Moritz Welt and Nicolai Užnik have done From Dirt Grows The Flowers (8C) in Chironico. It was established by Dave Graham in 2005, and all 18 people who have rated it have given it 5 stars.

Can you tell us more about the trip and the ascent?
Welt pictures: We are in Ticino for 10 days and I had 'from dirt..' as my main project in mind. I tried it twice quickly before and knew it would suit me. Had one session working the moves on the 27th and some sending tries on 31st :) Half of our trip is over and weather is still great so I am really syked to try something else now!

Užnik: I checked it out cause I got a split on my finger trying Alphane and I thought this one could be better to try with tape on. I checked out the moves and the tricky mantle quite fast and came back the next day to finish it off. It’s a cool line, but I didn‘t enjoy it as much since the first few holds were kinda painful on the skin… 😅

Tereza Širůčková, who was #14 in the Euro Boulder & Lead Championship last year, has completed La Rubia (8c+) in Villanueva del Rosario.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
La Rubia is a 50-meter route with 145 moves, located in the Chillam Balam sector, which I visited for the first time. Initially, I had my eyes set on a different route, but La Rubia was the first line that caught my eyes on our first day there, so I decided to give it a try.

It was the first route I attempted that was harder than 8b+. After working out the moves, I felt like I’d never be able to climb it. The route is full of pinches, and there were maybe three holds that were really my type. I was ready to give up, because it seemed pointless to keep struggling on the lower boulder section (around move 60). Instead, I wanted to climb easier routes to explore the area as much as possible and enjoy the process of discovering new rock and moves, which I love.

But my coach (Petr Klofáč) laughed at me, saying I just didn’t know how to project properly. That motivate me to keep trying and I gave it a chance. The first time I climbed through the lower boulder, I thought I could fall on any of the following moves. I fell “just” four moves from the top, which was so frustrating, but also gave me hope that it was possible. In the end, I sent the route on the 8th climbing day and my 16th attempt. I still can’t quite believe it!

What is your climbing background?
I’m a member of the Czech national climbing team and a university student. Right now, I’m mainly focused on competition climbing, but I absolutely love climbing on rock. Whenever training and time allow, I try to get outdoors as much as possible. I usually manage to find time for a bigger climbing trip (a week or two) about twice a year. Then I’m happy if I am possible to visit my homecrag, which is the Moravian Karst, or go for weekend trips a little farther away.

Noah Wheeler has repeated Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) in Black Velvet Canyon and the 22-year-old moves to #3 in the ranking game. ”An athletic coming-of-age. Pulled on the last move of SW [Sleepwalker] freshman year as a ridiculous “what if?!” Sent the sit senior year.”

Jimmy Webb made the FA of Sleepwalker (8C+) in 2019 and then two years later Woods added a six moves 8B sit start establishing the second 9A in the world. Last year, Will Bosi made the first repeat. Comments from Noah to come.

Jan Štipek, who in 2024 won a Euro Youth Cup in both Lead and Boulder, has done Mr. Big (9a) in Margalef. The 16-year-old first made an onsight attempt, then fell on his second go before clipping the chain on his 3rd try.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Climbing Mr Big was actually a spontaneous decision. My original plan for this trip was to focus on Wild West (9a), but when I tried Mr. Big, I instantly fell in love with the route. It has powerful and dynamic moves, which are exactly my style, so I decided to give it my all.

How come you did not send any hard routes in 2024?
As for 2024, I had a very long competition season, which didn’t leave much time for outdoor projects. However, even during that time, I managed to climb a few 8c routes here in Margalef, which kept me motivated for this trip. I will log them now.

What are your plans and ambitions for 2025?
My plans are both on the rocks and in competitions. I’ll be competing in the World Cup, but I’ll keep my goals there to myself for now. On the rocks, I definitely want to climb more 9a routes, an 8C+ boulder, and also something hard back home on sandstone.