Gripped Magazine
Aidan Roberts Flashes Classic V14 in Austria
Aidan Roberts has just announced his flash ascent of Bügeleisen V14 (8B+) in Maltalal, Austria. This matches his hardest flash grade ever – in 2023, he flashed Momentum V14 in Ticino, Switzerland. Until July of last year, V14 was the hardest bouldering grade ever flashed, but in July, Yannick Flohé pushed the boundaries with his flash of Foundation’s Edge V15 in Fionnay, Switzerland.
Bügeleisen was established by Klem Loskot in 2001. The problem is crimpy, and its severely overhanging flat face resembles the object after which it was named, an iron. Bügeleisen has seen repeats from many top climbers, including Nalle Hukkataival, Paul Robinson, Yannick Flohé, and Katie Lamb. In 2022, Janja Garnbret made the first female ascent of the problem. Two years later, she also made the FFA of the sit-start version of the problem, which clocks in at V15.
“There are few better in the world,” said Roberts on Instagram. “It’s rare to find rock good enough for thin, incut crimps to be completely solid on a steep face. To flash felt like a pure challenge of execution. I had margin on each move, but not enough to make any mistakes. About as satisfying as it gets. I’d wanted to visit Maltatal for years, and finally made it there in October with Katie Lamb. It was as much a holiday as a climbing trip. Low expectations meant relaxed sessions and plenty of rainy rest day trips to the Konditorei.
“After last winter, I had a lot of work to do over the summer to have a chance on any of my projects. Training was hard on the body and my confidence waned a little when some overuse finger injuries crept in. But I worked around them, trusting that time on rock would set things right. I knew the crux of this winter would be self-belief, consistently showing up and maintaining motivation despite inevitable setbacks. Our little trip to Austria worked a charm. I refamiliarised myself with rock, healed my fingers, and returned to Yosemite with some pep in my step!”
The 27-year-old climber from the U.K. is one of the top boulderers on the planet. He has three V17s to his name. In October 2022, he was the first climber to repeat Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane V17. He was also the first British climber to tick the grade. In February 2024, he made the first ascent of Spots of Time V17 in the U.K.’s Lake District. The following month, he made the first ascent of Arrival of the Birds V17 in Chironico, Switzerland. In early January, he announced his first ascent of The Bee’s Knees V14 (8B+) in Yosemite, a project first found by Randy Puro. Roberts described the climb as “a striking line of sloped edges on sandstone-textured granite.” Roberts has several V16 first ascents, including Vecchio Leone Sit and The Lion’s Share in Switzerland and Superpowers and Isles of Wonder Sit in the U.K., the first two of the grade in the country.
Paul Robinson Climbing Bügeleisen V14
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