BURSTNearly nine years have passed since Adam Ondra made the first ascent of his iconic route Silence 5.15d (9c) in Flatanger, Norway. Despite attempts from some of the best climbers in the world, Ondra’s masterpiece remains unrepeated. Will Bosi has just announced that he has climbed the crux boulder problem of the route, which he believes is V16 (8C+). Bosi has five V17 ascents to his name, more than any other climber other than Simon Lorenzi, who also has five. You can watch Bosi’s clean link of the Silence crux in his Instagram video embedded below.
“After around 20 sessions over 2 trips, I was finally able to send the crux boulder and honestly one of the hardest boulders of my life,” said Bosi on Instagram. “Although [it] is just one small part of the whole route, it feels like a massive milestone and the full line feels possible now. Thanks so much for all the support. I’ll keep trying!”
The V16 crux Bosi is referring to was called “V15 hard” by Ondra. However, it took Ondra three seasons to dial the beta and send it. Another fact to consider is that V15 has become a grade that Ondra can now take down in a single go – between November 2025 and March 2026, he racked up four V15 flashes. Perhaps these are all hints that Ondra’s original assessment of V15 was indeed a classic sandbag.
Bosi is now the third climber ever to complete the crux. Stefano Ghisolfi unlocked it using lightly different beta than Ondra. Ghisolfi had his first session on the route in 2022, and it wasn’t until 2024 that he sent the crux.
Last year, in a live Q&A on YouTube about his progress on Silence, Bosi said: “For [V15] it just doesn’t feel right. Compared to where modern boulder grades are, I think it’s probably more like [a V16] boulder. I think it’s really hard. The route essentially comes down to that. From then on, if you stick the first crux, you’re realistically going to top the route, even though the top of the route by itself, from the end of crux one, is [5.14d].”
But as Bosi pointed out, the crux is only one part of the route. Silence begins with a 5.13d/5.14a section for the first 15 meters, followed by a good rest on a no-hands kneebar where the climber can change their rope to reduce rope drag. The next section brings the grade up to 5.14a, ending with an upside-down no-hands knee bar rest.
Another boulder follows, which Ondra calls V7 and Bosi V5 – Ondra takes a strenuous no-hands knee bar rest, but Bosi employs alternate beta involving a fist jam and thinks the knee bar rest is unnecessary. Next comes the inverted crux followed by a kneebar rest. Bosi has previously said this one is still core-intensive and not fully restful.
After the rest, according to Ondra and Ghisolfi, there is a V13 boulder to a poor rest. Bosi believes this section to be a little easier, more like a V12. Then there is another V12 to an “amazing rest, like full recover borderline,” says Bosi. The route ends on a V4 boulder. Bosi agrees with the assessment of the final two sections, V12 and V4.
Between Bosi’s latest milestone and Ghisolfi’s strength gains from all of his bouldering over the last year, maybe 2026 will finally be the year Silence receives its long-awaited second ascent.
Adam Ondra First Ascent of Silence 5.15d
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