Ben Hanna, who last week did JoeDan por Fabelita 8c+/9a, has onsighted Humildes pa Casa (8b+) in Oliana. (c) Iandzilenski.com

”Onsighting 5.14 [8b+] had always been a dream of mine. Last week I told @iandzilenski I wanted to onsight Humildes pa Casa before the trip was over, for no other reason then it was the first 5.14a I saw on the Oliana topo. Yesterday we drove to Oliana with this as a goal, but as soon as I started warming up I felt terrible and almost bailed. But we were there, and Dizzy wasn’t about to let me leave without trying. I decided to just give it the good old half ass college try.

I almost fell 3 times on the intro 5.12 and was pretty blasted by the time I got to where the route really starts, but to be perfectly honest, once I started into the tufa I forgot all about how pumped I was and what I was trying to do. I was completely lost in how epic this route is! Probably the most beautiful and enjoyable line I have ever climbed. I had a ear-to-ear, shit-eating-grin across my face the entire route.

The next thing I knew I was pulling the last meter of tufa. It wasn’t until these last couple moves to the anchor that I realized sending was possible, and the fight was on. At this point I was able to get a no hands knee-bar at the last draw which did absolutely nothing I was so pumped. I managed to pull onto the head wall but because of all the rain the last few weeks non of the holds had chalk on them and so I was fully shooting in the dark. With a little bit of luck and power screaming I’m sure all of Spain could hear I was able to pull it off.”

Eva Hammelmüller has completed La théorie des cordes (8c) in Saint Léger. ”Didn’t think it possible to do the first crux with wet holds, but tinfoil works wonders ;) Really good line with hard moves in the first part and delicate slab climbing in the second part.” (c) Felix Mast

Can you tell us more about your tinfoil trick?
I have never used tinfoil before to climb a wet route, but the tufa in the lower crux of ‘La théorie des cordes’, was so drenched that we couldn’t dry it with tissues… Grabbing the hold worked surprisingly well because even though the friction is bad, your hand stays dry; however, heel-hooking on tinfoil is something you really have to get used to😅 Anyway, the weather on this short trip was definitely not on our side - the biggest challenge was finding dry routes.

Moritz Welt, who last week repeated Adam Ondra’s Stone Butterfly (9a+) as well as Black Cobra 2 (8c+) , has done the FA of the 45 m long Black Cobra (3) (9a) in Herculane.

“The logical extension, 3 more bolts from the 8c+ anchor, adds about 10 crimpy moves and ends on an obvious jug on the next chain, happy to add this and bring this line to a more logical finish, would propose solid 9a.”

David Bermudez Carbonell, who previously has done 18 routes 8c to 9a, has completed Victimas Perez (9a) in Margalef.

Can you tell us more about your latest 9a?
It has been a very special ascent for me because it was a route that I always wanted to do and before traveling to Margalef I had Víctimas Pérez on my mind.

The climb consists of over 60 moves on an overhanging wall with a final slab, and it is mainly an endurance route with a crux in the end of the route.

I sent it after 4 days of work, although the first 2 days I was sick and I was not in my best shape. The next days I fell on the final crux 3 times because my fingers did not lock well on a pocket. Finally on the last day of the trip I could send it.

Mackenzie Martin has flashed Víctimas del presente (8b+) and redpointed The journey (9a+) in Margalef. (c) Mateusz Haladaj

”Did it with one hang on my first session, then fell off the last few moves from session 2 onwards. Got sore fingers and left it for the year. Had forgotten about it after a hold broke but luckily it’s still possible, again hurt my finger (seems to injure more than those who climb it) rehabbed with water bottles and got it done with perfect connies (conditions). I was convinced it was benchmark 9a+ especially after the hold broke and the time it took but in the end I’m not sure.”

Kai Lightner reports on Instagram that over the last week in Santa Linya he has done Open Your Mind Direct (9a), Ciudad de dios (9a) and Direct into your Fabelita (9a). Just two months ago, he made the FA of a 9a+. (c) Iandzilenski.com

Can you tell us more about these sends in Santa Linya?
Initially when I came to Santa Linya, I had my eyes set on another route. However, it has been raining a lot in the cave, leaving limited options for routes that are consistently dry. One of those routes happened to be Ciudad de Dios, a route I always wanted to try but was nervous to commit to because of how opposite it was from my usual style. The first 7 clips is an extremely bouldery, short, and powerful section that requires a lot of tension and power endurance. Once you make it from there, you have three options: the farthest left line goes as Ciudad de Dios (9a/+), which adds on a bouldery 8c+ called Fabela. The second line is a route called Direct into Your Fabelita (9a), which connects into an 8c called Fabelita. The third option is going straight up into another bouldery 8c+ called Open Your Mind, which when connected into the direct start is Open Your Mind Direct (9a/+).

The bottom boulder problem challenged me the most; once I got it dialed, I was able to shift my focus to learning and pushing through the top sections of each route.

What is your next plan?
I only have a few days left in my trip, which is not a lot of time to pick new projects. So my goal is to sample some new routes that will hopefully be future projects when I return.

Doug McConnell, who did his first 8c+ at age 40, has set a new personal best by doing Fabela pa la enmienda (9a) in Santa Linya. (c) Iandzilenski.com

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind it?
I tried this route a bit last year but on realising it was too hard for the time I had available, I stepped left and did Rollito Sharma extension extension (8c+) which has the same (8b ish) ending. It was a stepping stone. This year I went all in on Fabela pa la Enmienda. I committed March to just trying this route. No training, no other projects. Having previously climbed Fabelita, there wasn’t much new climbing to put together and progress was surprisingly good except that the weather wasn’t playing ball. It was unseasonably warm and rain was looming. Finally, a single cool day was forecast before a week of heavy rain and the pressure was on.

Everyone at the crag was buzzing - knowing they could send their projects, but that it might be the last chance for weeks. I got through Fabela (8c+) on my second try of the day and then spent 15 minutes resting on knees and jugs by the anchor of the first pitch, before committing to the upper part. I was really nervous and pretty tired but felt better than expected leaving each rest in the upper part. It’s really stressful to climb this “pa la enmienda” part because there are really good rests separated by sections that you really need to commit to and are totally fall-off-able. These big routes don’t happen without a fight, and my battle lasted over 45mins. I woke from a dream at the chain - relieved and surprised and very satisfied. One of the reasons I love the Santa Linya cave is that it always feels like a family - everyone supporting each other, and I really felt that lift me on the day. The next morning I woke up to rain - likely to make it unclimbable for a month!😅

It’s been a clear goal since 2017 to climb a 9a route. And that was part of my motivation for trying this. I used a new sequence in the crux found by the genius Jonathan Flor. Time will tell whether this method is considered easier than the others…I mean it involves a kneebar so perhaps it's 8b now?! This is certainly my hardest to date and seems like a step up. I like what the skaters say - “two to make it true”!