Sean Bailey has made the sixth ascent of Alphane 9a in Chironico, Switzerland.

First climbed by Shawn Raboutou in 2022, subsequent repeats have fallen to Aidan Roberts, Will Bosi, Simon Lorenzi, Jakob Schubert and now Bailey.

Alphane was the world's 4th 9A after Nalle Hukkataival's Burden of Dreams, Daniel Woods' Return of the Sleepwalker and Simon Lorenzi's Soudain Seul.

On Instagram, Bailey wrote simply: 

'Alphane (green check)'

Bailey has not revealed any further details about Alphane on Instagram. More information to follow. 

The ascent caps another year of top-end climbs by the 28-year-old American. Earlier this year, Bailey made the first ascent of a new 9A boulder, Shaolin in Red Rocks, Nevada. He also added a new 8C+ with a first ascent of Devilution on the Grandpa Peabody Boulder, in the Buttermilks, USA. More recently in October, he repeated Ryuichi Murai's Floatin' 8C+ in Mizugaki, Japan.