Elias 9A+ interview and Font 9A plans

Elias Iagnemma did the FA of Exodia (9A+) last week after projecting it for 211 sessions. Exodia is a Yu-Gi-Oh! card game where players win instantly by collecting five specific cards: one head and four limbs (two arms and two legs). It’s a game of strategy, planning, and a bit of luck. Here is Elias full story.

”The year was 2021, and I had climbed most of the hard boulders in the RifugioBarbara area. One day my wife Stefania told me: “You know, along the road there’s an old project by Christian Core that he left unfinished.” I immediately called Christian to get some information about the boulder, and he told me that yes, it was one of his projects that he had tried but eventually given up on because it was too difficult. From that moment something switched inside me—I can’t really explain it—but just knowing that a legend of world bouldering had abandoned a project because of its extreme difficulty pushed me to work even harder to overcome my limits. If I remember correctly, my first session on Exodia was on June 11th, 2021.

During my first approach to the boulder, I thought: this is impossible. The line is truly intricate and complex; it took me a very long time to find the correct beta. In the lower section you have several options to get through, none of which really change the difficulty—it’s just a matter of adapting to the most efficient solution. I spent countless sessions figuring out and absorbing those movements. Then comes the second part of the puzzle, the one that demanded the most from me. All my focus was there. After around two years of attempts, I finally found the optimal beta and managed to solve that upper section. To help myself mentally, I tried dividing the climb into two halves: the first being a hard 8B+, and the second an 8C+. These two sections are “split” by an upside-down rest under the roof with a double knee-bar. Unfortunately, this rest is good for recovering the arms, but it really tires out the legs and core, which are essential for getting through the most extreme part of the boulder.”

How much focus have you given Exodia since 2021?
Exodia has been the primary focus of these years of my life. Every training session and every thought revolved around it. Climbing and trying other lines faded into the background. I don’t know how to explain it well, but whenever I climbed something else, I felt “held back” by the thought that even the slightest injury would destabilize me completely because it meant I couldn’t climb Exodia. I avoided anything that could compromise the process—even if that meant sacrificing the pure joy of climbing. But for me, Exodia represented the greatest effort of my climbing life, and I wanted to honor that completely, even at the cost of pleasure. The boulder sits at roughly 1500 meters, and I could try it about six months per year—three from mid-spring to mid-summer, and three from late September to late November.

How did progress vary across the different parts of the boulder?
In the early years I started the first section crouched on two underclings, because starting from a sit felt impossible. Valuing that undercling from the sit was beyond me… at the time. With that start, I climbed the first section after about a year, once I found the optimal beta. Then this season, either because of a moment of clarity or exceptional shape, I unlocked the sit start and turned the line into what I consider the perfect version. The first half is total compression on slippery holds. The first crux is valuing the undercling from the sit; the second is using a flat hold to move your feet before the big throw into the more extreme section. After countless sessions refining the beta and perfecting the execution, I think this first half is around 8B+—maybe more, since I’ve climbed several 8C boulders in fewer sessions.

The second half is what required the most time—not for the beta, since there’s really only one option, but for the sheer difficulty. First, a very hard move off a slippery, flat hold into a tiny 1.5 cm edge under the roof, then a jump to a perfect pinch. Then comes the most extreme part: two heel hooks on smooth serpentinite with extremely low friction, moving left hand to a pinch under the roof and matching on another. All while maintaining perfect heel tension that constantly wants to slip. After that is a final compression on an undercling. Once you hold that, the hard part is over, but you can still fall if you’re not clear-headed. In my mind, this second section weighs in around 8C+.

Can you tell us more about the no-hands rest?
It’s true there’s a no-hands rest, but the kneebar is on smooth serpentinite. Your arms recover, yes, but maintaining the rest burns a huge amount of core and hamstring strength—which is exactly what you need for the cruxes of the second half. Another issue is that reaching the rest from the ground means your heart rate is high, and you often feel a strong rush of blood to the head while hanging upside down. Starting the second half with clarity becomes very complicated.

Can you tell us more about the holds and style of the Boulder?
The primary element is the almost complete lack of grip on the serpentinite—it’s unique. The style is incredibly varied, containing nearly every type of movement in outdoor climbing: compressions, crimps, slopers, pinches, toe hooks, heel hooks… I could go on forever. Exodia brings together the best movements of outdoor climbing in a single boulder. That beauty is one of the reasons I endured all these years—every move is special and incredibly satisfying to execute.

Can you tell us more about your 9a+ proposal?
It was a slow—very slow—realization. The proposal came in the final weeks, when I was once again close to giving up and the fifth year of attempts was approaching. After climbing Burden, I thought Exodia might be harder—but I wanted a real test. I felt in incredible shape and thought I’d climb Exodia quickly. The opposite happened. I returned and couldn’t repeat the final singles or the end section. I spent several days re-solving that part. This made me realize that Exodia didn’t just require pulling hard or being in shape—it needed everything at 100%. That contributed to my grade proposal.

What are your winter plans?
I am going to Fontainebleau to climb the classics and to try Soudain seul (9A).

How much do you train indoors during the winter and how is it organized?
I am training only three months per year. The basics of my training are the MoonBoard, hangboard, and some sessions on the Kilter Board and Tension Board. During the training months I also do a little bit of weight training.