Downgrades that shaped the bouldering and climbing scene

A broken hold, a new beta, or simply a difference of opinion: there are many reasons a boulder or route gets downgraded. Lacrux has collected five downgrades that drew particular attention or were historically important. The selection is subjective, but I still found it very worth reading.

The most recent case is The Megg in Squamish. Gabe Lawson made the first ascent in January 2023, which would have been Canada's first 8C+. Andy Lamb repeated the boulder in June 2023 and considered it 8B+ at most. According to research by Climbing Magazine in September 2026, Lawson was unable to provide evidence for his ascents.

Another example: in 2023 Katie Lamb became the first woman to climb 8C+ with Box Therapy in Rocky Mountain National Park. Shortly afterwards Brooke and another Raboutou sibling repeated the boulder and downgraded it to 8C, after which Dave Graham and Drew Ruana followed suit. Katie Lamb later reclaimed the first female 8C+ ascent with The Dark Side in Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley.

And then there is "Barefoot" Charles Albert, who notoriously climbs without shoes. His first 9A, No Kpote Only in Fontainebleau, was downgraded twice after its first ascent in 2018: in 2019 to 8C+ and in 2020 to 8C.

I like the core message: grades are subjective, and consensus takes time. And a downgrade cannot make a great achievement any smaller.

Source: Lacrux