Uncut: barefoot Charles Albert - No kpote only (proposed 9A/V17) FA

In Uncut: barefoot Charles Albert - No kpote only (proposed 9A/V17) FA, mellow drops you into a razor-focused moment from January 2019 as Charles Albert commits to his long-standing project, No Kpote Only—barefoot, understated, and aiming straight at the top end of bouldering’s mythic scale. With the first ascent carrying a proposed 9A/V17, the film captures that electric intersection of obsession, precision, and the quiet confidence of a climber who’s been living with a line for years. What makes this short uncut watch so gripping is how little it needs to say: the movement speaks, the tension builds in real time, and every smear and toe placement feels amplified by the choice to climb barefoot. Add the ongoing grade conversation—Ryohei Kameyama’s repeat and the suggestion of 8C+/9A—and you’ve got a snapshot of cutting-edge bouldering where style, difficulty, and debate all collide in under two minutes.

mellow · 1:38

In January 2019, Charles Albert barefoot climbed his longstanding project, proposing the mythical 9A/V17 grade. A year later, Ryohei Kameyama repeated the line and suggested 8C+/9A. Time will tell how hard this boulder actually is, but for now it stays as one of the hardest ascents ever, and barefoot... Video by Lucien Martinez