Michaela Kiersch has made the first female ascent of Dreamtime, 8C, at Cresciano, Switzerland.

The boulder was first climbed by Fred Nicole in the year 2000. With a proposed a grade of 8C, Dreamtime was - at the time - the hardest boulder in the world.

After seeing repeats from some of the best climbers of the 2000's, including Dave Graham, Chris Sharma, Dai Koyamada, and Adam Ondra, the grade of the boulder settled at a slightly lower 8B+.

At the time, the 50 degree overhanging boulder broke down into two sections, a crimpy lower section, which led to a 20mm edge for the right hand, and a pinch for the left hand. From this point the climber would dyno out to the sloping lip of the boulder with the right hand, traversing left whilst keeping the left hand low on the boulder's face on a series of undercuts, before eventually matching the lip of the boulder and topping out. 

However, in the winter of 2009, the crux pinch on the boulder broke off, leaving a slightly lower crimp in its place. The break made both the dyno to the lip and the traverse thereafter significantly harder, but both were still possible, and subsequent ascents of the 'post-break' Dreamtime from Paul Robinson, Giuliano Cameroni, and Will Bosi - amongst others - saw the grade settle in line with Nicole's original grade of 8C.

Kiersch's ascent of Dreamtime is her first at the grade, making her just the ninth woman to have climbed 8C. She is also the first woman to have climbed both an 8C boulder and a 9a+ route, having climbed both La Rambla Extension at the beginning of 2023, and Victima Perfecta in April this year.

Sharing news of her ascent on social media, Kiersch said:

'Words escape me at the moment. I can't believe I brought this dream down from the stars and into my own hands. I'm forever grateful to share the world's first 8C as my own and thank you Fred Nicole for this iconic boulder'.

Check out the video below to see Bernd Zangerl making the boulder's second ascent back in 2001, as well as some close up shots of the holds: