Bruce Zou, who last week did his first 8C, has completed The Game (8C) in Boulder Canyon, and both of them barefoot. In total, it took the 37-year-old 80+ session to repeat the Daniel Woods classical testpiece from 2010. (c) Xinyang Zhou

Can you tell us more about the process taking it down?
The Game took me 4 years of serious work. It caught my eye in 2018 but I couldn’t do any of the hard moves until 2020. I figured out that shoes were blocking my progress. End of 2020, I tried barefoot and did two crux moves in one session. I believe this is my way. However barefoot making the rest of moves way harder…

I start serious in Jan 2021 and made big progress till June 2021. I almost did it but failed at the end on the jug… thing just got into my mind and I was mentally not good.

I realize it’s because my toes were not strong enough to handle the “easier” move which is the sacrifice. Also my fingers are not strong enough to hold the tiny crimp for longer than 10 seconds.

I had to move to WA for my job June 2021, and it became extremely difficult for me to come back. Every night I envision myself sending it. All these memories by recalling the details of the holds, how I grabbed them… I still couldn’t do it for the next 2 seasons… but at the same time I train my fingers and toes every day and climb barefoot outdoors on purpose.

This season it only took me one day to send and I got all the moves back in less than 2hours. Everything feels like yesterday since I had envisioned for over 800+ time in 4 years. It was my longest battle and the most satisfied thing ever in my life.

Katie Lamb reports on Instagram that she has repeated Carlo Traversi’s The Rookery (8B+) in Yosemite (CA). ”The Rookery took me many sessions and was harder for me than the grade reflects. You don’t always need to rock by the book yall.” (c) Eric Bissell

Over the last two years, the 27-year-old has climbed three 8C’s and five 8B+ boulders, solidifying her position as the top female boulderer in the world.

Evan Hau, who did his first 9a+ in 2020, has repeated Death of Villains (9a+) in Hurricave. ”Super stoked to find the magic today! I came on this trip with a single purpose, to try this masterpiece of a route by Joe Kinder. I've had a lot of success in the Hurricave and I knew DoV would suit me well and be a joy to project. Even though I had done Life of Villains previously, I had to spend a lot of time learning new subtle intricacies to make the moves much more efficient before I could fathom building the necessary power endurance to send DoV. I've never spent so much time training in the gym and taking rest days on a climbing trip before.” (c) Grzegorz Tos.

Can you tell us more about the trip and the process taking it down?
I don't generally track the number of attempts on projects but because we haven't climbed at any other sectors this trip, looking back I counted 27 days on Death of Villains. However I already had an understanding of almost the entire route before arriving on this trip. Death of Villains starts of Life of Villains, a 9a that I had done previously having tried it over 2 trips. Then there are 3 bolts of new climbing before linking into The Activator, another hard 9a that I have not sent but I spent a trip working on it previously and knew it pretty well. I also have a lot of cave fitness coming in from our trip to Rodellar last fall.

What is next?
This summer will be back home in The Bow Valley to keep trying Fight Club (9a+) and maybe looking for some new routes to develop as well.

Bruce Zou, with four 8B+’ under his belt, has done Pegasus (8C) in Joe's Valley (UT). ”Barefoot feels great on this one.”

How come you ended up doing it barefoot?
I sprained my ankle in the mid of the trip and was not able to put a climbing shoe on the right foot. The other day I got my left heel swollen too because of Achilles heal. So there was no option other than barefoot. But I have been training my toes all the time for “The Game” in Colorado. So it’s not too bad for me to figure out all the barefoot beta on Pegasus. And I thought this could be a perfect pre test before trying hard on Game so I stick to send barefoot.

Can you tell us more about your project process on The Game (8C)?
I started working on Game 2018 after I did my first 8B, a bit unrealistic but still managed to do some easy moves on that. 2019 and 2020 I was just projecting more 8Bs and 8B+ but keep thinking about how I can improve my self on the game. However even after I did my second 8B+ I still couldn’t do the crux on the game and that’s because I was using shoes…

I got this idea and thought maybe barefoot will help with the tension since shoes are limiting my lower body. And Game is so hard that shoes don’t play too much importance in this case.

I took shoes off and immediately did two crux moves that day. And then it took me one whole year to figure out all the barefoot moves. They make the crux possible but the easy move much harder. So I trained my toes for years… only for this boulder. I have had about 80+ session on The Game starting from 2021.

What is your climbing background?
I am just an amateur climber though…no athletic background. Simply love outdoor climbing.

Jun Shibanuma, who last year did five 8C’s and a 9a, has completed Sleepwalker (8C+) in Red Rock (NV). Interestingly, the 34-year-old did not start climbing until he entered the University and until 2023 he had just done one 8C.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
It was a long-awaited dream line for me. At first impression, each move suited me well because I like physical moves like compression, underclings, and body swings. However, I was anxious about the crux move—slapping the sloper. My wingspan (168 cm) is shorter than average, even in Japan. Finally, I could tell it was possible when I checked the hold in Red Rocks, but it still felt really far for me.

I had three weeks to stay in Las Vegas, but I had to work a few days a week because I’m a remote office worker. I could try a total of eight days, but on some of them, I could only try in the morning.

During the first week of the tour, I had back pain and couldn’t do the crux moves. It was a bad start. But each move became more stable day by day. Even in the last week, it still felt far from an RP. Then, the moment came suddenly—just 30 minutes before leaving for the airport. For the first time from the start, I could hold the slot crimp. My body and fingers were giving out, and I was really about to fall until I stood up on the lip. I couldn’t understand what had happened. That was the best moment ever.

How can you best explain your great progress the last year?
It is really hard to explain because ascent of Sleepwalker is almost miracle. But I can say few things. So many climbers, friends, helped me a lot. I’m office worker but I the company allows me to work remotely and to adjust amount of work to challenge my dream. So many climbers cheered me a lot, and did fun session with me. Thanks to them, I can keep my motivation to push the limit. Add to that, I’m already 34 years old. Sometimes I felt being too old. But so many climbers, who are same generation with me , like Daniel woods, Melissa le neve, still keep on pushing their limits. They stimulated me a lot. So that I can never give up.

Dylan Chuat, with 21 routes 9a or 9a+ under his belt, has done the FA of Prou’esse (9a) in Bas-Valais. ”One of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful line of Valais in this level. Another find of Sam [Ometz] but I was the one who took care of releasing her. A perfect bow with only right hand plates, left hand micro-cracks, and no foot in the middle, which imposes a demanding and quite striking gesture. For the level, I was rather going on an 8c+, but apparently, at the moment, I'm not too bad, so I'm trying to propose 9a... to be confirmed!

Especially since a week before, I chained L'oeuvre (9a) in three tries and the style is quite similar. So, it would not make sense to value this easier way if L'Œuvre remains at 9a. In short, at least, it will bring people, because the way is really worth the detour! Thanks again, Sam, for this umpteenth find!”

Radek Votocek, with 14 8c+’ under his belt, out of which half sent the last nine months, has repeated Adam Ondra’s Senzace (9a) in Krkavka.

Can you tell us more about doing your first 9a?
It’s a route not far from my home in one of my favorite areas. It climbs a small overhang on tiny holds, which isn’t exactly the style I usually go for. I first started trying the route in 2020, but at that time I was still lacking the strength and mental resilience. Over the years, I kept coming back to this project, but often I wasn’t in shape or the conditions weren’t right to complete a successful send. I’m really happy that it finally worked out.

What do you think made the trick in the end?
Training weighted hangs on a fingerboard also helped me a lot.

Tereza Širůčková, who finished 2024 by doing an 8c+ and then entered the bouldering scene, has completed Rustam Direct (8B) in Holstejn. The 21-year-old has been an active IFSC climber since 2017 and her best result is #14 last year in the Boulder and Lead Euro Championship.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and your fast progress in grades?
I had to take a little break from the rocks lately—my first national team nominations for the season were coming up, which meant shifting focus to indoor training. But once I checked that goal off the list, the weekend brought perfect weather, and the outdoors were calling again.

Home crag. Mission: Rustam Direct 8B. A mostly crimpy line with bad feet and two brutal intro moves. I had this wild little idea: what if I could flash it? And honestly… I nearly did. I stuck the crux on my flash go, but then doubted myself and hesitated in the next part. That moment of overthinking cost me the send. I climbed through the rest easily, slipped once on the start in the next go—and then it went down.

Weirdly, I didn’t feel that hyped. It all felt like: Pam pam pam, moves are easy (yes, imagine it with a jingle). But I know that shape is coming—comps are near and my coach Petr Klofáč is working his magic.

Here’s a little truth: I’ve been climbing for 14 years, but only started outdoor bouldering this season. Kind of wild to admit—but I’ve always been a rope climber, and this whole world still feels fresh and unfamiliar. These are actually my first boulders in this grade range, so when it comes to assessing difficulty, I honestly feel like a total rookie. I used to believe my outdoor limit was around 7C, and I still have the tendency to doubt myself. Rustam Direct felt like it fit me perfectly—tiny holds, small fingers, just my style—and it went down so fast. So maybe it’s 8A+/B? Could be. But I’m not the one to judge… not yet.

Topped it off with two more 7Cs that day. Stoked, sun-kissed, and maybe a little puzzled about how to feel about the grade—but mostly just in love with being back on rock. Days like these fill my soul.

Janun Hornegger, who two months ago sent his first 9a+, has completed Intermezzo XY gelöst (9a) in Plombergstein.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I started trying the route last year, but to late in the season and the summer heat stopt me from sending. This year I came back to the route much earlier. I was very close from the first day back, but I had to invest another four days this year. And yesterday was special, it did not feel good first, because my feet hurt from the heelhook and I had really bad skin. I wanted to stop because of the pain. Yet i made a last trie in the upcoming thunderstorm and rain, which was successful. Not the most solid send, the moves felt much worse than on other tries, but it was successful in the end :)

The route is another boulder testpiece from the local legend Klem Loskot. It consists of an 8b boulder followed directly by an short 8b route.

Matt Fultz has repeated Aidan Robert’s The Lion's Share (8C) in Brione. The 33-year-old has done a total of 34 boulders 8C or 8C+.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Had an up and down journey with this one. Basically sent it several times but couldn’t finish it because the last V8 section was always soaking wet. Then I injured my pulley on the very last move last week 🤕 Luckily things aligned for me and with a good warm-up, solid H-tape, and adjusting how I grabbed one of the holds, I got it done! Hoping I heal up quickly, but it was worth it! (???) 👌🤞