Niki Rusev, who last year did two 9a's, has done Hip Hop 8c+ in Karlukovo. The Bulgarian is also a very successful competition climbers who in 2021 has won the Youth World Champion in Boulder and in the European Championship, he won in both Boulder and Speed. In Lead, he has gotten one silver and bronze in the European Cup. (c) Vladimir Pekov

"Hip-hop is a mega classic route in the Prohodna cave. The first I tried the route the weather was hot and humid, so I couldn’t send it in these conditions. I trained what I missed to feel comfortable on the route. I made a simulation of the main crux in the hometown wall and was more focused on fitness exercises. I don’t know, the feeling of being a winner again came back very quickly to my mind and the rocks are the closest to that feeling. The day was windy without sun, about 10 degrees. Perfect for sending. It was in my style for sure, climbed it in eight tries during three sessions. So happy to see it worked out so fast. There are three boulder problems in the route and after each crux there is a good rest and that helped me to figure out the whole fight up to the end!"

Steve McClure, who did his first 9b at age 45, reports on Insta hat he has repeated Neil Gresham's recent FA Lexicon 8b+ R trad (E11 7a) in Pavey Park. "One of the best hard trad routes I’ve ever done. And certainly the scariest." E11 is the highest grade ever in the UK trad scale, which is based on how difficult and dangerous it is to onsight trad routes. Neil has said that it merits 8b+ difficulty and an R added means that it is dangerous. (c) Neil Gresham

Wow! So what did go through your mind falling and how many sessions did it take to send?
Reckon I had about 4 sessions on the line and a lot of info from Neil. And what went through my mind in that lob? Absolutely nothing!! It was SO quick, like an instant. Kind of unnerved me as I expected I’d have time to think or right myself.

Only 4 sessions, amazing! So you took that fall only on your third session?
This route was VERY my style, I could tell as soon as I saw it. Just off vertical, completely continuous, tiny holds and lots of them. Could not have been better. Plus, and for me at the moment, its in just the right place. CV19 obviously messed with travel, and The Lake District is so beautiful. That crag is way up there with a perfect view. I could not think of a better place to be climbing. I did try and lead it fairly quickly, but perhaps was a bit greedy. I knew I had a good chance, but also that I could still fall. I'd analysed the fall and felt it should be just OK.... it was, but only just really. Even the next day on lead, I didn't fall, but I was so close to falling even higher. I think I've a bit to learn!

How long was the fall and how close was it?
The fall was probably about 20-22m. I bounced just a meter or so above the belayer to rest maybe 3 meters above ledges. Fairly close...some margin... maybe plenty for the bold but not so much for a 51 yr old dad.

What about the 8b+ grade?
I think the grade of 8b+ is probably about right, to lead the whole thing placing the gear. There is a few moves I found really hard towards the start of the run-out section, a jump to a sloper, which taller climbers can easily reach... this may effect the grade, I can't tell for them... but maybe their bigger fingers would struggle in the crimps higher up.

Adam Ondra has had another productive weekend in Frankenjura doing two 9a's; Nice freshly baked and House of Cards, for which the latter he gives a personal 8c+ grade. The newly married 28-year-old did also onsight, One Whore’s Town logging it as an 8b. Furthermore, "retro-onsight" of Dr. Kimble auf der Flucht 8b and Odins Tafel 8a+, which he both had tried the beginning of many years ago.

Yesterday, Adam reported with a video on Insta that he has done the FA of 9a in Býčí skála. "Probably on the upper end of the grading scale 👆" The 28-year-old has now logged 188 routes 9a to 9c but it would be around 200 without all his personal grading. We all know about the grade inflation in climbing but thanks to Ondra and a few other top climbers, there is no "hyperinflation".

Adam is featured in La Sportiva - Climbing Sparkling Moments.

Alex Megos reports on Insta that he has flashed Klem Loskot's Intermezzo XY gelöst 9a in Plombergstein. "I got beta from a local, (Roland Wagner) who climbed the route some years ago. He went up, brushed the holds and gave me very detailed beta. 👌🏼"(c) Tobi Ebner

How was the flash? Robot mode with full control?
Oh yes. Total robot mode. You'll see the video in a few days 😉 Pretty much full control. Two moves were a little sketchy.

What are your autumn and winter plans?
It'll be around Europe. Maybe Spain. But let's hope Corona will allow 🙏🏼

What about competitions in 2022?
I don't know about comps yet. I don't think I'll decide until next year. Might do a few...but not sure yet 🤷🏼‍♂️

"8 Professional / Elite climbers talk about Fear of Falling, 20m Falls, Skipping quickdraws, Falling on 9a Slabs and best tips for beginner Climbers." Featuring: Ghisolfi, Graham, Dufraisse, Nonaka and Bailey and more.

Chaehyun Seo (17) had topped all three routes coming into the final. Being last out she demonstrated climbing perfection and easily surpassed the crux where both Natalia Grossman and Laura Rogora fell at the same move, with Grossman getting the silver after getting there faster. Rogora had lost time having gone for a dynamic move three times but missed it but miraculously manage to hang on while she was falling three times. Fourth was Jessica Pilz who actually skipped hold #37 which Grossman and Rogora controlled and instead touched hold #38 before falling. It should be mentioned again that the route setting in Moscow has been spot on in all rounds for both the men and women in both Boulder and Lead.

1. Chaehyun Seo KOR Top (c) Dimitris Tosidis
2. Natalia Grossman USA 37
3. Laura Rogora ITA 37
4. Jessica Pilz AUT 36+
5. Brooke Raboutou USA 35+
6. Natsuki Tanii JPN 32+
7. Dinara Fakhritdonova RUS 32+
8. Salome Romain FRA 25+
Complete results

In yet another great spectacular show in Moscow, Jakob Schubert topped out and was ahead over Luka Potocar, who had also topped it, due to countback. Jakob had to fight his way up but had full control on the last dyno to the top which Luka just barely did. Last out was Hamish McArthur who just the last month had won two golds in the Youth World Champion. Taking a very long rest just five moves from the top, sitting in the sixth position, he started to move and the clock was ticking. With some ten seconds left, he went for the top jug but was like three cm short meaning he got the bronze.

Fourth was Martin Stranik, the silver medalist in Boulder World Championship in 2007, who had his best comp season ever being 31-years-old. Fifth was Tomoa Narasaki and sixth, Sebastian Halenke who actually found a no-hands rest just five moves from the top.

1. Jakob Schubert AUT Top (c) Dimitris Tosidis
2. Luka Potocar SLO Top
3. Hamish McArthur GBR 46+
4. Martin Stranik CZE 46
5. Tomoa Narasaki JPN 46
6. Sebastian Halenke GER 44+
7. Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN 44+
8. Stefano Ghisolfi ITA 34+
Complete results

Jakob Schubert has previously won the Lead World Championship in 2012 and 2018. Including also his 19 victories in Lead World Cups, he is the best male Lead climber in history.

” “I really had to fight hard on this route,” said Schubert. “I didn’t really like the technical part on the slab, I felt like I didn’t climb so well, but somehow I recovered. Obviously, I knew there was a top already, so I knew I had to give everything to reach the top hold. I still don’t know how, but I reached it!”

Loic Zehani has done his fourth 9a+ FA in 2021, Anesthésie in Fetid Beach, which is a 60 move link up of old routes he has done. The 19-year-old, who did his first 9a in 2015, has done 35 routes 9a to 9b.

"Anesthésie is a resistance route on one and two fingers pockets. The feet are rare. It starts with "Corrida", crosses "Genocide", goes up in "H5N1" and crosses on the beautiful pillar of "Syndrome". "Corrida" is a 9a bolted and climbed by my father in 2010. It is very violent on the fingers. In 2019 it took me 6 sessions to get to the anchor and I found it hard! Note that there is still the possibility of "playing" again by starting with an 8a boulder or an 8b boulder in a roof with one-finger pockets."

1. Kokoro Fujii JPN 44
2. Tomoa Narasaki JPN 33
3. Manuel Cornu FRA 23 (2)
4. Alexsey Rubtsov RUS 23 (7)
5. Nimrod Marcus ISR 2 (9)
6. Anze Peharc SLO 2 (10)

1. Natalia Grossman USA 44 (7)
2. Camilla Moroni ITA 44 (13)
3. Stasa Gejo SRB 24
4. Elena Krasovskaia RUS 23 (2)
5. Brooke Raboutou USA 23 (3)
6. Andrea Kümin SUI 13
Complete results