Lucia Dörffel repeats Hazel Grace (Font 8B+)
- Wednesday 23rd July 2025
German Olympian Lucia Dörffel has successfully climbed the boulder problem Hazel Grace (stand start), located in Switzerland’s Gotthard Pass.
Hazel Grace (stand start) was first established by Ticino local Giuliano Cameroni in 2017, and initially given the Font 8C grade; however, subsequent ascents have now seen the grade settle at Font 8B+. There is also a sit start at Font 8C/8C+, again established by Cameroni in 2023.
Lucia managed to climb the boulder during a single trip to Switzerland last week and needed a total of six sessions to successfully solve its intricacies. This is Lucia’s first boulder problem at the Font 8B+ grade and, following Shauna Coxsey’s repeat in Summer 2024, Lucia is now only the second woman to climb the boulder.
Lucia commented, “I had this boulder in my mind for quite some time. It’s a beautiful line in one of my favourite places, and it means a lot to me. Due to some health issues, I missed a lot of training and had to skip the entire World Cup season. But that also meant more time for rock climbing. I was really excited about this trip and spending time outside.
From the very first session, checking out the moves, I knew I could climb it. By my fifth session, I was already really close, falling on the last hard move. So we decided to extend our trip by two more days.
I had one rest day and tried again the next day. The weather started to change, and it began to rain a little. But I kept trying, and the conditions were actually good for me. Everything came together on my send go. It was perfect. Standing on top of this bloc, having climbed my first Font 8B+ was a great feeling, and I’m so psyched for more.”