Elias Iagnemma, who last year sent Burden of Dreams (9A), reports on Instagram that he has done the FA of The Big Slamm (9A). "It is incredible how it is a precise climb where every part of the body, shoe and flap of skin must deform perfectly in those minimal sandstone holds." (c) Stefania Colomba

There are now a dozen boulders graded 9A, out of which five have been done during the last year. The first 9A was Burden of Dreams which was put up by Nalle Hukkataival in 2016. Ir was first repeated in 2023 by Will Bosi and later also Simon Lorenzi and Elias Iagnemma.

Nicolai Užnik, who just needed max 1.5 sessions for his latest three 8C’s, has on his second go done Forgotten Gem (8C) in Chironico. “Very close on the flash, did it second go… soft for the grade but one of the best for sure.”

Can you tell us more about the flash attempt?
I of course wanted to flash it but unfortunately I didn‘t get the first crimp right and it kinda hurt my finger so for the next move I wasn‘t in a good position. When I did it right after it felt really solid though so it‘s a bit of a shame… 😅

Any more specific thoughts about the grade?
Hm, I think I’m pretty good on this sort of boulder as it suits my style well, but I would still say it‘s rather soft for 8C. Even though again if it hadn‘t worked out super well straight away it might have felt different.

What is your project status on Alphane?
For Alphane (9A), it‘s going pretty well. I started to do send go‘s, but unfortunately the last couple of days it felt much worse and the middle / crux sequence felt almost impossible as it was somehow super greasy. I’m taking a little break now as I’m very psyched on some other things as well and I want to return back to alphane with more motivation and better conditions again!

I am just trying to stay patient and at the same time also do other cool boulders that I enjoy more, since alphane for me is not the most fun thing to try or at least not my favorite style. So it‘s also important to have that balance I think.

Isabel Albores has done Lethal Design (8A+) in Red Rock (NV). "This was my first trip to Red Rocks and I was excited to try Lethal design because it seemed to fit my style well, especially as someone who primarily sport climbs outside. I tried it on the second day of the trip and decided to stick with it as a project. We were only there for 10 days so I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to piece it all together within the time constraint of the trip, but I learned a lot about managing skin and conditions throughout the process and I was very excited to send during my 4th session!"

What is your climbing background?
I started as a youth competition climber when I was 11. When I went to college, I started climbing outside and have been prioritizing getting outside when I can since then!

Esteban Daligault, with five 9a’s under his belt, has done Ça chauffe (9a) in Seynes .

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
So, I’d already tried and did few attempts on this route 4 years ago. This year I went back to Seynes for a friend’s birthday and I decided to try again. It took me 5 sessions this winter. And I succeeded at the last test of the weekend after a great mental battle.

What are your next plans?
I do a lot of mountaineering, so I’m going to try some hard mountaineering routes for the time being. I’ll be climbing again in the spring, and I’d like to do a 9a+, Bon Voyage (9a) and I have multipich projects, like Historie sans fin [8 pitches 8b+ in Switzerland] and others.

Simone Tentori has had his best week ever sending two 8C’s in Cresciano; The Story Of 2 Worlds (8C) and Crystal Ship (8C). Previously the 26-year-old has done five 8C’s since 2021.

Can you tell us more about those two ascents?
Crystal ship was definitely the main goal. Pretty easy intro and then basically 2 move crux that make the problem. On my first session I flashed the last move to the juggy-lip but I was stuck on the high foot lock off to get the slopy sidepull for two more sessions. The tiny holds are sharp and allowed me less than 10 tries each session. On my 4th session I finally realized that was better for me to commit to the low foot beta that make the reach to the sidepull way easier but harder to set up the last move with the crux probably on a foot move😂. 5th session I was abale to send with the support of my girlfriend who was there filming, spotting and moving the light for me (special thanks!)

Story was a completely different story. After my ascent of the dagger in 2017 I came back there multiple times and once a year I found myself practicing the moves again with friends and checking the low start for curiosity, but never with a strong intent to make it a real project. This year was not different, I was there playing on the moves with friends but this time I felt so strong on the moves straight away. After 30 min I gave a try from the start and I fell in the middle of the Dagger still with no clear beta and clumsy climbing. So I decided it was time to close this chapter and 2 more sessions I was on top.

How can you explain your peak performance?
In the last few years I focus on quality rather than quantity, and I choose to try a lot of different hard boulders around my limit. That meant fewer ticks on the list but more experience on different difficult moves. Combined with structured training, it was the key!

Can you give us some details about your structured training?
Fundamental weightlifting exercises, finger board, legs training, board sessions, campus climbing. With on-the-wall training 70 to 90% of my volume depends on the phase.

I'm a professional climbing coach (@compass_coaching_climbing) and I dedicated a lot of time studying training but also training myself too. My training varies a lot through the year and the rock climbing phase. However, I can say that I'll keep things simple and try to be consistent, and a training plan definitely helps with that!