Italian climber Pietro Vidi has made the second ascent of Drifter’s Escape in Squamish, confirming Connor Herson’s proposed 5.15a (9a+) grade. The steep, gear-protected granite route is now the world’s first trad climb with a confirmed 5.15a grade. Its technical sequences, demanding protection choices and pressure at the final move made the ascent a test of precision as much as strength.

By the Numbers
  • 15 sessions and 10 lead attempts for Vidi’s ascent.
  • Nearly 70 feet of climbing between ledges.
  • Two boulder problems rated around V11, with 5.13 crack climbing between them.
  • 5.15a (9a+): the confirmed grade.
Yes, But

Herson proposed the grade after judging the route harder than other difficult crack climbs he had tried, and Vidi’s ascent supports that assessment. Still, climbing grades are proposals grounded in experience, not objective measurements; the route’s place at the top of trad climbing rests on climbers’ evaluations.

Bottom Line

Vidi’s ascent turns Herson’s groundbreaking proposal into a confirmed benchmark: Drifter’s Escape is the first trad climb to earn a consensus 5.15a grade.