Jakob Schubert has turned a proposal into a fact. On 10 October 2026, the Austrian made the second ascent of Seb Bouin's DNA at La Ramirole, in France's Verdon Gorge. His repeat confirmed the grade: DNA is now the world's first confirmed 9c, or 5.15d.
Nine tries, watched by 180,000
The send came on Schubert's ninth livestreamed redpoint attempt, after about a week of tries on the 55-metre line. On an earlier attempt he had reached a highpoint, nearly through the route's long crux, and on one day he livestreamed two tries with about three hours of rest between them. Around 180,000 people watched on YouTube that afternoon, and Adam Ondra's congratulations became the top comment on the send video.
DNA favours taller climbers, and at 5'9" Schubert found it only harder the shorter the climber. He could copy much of Bouin's beta from the first-ascent video, which saved a lot of time.
First climber with two 5.15d routes
The repeat made Schubert the first climber to complete two routes at the grade. He made the first ascent of B.I.G. in Flatanger, Norway, in 2023, and called DNA's projecting more daunting, with its many small, hard sections. He has climbed more 5.15d routes than anyone, and was also the first to send two boulder problems graded V17.
DNA was also the first 5.15d ever repeated. Adam Ondra's Silence, proposed in 2017, had stood unrepeated for nearly nine years, while three later 5.15d proposals remained unconfirmed. Bouin spent close to 200 days and roughly 250 attempts on the line before his 2022 first ascent.
What comes next
"I'm really happy," Schubert told an interviewer the day after the ascent. "I would never trade this story for anything." His wider record includes more IFSC gold medals than any male climber and podiums at both Olympic Games.
Schubert said he does not know how many more 5.15d routes he will try. He is also aiming for a third Olympic appearance at Los Angeles 2028.
