Fred Nicole

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Fred Nicole is a Swiss rock climber, notable for his numerous cutting edge first ascents. Nicole was the first climber to open a problem with the bouldering grades F8B, F8B+ and F8C.

Like many elite rock climbers, Nicole refuses to grade his own climbs, suggesting that subjectivity and variation in climbing style make it too difficult to reliably grade problems.

Notable ascents:

Dreamtime. Cresciano, Switzerland. (8B+/V14) This boulder was once considered 8c before it was chipped and downgraded to 8b+.
Slashface F8B+, Hueco Tanks, USA
Fatman sit-start F8B, Fontainebleau, France
Pierre Philosophale F8B, Fontainebleau, France
Karma F8A+, Fontainebleau, France
Hale Bopp, F7C+(8a), Fontainebleau, France
Terre de Siene, 8B+/V14, Hueco Tanks, TX
Terremer, V15/16?, Hueco Tanks State Park, Texas, USA - link-up of Diaphanous Sea and Terre de Siene
El Techo de los Tres B, 8B/+, Hueco Tanks State Park, Texas, USA
Entlinge, V15/16?, Switzerland
Amandla, V15/16?, South Africa
Repeated Witness the Fitness in The Ozarks, Arkansas on December,23 2006. FA by Chris Sharma.
Bain de Sang, f9a in Saint Loup, Switzerland (route, FA on 1993-09-01). It is the world's second 9a, after Action Directe (by Wolfgang Gullich). Some have surmised that Bain de Sang is more likely 8c+. E.g., Iker Pou, who has repeated both routes, stated that Bain de Sang is a grade easier than the benchmark 9a Action Directe. Also, see Dave Graham.
Elfe, 8c+ in Grimsel, Switzerland (route, FA on 1997-03-01) .

[edit] Trivia

Fred Nicole has claimed in interview that he doesn't think that he could do a single one arm chin-up. By comparison, Chris Sharma has stated in interview that he trains with sets of one finger, one arm chin-ups.

Nicole has jokingly asserted that Big Macs are his favorite food.

Hueco Tanks is reputedly Nicole's favorite bouldering site, according to an assertion of his in 1990. In 2005, he opened new problems in this area that are thought to have a difficulty of V15 or harder.