Janja Garnbret sends Dreamtime at Cresciano

When Fred Nicole put up Dreamtime at Cresciano on 28 October 2000, it ushered in a new new era of bouldering and, over the years. Hailed as the world's first 8C, it quickly transformed into a benchmark for a new level of climbing and the arguably the most famous boulder problem in the world, possibly even more famous than Ron Kauk's Midnight Lightening in Yosemite.

25 years have passed since Nicole's historic ascent although it no longer represents the apex of modern bouldering - this has now moved up to 9A - it remains a coveted rite-of-passage for the very best. The first female ascent was carried out by an inspired Michaela Kirsch in November 2024 and now Janja Garnbret has checked in with an equally inspirational repeat. The 26-year-old, who was a mere one and a half when Nicole established Dreamtime, needed just two sessions for the send yesterday, after a day trying the moves last January. She ended this autumn's "Dream first day in Ticino" by sending two 8B's, The Dagger 8B and La Proue 8B.

Given that Garnbret has already bouldered up to 8C (with her ascent of Bügeleisen in Austria's Maltatal in May 2024), these recent repeats are no great surprise. The sheer speed and apparent ease with which she dispatches these problems, however, remain truly bewildering.

 

 

 

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