BURSTAs of fall 2025, there are three routes that have been graded 5.15d, with none of them being repeated. Below are the three hardest graded sport climbs in the world with some history.
Silence 5.15d: Bolted by Adam Ondra in 2012 and first climbed by Ondra in 2017, the 45-metre cave route is found at Flatanger, Norway. While many strong climbers have tried it, only Ondra has been able to link every move. After his send, Ondra said, “When I was climbing through the crux of this route, I felt like if I was in my own world, with my mind in complete silence, my body relaxed and flowing up the moves in complete harmony despite the extreme difficulty of the moves. When I reached the anchor, I wanted to scream, but I could not. Too overwhelmed to break the silence.” Will Bosi, who’s climbed five V17s, is currently projecting Silence and making big links – follow his progress here.
DNA 5.15d: Found in France’s Verdon Gorge, DNA was bolted by Seb Bouin who tried it more than 250 times over 150 days before getting the first ascent in 2022. The 50-metre overhanging route starts with 5.14c, climbs through a V11 and V12 problem and heads into another 5.14c sequence. “There would be two possible scenarios, 9b+ [5.15c] or 9c [5.15d],” said Bouin. “Choosing 9b+ [5.15c] would be playing it safe. Choosing 9c would be taking a risk. I have been playing it safe since 2014 on this cliff by proposing very tight grades. And in the end, nobody has repeated one of these routes.” Adam Ondra and Jakob Schubert have both tried DNA with no success.
BIG 5.15d: In September 2023, Jakob Schubert made the first ascent of this monster route in Flatanger, Norway. The route was bolted by Adam Ondra and attempted by some of the world’s best climbers. In summer 2025, Alex Megos spent the month projecting it. He battled skin issues on the climb, opening up some severe splits that will likely take a long time to heal properly. Stefano Ghisolfi has also been projecting BIG and Silence.
The post World’s Hardest Sport Climbs as of Fall 2025 appeared first on Gripped Magazine.