Alex Puccio has done her fifth 8B+, Heritage in Valle Bavona. (c) Robin O'Leary

Including also 26 8B's, Alex has the most impressive female tick list and a wide pyramid foundation for going for 8C. In 2014, she got the silver in the world championship and she won her last and only World Cup she did in 2018.

"Wow.... psyched! 1st try on my 6th or 7th day. I fell off the last move 3rd day on it 2 times and then for the next days I was struggling to stay on the wall due to the warmth and high humidity! Finally got a windy, but warm day. Didn’t even warm up. Last day best day!!!! :)

This boulder is way harder being under a certain height! Have to hop out of the toe hook for the first crux move to the left hand gastone and then the last move to the right hand just under the lip is WAY harder since for my height you can’t use the good left lower foot others use. Have to ball up and punch to the last hold. Was a huge crux for me!!!"

Toni Lamprecht, legendary hard core FA-ionist in all disciplines; 9a routes, 8C boulders, 8c MPs and 8c DWS, has opened another two 8B's in Kochel, Jessica Jones and Tyler Durden.

"I worked the whole winter (2-3 sessions in the week, depends if I go skiing or not) on a really hard (8C?) roof project. So "Tyler Durden" is the exit of that project in combination with a 8a+-finish. I tried that 4 days, but I know the exit really well, because it is the finish of "Marla Singer" from 2004.

"Jessica Jones" I tried on and off for the last 2 years. It is a crazy short problem with 3 moves. Needed 20 sessions to figure out the right solution and another 3 days to combine it. There would be an 8B sit start to it. Next season? I guess, because the temperatures jumped over 20° now. I might go surfing or do some multipitch stuff near by."

Matt Fultz has done his first 8C, Paint it Black in RMNP. The 27 year old has had almost ten years progress and is currently #7 in the 8a ranking.

Video on his Insta, where he comments. "I don’t think it’s the hardest climb I’ve done, and I’m encouraged to know that it is far from my potential. Psyched!"

Cathy Wagner has done her 8a+ # 153, Harakiri in Camp. "A fantastic route! The higher the harder ending with a nasty boulder."

With 47 8a's, 13 8a+' and two 8b's the last 12 months, the 53 year old continuous to perform at her best ever.

Moritz Welt has done Guido Köstermayer's, from 1995, Shangrila 8c+ in Frankenjura. In the 8a Combined ranking the 17 year old is #4. (c) Lars Decker

”So happy to climb the ultraclassic "Shangri-La" 8c+ today! Tried this beauty once last summer and had no chance, but last week when I figured out the moves again, it felt completely different! Glad that everything worked out perfectly today!”

Next is trying to do Alex Megos' straight up version, Nice Freshly Baked 9a from 2014.

Based on almost 3 000 unique votes, here are the result for - Best Climbing Shoes 2019? La Sportiva continues their domination and Scarpa gets another improved result. Five Ten drops some percentage again.

43 % La Sportiva (44 % last year)
28 % Scarpa (20)
10 % Five Ten (14)
07 % Others (7)
06 % Tenaya (6)
03 % Ocun (5)
03 % Boreal (5)

Felipe Camargo reports on Insta that he has done Chris Sharma's El Bon Combat 9b in Cova de l'ocell.

"I dreamed with @davidlama_official last night, woke up super sad...posted about him and was thinking of him all day...the pressure was just totally off, I put things in perspective and felt like it didn’t really matter if I sent anymore...at least not today! I gave a good first try but broke a foot hold and fell. On my second try the wind kinda of stopped, I made through the first crux, got to the kneebar rest and for the first time I didn’t feel any pressure...

All I could think while resting was how fucking good @davidlama_official climbed...I remembered some of the World cups that I watched him win, climbing so confident and so relaxed, the wind picked up again and i just went for it...didn’t hesitate, climbed fast and sent!! I clipped the anchors and just started crying immediately..."

Seb Bouin and Kamil Ferenc have done Papichulo 9a+ in Oliana. Chris Sharma put up the stunning almost 50 meter line in 2008 and with 20 repeats it is the most repeated 9a+ in the world. Seb has previously done nine 9a+ and two 9b's and Kamil has previoulsy done eight 9a's. Next project for Seb is La Dura Dura 9b+. (c) William Barchelo - Seb Bouin

Nico Ferlitsch, has done his second 9a in just 10 weeks, Intermezzo XY gelöst in Plombergstein. "I tried "Intermezzo XY gelöst" for only 4 days. This 9a (my third one) is pretty short and has a boulder problem at the beginning. I really like routes like this and I almost feel sad that it's already "over". But the crag Plombergstein near Salzburg has a lot more hard routes to offer. I'm not yet sure what exactly the next project will be but for sure it's going to be 9a or upwards."

Angie Scarth-Johnson, who did her first 8c+ at age 12, has done her second, Pedra, Paper, Tisora in Margalef. The Australian is home-schooled and will spend six weeks in Spain this spring as she also has done before.

"It took me a couple of days but I was on it last year. I had an finger injury and was unable to send it due to that. So I’m super glad I could finish it off this year."

Daniel Woods reports on Insta that he has done Carlo Traversi’s The Kingdom 8C (B+) in Brione. Daniel has previously done 28 boulders 8C and harder which means he is #1 in that ranking. In the 8a ranking game, the 29 year old is #2 after Jimmy Webb. (c) Stefan Kuerzi

Gabriela Vrablikova has done her first 8c (+), Battle Cat in Frankenjura in just six tries. Interesting the 28 year old Czech has only tried one 8c before so we are again talking about a late bloomer.

"I work as a physiotherapist so we had to plan it with my new coach, Petr Klofáč very carefully. We are working more complex in more areas - not just physical training, but mental training, regeneration and food. Training my mind helped a lot as well and of course Battle Cat is beautiful route so I really enjoyed climbing it! Now I am gonna enjoy some hot chocolate.

My next project is to find some sponsors for my dream project - one hard multipitch in Ratikon and I have never been to Spain so I want to go there this year and climb something harder."

Frances Bensley has done her second 8B, Keen Roof in Peak District, in just three sessions. (c) Jonathan Bean

Interesting is that Frances did her first 8A only 18 months ago so wee are talking a late bloomer as she started climbing almost 20 years ago at age 7.

"I realized that all of the hardest things I had climbed had only taken a few sessions or a session to do. I had a goal of climbing 8b+ and 8A last year and managed that. At that point maybe I started to realize that in my own style I might be able to climb harder, but just need to find the right problems. Additionally I have made a lot more effort this year to try and identify and work on my climbing weaknesses. I am sure this has helped my climbing overall.

I have never had any structure to my training before January - I climbed a couple times a week and I tried hard, either climbing general blocs or a fun board session, but there was never a plan, very little finger boarding (I would occasionally pull onto a finger board maybe a few times a month but with no consistency) and I didn't matter if I only climbed once a week or three times a week.

I recently approached Dave Mason and I now have a weekly training plan to follow - its hard work for me because structure is something I struggle with, but it's also good and I'm feeling quite strong."

Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, one of the best crack climbers out there, have made another hard first ascent in the Utah desert, Black Mamba 8c which may be their hardest roof crack yet. Whittaker describes the first ascents: (c) Talo Martin

"The route is like a mining tunnel, you walk to the back and start in a crouched position with a head torch on and can’t believe you now have to climb the same distance you just walked…but completely upside down.

Nevertheless, it’s as much about being tactical as it is about having the strength and endurance to be able to climb it. It required a head torch lit start, 3 hand jam glove changes, a rope tie mid pitch and toilet roll cushioning for tricep protection. It usually ends up that we use these bizarre tactics because we’re so focused on the climbing we forget to bring the more conventional tools to the crag, i.e. elbow pads or proper lanterns.

There are 4 distinct cruxes. 2 are finger jamming, 1 is thin hands and the final redpoint crux comes as a heart breaking last move; rounding the lip of the finishing off width. The key beta here was to make sure that the nose of the roof sat in the indentation below your sternum. Any lower with your torso and you’d unfortunately come up short every time.

The final off width in general is a little fighter. On its own it is a struggle, but with the continuous upside-down climbing beforehand, it’s a real world of dread when you finally get there on the big redpoint. If the route stopped before this, the whole thing would be like a beef sandwich - reasonably meaty. In totality, it’s that final 9 inch section that really makes it a full Sunday roast."

Seb Bouin has done his second 9b and the first repeat of Adam Ondra’s Mamichula in Oliana. Including also nine 9a+, the French is getting closer to the Top-5 best tick list. (c) Jan Novak

”I had the best belayer possible for this route, my super Mami (mom). Last trip, on the last days, I felt on the last move before the rest. I am happy to finish the job! I have to say that I used kneepad for this route. It's my hardest route on the paper.
Yet maybe not in the reality . I am psyched to see some climbers in my latest mega lines in France (French Chilam Balam and "la côte d'usure").

Jesús Muñoz Chuchi has done his first 9a, El Dorado in La Pedriza after some 20 days of projecting. His previous best was an 8c FA in 2015 but when it comes to bouldering he did an 8B+ last year. (c) Talo Martin

"El Dorado is a route of few movements and although it can be categorized as a boulder, it also requires having a good rpower endurance to be able to send it.The first six movements, from my point of view, will go around 8B. The next section is very athletic, but somehow simpler, around 7c. Finally we reach the final step that is a long dyno. In isolation, only this final movement is like a 7C. Then there is a section of three meters on a much easier slab that does not add any difficulty.

I have had to adapt my training by increasing the days of resistance training and maximum strength since the route demands both qualities." More info on his Insta

Jernej Kruder qualified last so he started first in the final where he executed them almost perfectly, doing them all in just eight attempts. He was third into the last boulder which he did first go saying, he thought it was too easy. Later nobody come even close. The big sensation was 15 year old Rei Kawamata who qualified to the final as #2. Last year he won the Youth WCh in Moscow and he also did his first 8B+.

1. Jernej Kruder 44* SLO (c) Eddie Fowke
2. Adam Ondra 34 CZE
3. Yushiyuki Ogata 33 JPN
4. Anze Peharc 23 SLO
5. Rei Kawamata 13 JPN
6. Vadim Timonov 13 RUS
Complete results
* 8a presents the results as points by just skipping the Z and t from the normal scoring.

It seems the route setters, based on the few number of tops in the semi, made some late changes, resulting in too easy boulders in the final. All the podium topped all four boulders and Janja Garnbret won by doing them all first go. Noteworthy is that Slovenia, with just 2 million inhabitants, was superior by getting two golds and another two in the finals.

1. Janja Garnbret 44* SLO Eddie Fowke
2. Shauna Coxsey 44 GBR
3. Fanny Gibert 44 FRA
4. Lucka Rakovec 34 SLO
5. Jessica Pilz 34 AUT
6. Futaba Ito 33 JPN
Complete results
* In order to make it more understandable 8a has started to take out the T and z and just present the score with points.

In possibly, the hardest ever boulder semifinal, Futabo Ito qualified to the final by just getting three zones. Shauna Coxey and Janja Garnbret were the only ones topping out two boulders. Complete results

Among the male, Adam Ondra started first and topped out all four quite easily. In the end, Rei Kawamata was runner up with 2T4z as was the score for the Top-7 so the number of attempts made the cut. Interesting was that we saw possibly 30 attempts where the climbers touched the top but failed. All in all, 17 made four zones and all 20 made three zones.