Brooke Raboutou gets third ascent of Excalibur (F9b+)
- Thursday 10th April 2025
American climber and Paris silver medalist Brooke Raboutou has made the third ascent - the first by a female - of Excalibur (F9b+) in Arco, Italy, pushing female sport climbing to within a single grade of the top standard of F9c.
‘You asked for everything, but gave me even more in return.’ Said Brooke Raboutou announcing news of her third ascent of Excalibur to the world. Climbers around the globe were quick to recognise the historic significance of Brooke’s ascent and congratulatory comments from the world’s top climbers poured onto Brooke’s Instagram feed in recognition of her achievement.
Remarkably, it was Brooke’s first ninth-grade sport route; yes, that’s correct Brooke, hadn’t previously climbed F9b, F9a+ or even F9a. Notwithstanding her bouldering ability that Brooke skipped those grades and opted to try Excalibur at F9b+, it is audacious; that she succeeded is a true testament to her tenaciousness, her resilience and – obviously – her climbing ability!
Her ascent of Excalibur is not only a personal triumph but one that all female (and male - of course) climbers can celebrate too; for the first time ever, a female climber has climbed a F9b+ sport route taking the standard of female climbing to within one grade of F9c - the current top grade of that achieved by male climbers. Previously, Angela Eiter broke into the F9b grade when she climbed La Planta de Shiva F9b in 2017 yet whilst Laura Rogora, Julia Chanourdie and Anak Verhoeven have also climbed F9b since, none have been able to push standards to F9b+. Prior to Brooke’s ascent of Excalibur, less than ten climbers have ever climbed F9b+.
Brooke’s ascent of Excalibur comes just weeks after Will Bosi made the second ascent – two years to the day after Stefano Ghisolfi made the first ascent (read here). As is becoming increasingly common, Brooke has worked on Excalibur with other climbers refining her beta. In Brooke's case, she worked Excalibur alongside her brother Shawn Raboutou in a first trip to the area in the autumn of 2024. Similarly, Will Bosi worked Excalibur with Stefano Ghisolfi prior to the original ascent and more latterly with Jane Svecova as well as with Brooke and Shawn Raboutou.
Rightly, Brooke is immensely proud of her ascent as her “letter” to Excalibur on social media attests:
‘Dear Excalibur,
Thank you for the lessons. From the start, I was drawn to you — something about your unrelenting intensity. Our relationship swayed over time. Some days felt like effortless harmony; on others, we fought, our voices raised. Still, the way you pushed me was like none before. You forced me to confront my fears, detach from expectation, and feed every flicker of belief I could find. You taught me to argue with doubt until it began to doubt itself. You asked for everything, but gave me even more in return.
To everyone who supported me on this big goal — thank you. I’m endlessly grateful for my people, and for the connections this climb brought into my life. It means more than I can say.’