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“Downgrading isn’t mean…” – Yannick Flohé Suggests V14 for Will Bosi’s Brain Rot
German climber Yannick Flohé has been climbing hard boulders, finding them easier – at least in terms of grade – than previous ascensionists. He recently announced his ascent of Will Bosi’s Brain Rot in Magic Wood, Switzerland. He suggested V14, two grades below Bosi’s initial assessment of V16. He also recently announced his ascent of Nathaniel Coleman’s No One Mourns the Wicked in Colorado, proposing a downgrade from V17 to V16.
“A successful day in the woods, sending this chossy piece of rock,” said Flohé on Instagram when announcing his ascent. “[Will Bosi] made the first ascent not too long ago with some weird, hard beta and graded it [V16]. After a lot of repeats, some new micro beta was found, and the climb now feels more like [V14] to me. Did a few laps as well since lead season is just around the corner.
“Grading is weird, so here’s a little reminder to give your honest opinion about grades. Downgrading isn’t mean the grading system doesn’t make much sense without honest feedback.”
Bosi established Brain Rot in April of last year. The difficulty of the problem essentially comes down to a three-move crimp sequence, where holding tension is key. Brain Rot was discovered by Dave Graham, who also introduced Bosi to the line. The problem has now seen five repeats since Bosi’s FA. Tamas Zupan made the second ascent, Simon Lorenzi the third, and Sam Weir the fourth. Like Bosi, Zupan and Lorenzi called the problem V16. Weir, on the other hand, suggested a downgrade to V15. Nicolai Užnik was the fifth to top the problem, and when he announced his ascent on Instagram, he said “Since it took me more or less only an hour to climb it, I personally don‘t think it‘s [V16], even if it suits me really well.”
Flohé is a well-rounded climber who excels on plastic and rock, both on boulders and on a rope. He made history last year in July when he became the first climber to flash V15 with his ascent of Foundation’s Edge V15 in Fionnay, Switzerland. The following month, he made the second ascent of Alex Megos’ Ratstaman Vibrations in Céüse, suggesting an upgrade from 5.15b to 5.15b/c. It was his first of the grade. In December, he made the fourth ascent of Stefano Ghisolfi’s Excalibur 5.15c in Drena, near Arco, Italy.
Flohé has completed many hard classics in Switzerland and France over the past few years. In February 2025, he made the third ascent of Story of 3 Worlds V16. In 2023, he sent two V16s and two V15s: Return of the Dreamtime V16, Ephyra V16, La Force Tranquille V15, and From Dirt Grows the Flowers V15. In 2022, he repeated the famous Off the Wagon Sit V16.
Will Bosi’s First Ascent of Brain Rot
The post “Downgrading isn’t mean…” – Yannick Flohé Suggests V14 for Will Bosi’s Brain Rot appeared first on Gripped Magazine.