Nathan Phillips makes first ascent of Deep Fake, 8C+/V16

On December 3, 2024, climber Nathan Phillips made the first ascent of "Deep Fake," a 8C+/V16 boulder at Brione Boulder in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.

It's the 30-year-old's hardest boulder to date and he's spent six years working on the project, making multiple trips to Brione to build and train this replica problem indoors.

Phillips posted the following on his Instagram:

“It’s been a battle since I first attempted this project on my first trip to Brione in 2018. It’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever climbed. It took me eight try sessions to get all the movements down and about 50 tries to finally achieve it (plus probably another 50 tries on the replica).

It was far from a perfect attempt, and every move was a struggle, but that only made it more satisfying to reach the top. It was honestly the best feeling I've ever had while climbing, and I don't think that's going to fade anytime soon."

Posted by nathanphillipsclimbing

Items worn: Beige Iggy Pants, Street T

On the difficulty of climbing

In climbing, each route has a number called a "grade" that indicates the difficulty.
For example, in Japan there are the following classifications:

• ~ Level 6 (for beginners) → Large footholds and handholds make it easy to climb
• Level 1 to Level 4 (for intermediate players) → The grips are small, so strength and technique are required
• First dan to third dan and above (for advanced climbers) → Quite difficult, even professionals may not be able to climb it

The V grade (V0 to V17) is a difficulty rating scale that originated in the United States, with the higher the number, the more difficult it is.

• V0-V2 (for beginners) → Stable footholds and easy climbing
• V3 to V6 (for intermediate level) → Small grips, requires strength and technique
• V7-V10 (for advanced players) → Quite difficult, requires finger strength and core strength
• V11-V14 (top class) - a level that even the world's best climbers struggle with
• V15-V17 (superhuman level) - difficulty that only a few people in the world can climb

People tend to think that climbing is about "you can climb if you have strong muscles," but in fact "balance," "movement ingenuity," and "endurance" are also important. The more difficult the route, the more you need to use your body and your brain, not just your muscles.

If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can do it safely at your local bouldering gym.