Jakob Schubert's Historical First Ascent of B.I.G. 5.15d

In 2023, Jakob Schubert made the first ascent of “Project Big,” a massive route in Flatanger, Norway. It was a long-standing project that top climbers from around the world attempted over the years. Schubert has named it B.I.G. and graded it 5.15d. He fought a deep pump, wet sections and a broken hold. Around 4,000 people watched the livestream when he clipped the chains.

The climb is an epic overhanging line through Hanshelleren cave that was first envisioned by Adam Ondra. It’s the king line of the crag, and was one of the last hard projects in the area. Ondra bolted the line during the same period in which he bolted Silence 5.15d. Before he sent Silence, Ondra referred to the climb as “Project Hard” due to it’s fierce boulder problems. He left it for a later date as he knew the lengthy route would take a lot of time to compete.

“I can’t believe this is actually over,” Schubert said after his send. About the broken hold, he noted, “This horn could have ended my career. This was the biggest mental battle that I have ever had in my career with a route. I have never tried a route that much. This is actually the first lead route that I have tried and didn’t finish in one trip. I have almost tried it for two months.”

A few days after his send, he posted this on social:  It took me a while to sort out my thoughts about my most important ascent so far. I’d like to start with a huge shoutout to Adam Ondra for bolting this incredible line and inviting me to try it with him. It was such a cool process and in the end it does feel like a team ascent to me, since we helped each other so much and figured out the route much quicker that way. I‘d have never been able to send this beast without you, Adam and fully appreciate the effort that goes into finding and bolting such a king line. Without a doubt, B.I.G is 5 stars and I can’t wait for more people to try it.

My reflections regarding the grade: When we started trying this route last year, I initially thought it could very easily be 9c, but after making a lot of progress very quickly and feeling pretty close on it after 2 weeks already, Adam and me both were pretty confident it’ll be 9b+. But somehow we tried a lot more and didn’t make much progress and in hindsight I don’t even think we were actually that close, because we were mostly struggling to stick the crux move and believed to be in for the send once that happens. Knowing how my attempts unfolded this season puts things into a different perspective, as I stuck that move four times without sending.

My reference for 9b+ is Perfecto Mundo which I sent in about 3 weeks of work and which felt way easier to me than B.I.G. The only other guy who tried B.I.G. a lot is Adam and I’m happy he shared all his opinions with me which definitely helped me draw my conclusions.
I felt at a point where I had found the most efficient way possible for me, the whole route was worked out perfectly and I didn’t see any room for improvement. So all that it came down to was my physical & mental shape which I think are very good right now. Given the current information that I have and considering Adam’s opinion, it feels right to propose 9c and I’m looking forward to see what time will tell. 

B.I.G. First Ascent

About Schubert

Austrian Jakob Schubert (born Dec. 31, 1990) is a four-time World Champion (2012, 2018, 2021, 2023) and three-time World Cup winner (2011, 2014, 2018) in lead climbing. Schubert earned Olympic bronze medals in the combined event at the 2020 and 2024 Games. As of 2023, he holds the record for the most men's IFSC gold medals in competition climbing history.