German climber Yannick Floh\u00e9 has been climbing hard boulders, finding them easier \u2013 at least in terms of grade \u2013 than previous ascensionists. He recently announced his ascent of Will Bosi\u2019s Brain Rot in Magic Wood, Switzerland. He suggested V14, two grades below Bosi\u2019s initial assessment of V16. He also recently announced his ascent of Nathaniel Coleman\u2019s No One Mourns the Wicked in Colorado, proposing a downgrade from V17 to V16.<\/p>\n
\u201cA successful day in the woods, sending this chossy piece of rock,\u201d said Floh\u00e9 on Instagram when announcing his ascent. \u201c[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.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrading is weird, so here\u2019s a little reminder to give your honest opinion about grades. Downgrading isn\u2019t mean the grading system doesn\u2019t make much sense without honest feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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 U\u017enik was the fifth to top the problem, and when he announced his ascent on Instagram<\/a>, he said \u201cSince it took me more or less only an hour to climb it, I personally don\u2018t think it\u2018s [V16], even if it suits me really well.\u201d<\/p>\n Floh\u00e9 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\u2019s Edge V15 in Fionnay, Switzerland. The following month, he made the second ascent of Alex Megos\u2019 Ratstaman Vibrations in C\u00e9\u00fcse, 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\u2019s Excalibur 5.15c in Drena, near Arco, Italy.<\/p>\n Floh\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n Will Bosi\u2019s First Ascent of Brain Rot<\/p>\n