Marta Palou, who last month did her first 9a, has done Persistencia de la gioconda (9a) in Rodellar. (c) Albert Mossoll

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
After sending my first 9a, I started working on another project, but an ankle injury caused by a very aggressive heel hook forced me to stop trying it. Instead of taking a complete break, I looked for a route that would allow me to keep climbing. La Persistencia de la Gioconda turned out to be the perfect option. The route traverses the cave from left to right, relying much more on the left leg and putting very little stress on the right one. It also shares the upper section with Gioconda, so I was already familiar with the final part of the route. Now my ankle is feeling a bit better, and I’m really motivated to keep trying my main project!💪

I’m currently working on Donatello (8c+)with a much harder extension😊 I was making good progress before the injury, and now that my ankle is feeling better, I’m really motivated to get back to it. There are also so many amazing routes and a few old projects I’d love to try while I’m here. I’ll be working in Rodellar for a few more months, so let’s see what I can do.

How did you injure yourself?
I injured my ankle while trying the boulder of the 8c+ section. It has a very aggressive heel hook, and I felt two loud pops in my ankle. Fortunately, it’s improving well!

How can you best explain your peak in 2026?
To be honest, I had never really tried routes that hard before. I’ve always loved climbing and doing as many routes as possible rather than spending weeks on a single project.

But since I spend so much time in Rodellar, it’s becoming harder and harder to find routes that I can climb in just a few tries. So pushing myself and trying harder projects became the best option. I also trained for a few months over the winter, which was something I hadn’t done in almost 10 years.

Tyler Thompson, who this spring sent his third 9a+, has repeated Joe Kinder’s Diarrhea Mouth (9a) in Rifle Mountain Park. ”A piece of the puzzle! Felt great to do it today after a tragic foot slip at the end of the traverse yesterday…”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Sure! I checked the moves on this one during my first trip to rifle 4 years ago, where I climbed my second 14c [8c+]. I didn’t dedicate much time and the following year, when I did a month long trip, the route remained very wet all summer, due to heavy snowfall that winter. After a few years away from rifle I wanted to come back for another visit with the ambition of trying “Kinder Cakes.”

D-mouth shares the same redpoint crux, with easier climbing to get to it, around 14a [8b+] rather than 14c, so it was obvious to do that first. I had two days re acquainting myself with the canyon and having a few tries on this one. On my third climbing day I had more focused efforts and made it through the crux, only to slip my foot after doing the techy mid 5.13 traverse. Luckily the following day I climbed the route first try!

Janja Garnbret, who has finished in the top two in each of her last 24 World Cups and World Championships, reports on Instagram that she has sent Pornographie (9a) in Céüse. (c) Javi Pec - The Ratstaman Vibrations, which she had not time to send.

Katalin Paertan has done Mother Night (8B) in Schöllenen, giving it a personal 8A+ grade. ”What an amazing boulder! At first I wasn't sure whether I had any chance on it but then quickly figured out all the moves and got incredibly close in my second session. Today my attempts were much less promising and I got more and more tired but somehow I had one very good last go of the day where I managed to fight my way up.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I was planning on trying Mother Night this trip as it has one of the coolest features I have ever seen on rock and I really like steep technical climbing on slopers. I was not sure whether it was a realistic goal as the move out to the sloper is a bit far and it requires a good amount of upper body strenght and I have never really seen any female climbers on it.

It took me 3 sessions, in the first session I figured out most of the moves and it started feeling possible. In the second session I stuck the remaining move and I made a good link, which prompted me to make my first attempts from the start. I got really far twice, falling on the second to last and last hard move before my energy gave out. On the third day I was feeling quite sore already and struggled to give any promising send goes and got a bit frustrated since I knew I could do it.

Somehow on the very last go of the day I stuck the move out to the sloper quite well and was able to give a proper fight up to the top. I am really glad that it still went down, as my knee was getting very sore from the heel-toe-cam and it is starting to get quite hot here. Now I can enjoy the rest of the time on other great boulders.

What about your personal 8A+ grade?
Yes, it is originally graded 8B, but for that it felt slightly too easy and I can't normally climb that grade this fast. On 8a.nu it has also received a few downgrades already, some comments even saying 8a/+. My friends who climbed it two years ago also made a consensus on 8a+ which I also agree with. Of course it is a bit difficult to grade because the style is very unusual and some very strong climbers struggle a lot on it while it is the first of the grade for some less experienced, but for my skill level 8a+ seemed fitting.

Pierre Marzullo, who in the last two world cups has been 12th and 17th, has in just 2+2 sessions done La moustache qui fâche (9a+) and The famous gem (9a) in Briançon. (c) Crimp Films

9a+: ”Nice approach moves on cool holds, then I found the crux super weird but really interesting. Not the best route in the world for sure but still fun to climb.”

9a: ”Amazing route, amazing rock, amazing sequence. For me the heel toe couldn’t stay in the hole move so I went for the double dyno. I think if you’re tall enough to keep the heel comfortably it could be easier than 9a… Anyway a recommended one for sure!”

The 19-year-old sent his first 9a+ three years ago but has later focused more on competitions. His plan is to start projecting a 9b after the comps are finished.

Can you tell us more about the trip and the most memorable ascent?
Yeah, it was a one-week trip after the Chamonix World Cup before coming back to training for the last competitions. We rented an apartment in Briançon with some friends. We spent one day in La Saume, then three days in Entraygues, and then came back for one more day in La Saume.

My most memorable ascent was actually The Famous Gem rather than La Moustache because I did something that wasn't planned. I was supposed to go to a crimp and quickly match on the hold next to it, but on the send I was scared I'd slip, so I did a double dyno instead and almost fell. That was a really cool moment, and I could enjoy the send a lot!

What is next?
Back to training for the next comps ;) Ostermundigen European Cup, Laval European Championships, and Koper World Cup.

Leo Cea, who sent his first two 9a’s, out of seven, at age eleven, has done Shangrila (8c+). ”Frankenjura super classic, happy to have climbed Germany's first 8c+ from 1995. For my height, 145 cm, the crux is right after clipping the last draw, those moves are definitely harder than the bottom crux." (c) Dorian Reinlein

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I started trying it this spring. Most of the time I went there with Alex Megos and Simon Weisser. Simon was projecting it too, so it was super motivating to work on it together. After a few sessions he sent it, and that just made me even more motivated to send it too. After that I kept coming back every now and then while climbing lots of other projects around Frankenjura with Alex and Simon. Shangri-La was always in the back of my mind.

I also met Lena Herrmann, who did the FFA, in Schlaraffenland while I was projecting the route, and that was really motivating. Knowing that so many strong climbers have been inspired by this route over the years makes sending it feel even more special.

It was also a really special day because my best friend, Gael Detoy, came over from the USA after the World Cup in Arco. We used to climb together all the time in Chile, and it was really special to have him belaying me when I finally sent the route. He also climbed a classic 8c that day, so we were both super happy.

What did you like most about the route and what about the crux?
It's just such a cool climb! The first eight meters are pretty easy, then there's one really hard move that most people call the crux. I actually loved that move... but funny enough, it wasn't my crux.

The crux comes after clipping the last bolt! I couldn't reach the better holds that taller climbers use. I had to find my own beta using really tiny holds and tricky moves. That took me several sessions, but it was super cool to finally figur it out.

What is next?
I have some 9a projects that I'm working on. Frankenjura is super hard! There are so many amazing and difficult routes here, and I'm really enjoying discovering this area and its history. I'm also preparing for a very important project in Spain, so there are some exciting things coming up! I also want to say thank you to the Benno-Kittl-Stiftung, the Frankenjura Academy and to my regular sponsors for all their support.

Gianluca Vighetti, who last year sent two 9a+’, has done Thunder Ribes (9a) in Arco. Last year, the 17-year-old won the Euro Youth Cup. This year, due to injury, he competed in only one event and finished as the runner-up.
Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The day after a very disappointing semifinal at the World Youth Championship in Arco, I needed to reset my mind with a bit of rock climbing. It was also raining, so we didn't have any other choice than Massone. I wanted to try Thunder Ribes because I was really curious about the finger-lock crux. It was a cool climb—really unique. I'll definitely be back to climb the lower start (Ultimatum).

What is next?
My next comps are the european senior cups this august and I'm excited also for my off-season projects on the rock🫣

Adam Ondra, with four 8C flashes to his name, has had three incredible hours in Val Daone flashing Skiantos (8B), Verdena (8B), Fuori Tempo (8B), Il trono (8B) and Sky dive (8A+). In the ranking game he is number three but only counting flashes, the 32-year-old is totally superior.

Ondra logs all 8B’s with five stars and comments on Instagram, ”All the climbs are amazing, and Il Trono is really a true kingline 😮 It is even better than in the video, it climbs less weirdly than it looks, and it is less knee-intensive than it looks. An absolute masterpiece by @valdo_chilese 👌”.

Pepa Šindel, who the last year has sent ten routes graded 9a to 9b, has done Affinità elettive (9a+) in Capanna Bill. ”Beautiful! Great vision by Andrea Milani! 60 meters of pure endurance. Gladly didn’t drop the last pitch 🙏😭 Maybe soft?”

Can you tell us more about the ascent and how much effort it took?
The route starts with a Frankenjura-style 8b/8b+ pitch on pockets, then joins into a power-endurance 8c+ and keep pushing higher… all the way into the final 9a pitch, 55 metres above the ground! 🤯

My first tries on this route took around 90 minutes each before I figured everything out. Václav Šindel thanks bro, for all the patience. 😵‍💫🙏 At first, I thought I had no chance of linking everything together because the amount of endurance it takes is insane, even though there are good rests in between. Even thought the last 3rd pitch is on its on max 8b more like 8a+ with a really good rest after the second pitch its still super hard, because after just 3 moves you instantly get pumped everything that you just rested:)

I was also super lucky 🍀 on my send go because literally a minute after I clipped the chains, the rain started pouring down, and the route was completely wet within seconds! Somehow, I also never fell on the last pitch. 🙏 On the send go, I spent 45 minutes on the wall.

In the end, everything came together much quicker than I expected, and I managed to send it on my 3rd day, 6th go!

What is next?
Right now I am trying Adam Ondra’s new 9a+ called The Big Twin. So far I spend 1 day on it. And I really like it:)

Caleb Franchere has in July flashed six boulders 8A and beyond in Rocklands including Moon shadow (8B).

Can you tell us more about your flash focus, the most memorable ones and your beta preparation?
Coming into the trip it was a goal of mine to flash 8B, as well as give absolutely everything I hopped on a good flash burn. It’s been really fun to work on my execution!

I’d say definitely Moon shadow and Shosholoza are the ones I’m most stoked about, Moon shadow for being my first 8B flash and Shosholoza for being one of the first Rocklands climbs I’d ever saw.

The only preparation I’ve been doing is studying up on different videos of the climb beforehand, especially scoping beta from climbers similar in size to me.

What is the next plan?
I’m very close to Speed of Sound (8B+) and Mooiste Meisie (8B) so I’ll be spending this last week focused on those