# Five Routes That Defy Climbers

> Five routes that have defied climbers for years.
- Title: Five Routes That Defy Climbers · Gripped Magazine | Shortify
- Summary: Five routes that have defied climbers for years. Only Adam Ondra has repeated all five 5.15d routes.
- Keywords: silence, duality of man, b.i.g., café colombia, dna, flatanger, dry canyon, racó de la finestra, verdon gorge, nfl, seahawks, seattle
- Source: Gripped Magazine — https://gripped.com/profiles/these-five-routes-are-the-hardest-climbs-in-the-world
- Author: gripped
- Published: 2026-09-28T21:17:01+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: silence, duality of man, b.i.g., café colombia, dna, flatanger, dry canyon, racó de la finestra, verdon gorge, nfl, seahawks, seattle
## Silence 5.15d
Adam Ondra first climbed Silence in 2017 after bolting it in 2012. Only he has repeated it.

> When I was climbing through the crux of this route, I felt like if I was in my own world, with my mind in complete silence, my body relaxed and flowing up the moves in complete harmony despite the extreme difficulty of the moves. When I reached the anchor, I wanted to scream, but I could not. Too overwhelmed to break the silence.
## Duality of Man 5.15d
Sean Bailey first climbed Duality of Man in Dry Canyon, Arizona in March 2025 after four years of effort.

> After four total years and three seasons of climbing, I was able to climb Duality. Dry Canyon did not offer easy tactics. With only an hour or two of shade per day and sporadic weather windows, I had to find a level of patience unlike any other route I've climbed.
## B.I.G. 5.15d
Jakob Schubert first climbed B.I.G. in Flatanger, Norway in September 2023 after multiple attempts.

> I battled skin issues on the climb, preventing my projecting process.
## Café Colombia 5.15d
Jorge Díaz-Rullo first climbed Café Colombia in Margalef, Spain in March 2024 after 240 days.

> After 240 days, everything aligned, and my dream became real. A fight I will remember forever.
## DNA 5.15d
Seb Bouin first climbed DNA in Verdon Gorge, France in 2022 after 150 days of attempts.

> There would be two possible scenarios, 9b+ or 9c. Choosing 9b+ would be playing it safe. Choosing 9c would be taking a risk.
## Key takeaway

Only Adam Ondra has repeated all five 5.15d routes.