Brandenburg Gate 9a+ FA by Will Bosi

Will Bosi has made the FA of the long standing project, Brandenburg Gate (9a+) at Raven Tor. “The climb is very similar to Hubble in a sense but the sequence of moves are a lot more complex and technically demanding. I was stuck for a while on the lower section but once I was able to unlock a sequence, the route came together really quickly for me”.

Overall, it took Will eight sessions to unlock the sequence on Brandenburg and 7 redpoint attempts to finally complete the chains. The route was widely assumed to be graded 9b due to its perceived difficulty and being an open project on such a popular sport climbing destination however Bosi settled on 9a+.

“My view is that Brandenburg was a soft end 9a+, in comparison to Mutation which I regard as solid 9a+. The climbing was harder than other 9a’s I have done in the past but not by a large degree so I feel it just about deserves 9a+. However, again I look forward to seeing the route get more ascents so the grade can settle one way or the other”.

The ascent is another milestone in a breakout year for Bosi on rock where he has climbed 9b+ and claimed multiple first ascents in Spain, rapid ascents of hard boulders out in Switzerland alongside his recent exploits at Raven Tor which places him at the vanguard of the new generation of strong British talent and alongside the true elite of world sport climbing.