Jakob Schubert has made the fifth ascent of Alphane (f9A), in Chironico, Switzerland.

The boulder was first climbed by Shawn Raboutou in 2022, and has since seen ascents from Aidan Roberts, Will Bosi, and Simon Lorenzi.

Lorenzi has since said that Alphane was 'a good step above' all the 8C+ boulders that he'd tried, and that it being graded 9A seemed 'very coherent' to him. Bosi, on the other hand, has expressed doubt over the boulder's 9A grade, stating that whilst he needs more time to climb other boulders in and around the 8C+/9A grade, he finds it 'hard to imagine that [he] can climb the top level of bouldering in that little time'.

Speaking on Instagram, Schubert said:

'Got myself the perfect Christmas present by achieving my last big goal of 2023. Sending not just my hardest but also one of my favorite boulders ever!'

'This has been a real rollercoaster ride for me, as it was high on my list of goals for the year but at the same time second to both the World Champs in Bern and Project Big'.

'I went from feeling good on the first sessions to basically being about to give up along the way, as I felt that the boulder required more focus and attention than I seemed to have available'.

'The ride had it all, from inconsistent progress and setbacks, a slip after the hard part, having to wait out bad conditions before feeling worse again on the boulder but somehow battling through, a story of personal perseverance that I'm grateful climbing can provide me with'.

'Happy Christmas everyone!'

In climbing Alphane, Schubert has not only skipped 8C+, but has also set himself apart as the only person in the world to have climbed the top grade in both bouldering and sport climbing, having made the first ascent of B.I.G (9c). in September. 

Earlier in 2023, Schubert won gold in the Men's Combined Boulder and Lead at the World Championships in Bern, and in doing so became one of the first male athletes to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024.