In November 2025, Elias Iagnemma made the first ascent of Exodia in Italy, and proposed a grade of V18 (9A+). The boulder was first envisioned by Christian Core and features a 60-degree overhang, around 25 hand moves, and is approximately eight meters long.<\/p>\n
Describing Exodia, Iagnaemma said it starts with a hard V14 into a no-hands inverted double knee-bar rest, followed by a V16 section with a very powerful crux move. It took him 211 sessions over the course of four and a half years to send. \u201cI\u2019m not saying it\u2019s the hardest boulder in the world,\u201d said Iagnemma, \u201cI\u2019m saying it\u2019s the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Iagnaemma considers the second half V16, it\u2019s rumoured that Adam Ondra, who\u2019s climbed Soudain Seul V17, considers the second half hard V15 \u2013 according to V17 climber Aidan Roberts on the Testpiece Podcast<\/a>. That slightly lower grade might slightly lower the overall grade of Exodia. Thanks to his height, Ondra has reportedly found slightly different beta through the crux.<\/p>\n Iagnemma has climbed some of the hardest boulders in the world. In March 2024, he became the fourth ascensionist of Burden of Dreams V17. In January 2025, he made the first ascent of The Big Slamm V17 in Italy. Earlier this year, Iagnemma tried Soudain Seul V17, but didn\u2019t get the send.<\/p>\n Other Boulder News<\/p>\n Ryuichi Murai, who\u2019s climbed Burden of Dreams V17 and Return of the Sleepwalker V17,\u00a0 is working on a new hard project in Japan dubbed the Daihang Project, with around six sessions invested so far. It\u2019s estimated to be V16 or harder.<\/p>\n Mei Kotake has climbed Sent Hazel Grace V14, Quiet Storm V14 and\u00a0Pi V15, becoming the 12th woman to climb a V15 boulder. Read more about her sends here<\/a>.\u00a0Sam Weir has climbed Permanent Midnight V15 after around four weeks of work, noting there might be an even lower start.<\/p>\n