Shauna Coxsey, known for being one of climbing's most successful competitors, has climbed The Boss (8B+) at Yarncliffe, which was first done by her husband, Ned Feehally, in 2020. Shauna did her first 8B+ in 2014, before focusing on competitions; earlier this spring she did her second.
(c) Dave Parry

“[The Boss] has been on my list ever since Ned did the first ascent. It is such a gem! The climbing is steep and powerful with some bad holds. It feels improbable at first. The last move is a huge blind slap overhead from a horizontal position. It is really committing and a bit spooky”.

Compared to her other 8B+ ascents, Shauna says: “It felt hard! I have been waiting a long time to believe I was strong enough to even try The Boss. It’s hard to compare it to the other 8B+’s/V14’s I’ve done as it’s a very different style but it sure felt a lot harder than Fat Lip [at Raven Tor] a local 8B/V13 which although on different rock it climbs kinda similar”.

Sebastien Bouin has made the FA of Les Rois du Lithium (9b) at Pic St Loup, and says it just might be his best 9b to date. In total, he has now done twelve 9b’s, out of which seven are FA’s. Additionally, Seb has a further five 9b+ ascents to his name, as well as the FA of the world's second 9c route, DNA.

”This part of the wall was attracting me since a long time. From the ground, “Les Rois du Lithium” looked like the perfect line. Straight in the wall with a 20m hardcore ending. When I bolted it, I couldn’t imagine there will be so much perfect holds. And when I firstly tried it, I was amazed by the moves and the line.

“Les Rois du Litthium” is basically split in two parts. There is an easy approach around 8b / 5.13d tiering you for the main part. And then, there is this beautiful power endurance part counting 22 hard moves in a row. The line and the moves are so fun. Every try was a pleasure. It’s like surfing a wave.

“Les Rois du Lithium” is possibly my favorite 5.15b climbed. The difficulty meets the beauty here. And there is something more: it’s fun. The fun fact is quite important on a hard project. When you like the effort, when riding the rock is inspiring yourself, you know you got the right project.

I tried this route during the fall season 2023. I was so psyched to finish the job this spring. I needed time to learn properly the 22 hard moves. There is no room for a mistake. The last hard move is so stunning. From two bad gastons, you have to reach left hand a sloppy crimp and take a swing with it. I fell few times upthere.

There is another hard and inspiring project in Pic Saint Loup : The “Wolf kingdom”project. It will be harder than “Les Rois du Lithium”. Let’s continue the fight !”

Anatole Bosio has done his third 9a+ by climbing Sachidananda (9a+) in Orgon. (c) Armand Navarette

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
Sashidananda is a route with a resistant style, featuring powerful movements in a big overhang. There's a physical start followed by two consecutive cruxes without rest: the first in the most overhanging part with a complex heel hook that requires feeling and a lot of core strength. The second, the hardest, involves a big drop knee to hold a small edge before throwing laterally to the right onto a crack. For me, the difficulty of the route was managing the sections preceding the crux quickly to conserve energy but without any mistakes, then making explosive throws and believing despite the alteration of my ability to sense the movement due to physical and mental fatigue.

I don’t usually count sessions on projects when they drag on, but I know I had 9 sessions this year, maybe the same last year, and I had already been on the route in previous years. That's a lot compared to Supercrackinette, which took only 8 sessions, but for me, they are at the same level, the entry-level of 9a+.

Dylan Chuat, who's already done 16 routes graded 9a to 9a+, has repeated Seb Bouin's Beyond 9a+ in Pic St Loup, giving it an upgrade to 9a+ due to a broken hold. The same day he also sent Moksha (9a), which he says might be 8c+.

Can you tell us more about Beyond?
This is one of the 5 most beautiful routes I’ve ever climbed in my life, that’s for sure! I’d never have thought that such a small hold on such a big overhang could work and not even be that extreme! A very smooth approach [intro section] to climb, a first major boulder that finishes by jumping onto a tufa, then a transition to a second huge boulder and all this while finishing on the most beautiful colonette in the south of France, apparently! I think that’s the perfect definition of a king line, right? I’m glad to be back in shape after my operations and to be able to climb routes like this again! Now that the vacations are over, I hope to be able to get back on some really hard routes soon!

You mentioned an operation?
It was appendicitis that went wrong, and I had to be operated on twice because I was having septicemia, so they opened up my stomach twice. The first one in the beginning of December.

Loic Zehani, who has already completed 14 FA's 9a+ to 9b, has done the FA of Les nymphes (9a) in Sainte-Baume. "Nice crimpy route. A hard approach on varied grips, then a "campus board" section with crimps. After that, the second part is easier but still demanding. Fortunately, there is a rest before. Unexpected ascent because my main project was not in good condition today but this route was! So happy after a big fight."

Can you tell us more about your project?
Phoenix is ​​a project a few meters to the left of Les Nymphes. This is a route that I have been trying for a few sessions, I have already fallen 5 times at the end of the crux so I think I can succeed quickly.