Burden of Dreams (climb)

Burden of Dreams is a very hard rock climbing challenge, called a boulder climb. It is a 4-metre (13 ft) tall piece of red granite near the town of Loviisa in Finland. This climb is special because it was the first in the world to be given the hardest known grade for bouldering, called 9A (V17).

The climb was first done by a Finnish climber named Nalle Hukkataival in 2016, after he spent four years trying different ways to climb it. His achievement was impressive, and he received an award for his skill. Many of the world’s best climbers tried to do the climb after him, but they could not succeed for many years.

Finally, in 2023, a Scottish climber named Will Bosi managed to climb it too. He practiced using a special copy of the climb’s moves before trying the real one in Finland. Since then, companies have started selling copies of the holds from Burden of Dreams for people to practice on.

Ascents

The climb called Burden of Dreams has been completed by several climbers:

• Nalle Hukkataival – 23 October 2016
• William Bosi – 12 April 2023
• Simon Lorenzi – 27 December 2023
• Elias Iagnemma – 25 March 2024
• Sung Su Lee – 10 May 2025
• Makoto Yamauchi [ja] – 4 April 2026
• Noah Wheeler – 14 May 2026

Filmography

The climb "Burden of Dreams" has been shown in two short films. The first film, The Lappnor Project, came out in 2017 by Blue Kangoo Films. It shows the first time the climb was done by Nalle Hukkataival. The second film, Burden of Dreams, was released in 2023 by Crimp Films and Band of Birds. This film focuses on Bosi’s second time climbing the route.