Giuliano Cameroni has just announced his ascent of Adularia V15 (8C) in Gottardo, Switzerland, a compression-style problem that relies on strong heel hooking and technical toe hooks. The Swiss climber has now topped at least 25 problems graded V15, in addition to five V16s.
“I was able to climb this classic compression in Gottardo back in May, when the pass had just opened and the temps were perfect,” said Cameroni on Instagram. “Conditions really matter for me. In past seasons I was always greasing off the crux due to lack of friction. Turns out that when it’s 4°C out, this problem ceases to exist: the rock grains keep their texture and, even after 30 seconds on the wall, chalk stays chalk instead of turning into soap, which would lead to an inevitable loss of contact.
“Finding conditions is actually one of my favorite aspects of bouldering. It puts you in a meditative state where you have to be aware of the surroundings as well as your own body and its rhythm. Let the body, not the mind, decide when it’s time to try and when it’s time to rest. Now it’s time to head to my favorite valley in Switzerland and keep chasing some more crispy conditions.”
Dave Graham established Adularia in September 2023. At the time of his FA, Graham also took note of the struggle to find good conditions in Gottardo, saying “Gottardo is ultra tricky to find sending conditions considering all the rain, fog, or heat. So finding your window requires patience, strategy, and attacking without fear when the moment presents itself!” He also said, “…the low-percentage toe hooks really fucked with me, and the friction-dependent crux of Bonjour Finesse repeatedly thwarted me, despite having it super dialled.”
Adularia has seen many repeats, including those from Stefano Ghisolfi, Sam Weir, Marco Müller, and Jorge Díaz-Rullo – who topped the boulder in three sessions of effort.
Cameroni is a prolific first ascensionist in Switzerland. He’s established many of the country’s hardest and finest lines, with examples like REM V16, Poison the Well V16, Mystic River V15, and Hazel Grace V15, among many, many others. According to his 8a.nu page, he has four V16s and 22 V15s to his name, with many of them being first ascents. Cameroni has established three hard lines so far in 2026 in Ticino: Baby Shark V15, Trentatré Trentini V15 and Bim Bam Bum V13/V14. He also flashed The Missing Piece V13 back in March.
Sam Weir Climbing Andularia V15