonas Schild, Mar 2014 |
| 68 | Jeune et Con | 8b (E10) | Jacopo Larcher, Apr 2022 |
| 69 | Dr Snuggles | 8b (E10) | - |
| 70 | Stingray | 8b (E9) | Hidetaka Suzuki, Jun 1988 |
| 71 | Captain Invincible | 8b (E9) | Sean Myles, 8th May 1991 |
| 72 | Mission Impossible | 8b (E9) | Neil Carson, 23rd Jul 1997 |
| 73 | Widdop Wall | 8b (E9) | John Dunne, 1998 |
| 74 | The Book of Hate | 8b (E9) | Randy Leavitt, 1999 |
| 75 | Welcome to the Cruel World | 8b (E9) | Dave Birkett, 19th Apr 2002 |
| 76 | Zodiac | 8b (E9) | Alexander Huber, Thomas Huber, Oct 2003 |
| 77 | Greenspit | 8b (E9) | Didier Berthod, 14th Dec 2003 |
| 78 | Illuminescence | 8b (E9) | Pete Kamitses, Before 5th Oct 2006 |
| 79 | Ceclie | 8b (E9) | Jay Conway, 31st Aug 2008 |
| 80 | Prinzip Hoffnung | 8b (E9) | Beat Kammerlander, Mar 2009 |
| 81 | Present Tense | 8b (E9) | Dave MacLeod, 11th Jul 2009 |
| 82 | Necronomicon | 8b (E9) | Jean-Pierre Ouellet, 1st Nov 2011 |
| 83 | The Highline | 8b (E9) | Pete Kamitses, Before 25th Oct 2012 |
| 84 | Geezer Pleaser | 8b (E9) | Joe Terravecchia, 1st-30th November 2012 |
| 85 | Baron Greenback | 8b (E9) | Pete Whittaker, 4th Mar 2013 |
| 86 | Difficulties be Damned | 8b (E9) | Jay Conway, 22nd Jun 2013 |
| 87 | The Locknar | 8b (E9) | Ben Harnden, 25th Oct 2013 |
| 88 | Ronny Medelsvensson | 8b (E9) | Crister Jansson, Erik Massih, Jul 2014 |
| 89 | Infinite Jest | 8b (E9) | Connor Cliffe, 1st-31st July 2015 |
| 90 | The Votive Light | 8b (E9) | Keita Kurakami, 16th Apr 2017 |
| 91 | Butterfly Circus | 8b (E9) | Fred Moix, 2022 |
| 92 | Crac Yr Meistri | 8b (E9) | James McHaffie, 1st Jun 2022 |
| 93 | Tazlov | 8b (E9) | Mari Augusta Salvesen, Dec 2022 |
| 94 | Patresence | 8b (E9) | Angus Kille, 13th Sep 2024 |
| 95 | Marsianin | 8b (E9) | Dmitry Fakiryanov, 2025 |
| 96 | Sulualliansen | 8b (E9) | - |
| 97 | Kärlek | 8b (E8) | Petter Restorp, 2nd Nov 2007 |
| 98 | Tainted Love | 8b (E8) | Hazel Findlay, 2017 |
| 99 | Ty Pwmpty | 8b (E8) | James McHaffie, Jul 2024 |