At 28, Aidan Roberts is one of a select few climbers operating at the 9A bouldering grade. Yet beyond the grades of Spots of Time and Arrival of the Birds, the Briton is more interested in exploring movement and attempting sequences he does not even know are possible. Now based in California, near Yosemite, Roberts met us in Italy’s bouldering mecca, Val di Mello, during a gathering of Patagonia athletes. He talks about his fascination with the unknown, his complicated relationship with grades and his approach to climbing at the highest level.
Born in 1998, Aidan Roberts grew up in the Lake District, one of the heartlands of British climbing. He came to climbing relatively late, initially competing before leaving the international circuit to focus on rock. That decision soon took him into the ranks of the world’s best boulderers. In 2022, he made the second ascent of