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