William Moss puts down three 8b+/8c trad lines

William Moss, who one year ago did the FA of the mixed line Best Things in Life are Free (9a), has sent three 8b+ trad routes and he says he thinks all of them should have an R, for run-out, added to the grade. The 19-year-old is #1 in our trad climbing ranking game just ahead of Alex Honnold.

Kill Switch (8b+) in Gross Reservoir: "Cool grit style route. Put it down second sesh. after it was wet during the first session."

Viceroy (8c) in Castle Rock: "Did so much tr solo on this thing, probably about 14 sessions before giving it a lead burn. Worked it a lot cuz of the danger factor and wanted to make sure I had the placements dialed and didn’t fall on the sketch sections. Fell once on the first crux after the 13c and then sent next lead burn."

Cheating Reality (8b+) in Flatirons: "Really cool route. Did it all on gear. Found a good rock sling that made the 5.12 not a solo. Super good route in a sick area."

Matt Fultz has made the first repeat of Shawn Raboutou’s Big Z (8C+) in Tahoe making it his eighth 8C+.

This is the hardest problem I have ever done without a doubt. Honestly, this is the first time I truly understand the concept of a problem being bigger and more meaningful than just the number attached to it.

I’ve been trying Big Z for the past 3 years. During my first 10-ish sessions I knew it was impossible for me. I’m too tall and don’t fit into the positions at all. My fingers are too big to fit into the cracks. My butt is too big to avoid the dab on the rock! I only continued to show up because I knew it was good for me to work on my weaknesses, and holy cow what a sick line! I eventually worked out the kneebar beta which unlocked the middle crux, but the kneebar also created a new issue... The transition out of the kneebar became a new crux [in itself] and set me up for the next moves terribly. This year I fell on the last move. Then a couple days ago I basically did it from one move in. I truly believed for the first time. Fast forward about 20 more sessions and I ended up on top with full confidence on my first try of the day.”


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Keenan Takahashi did the FA of Ego Death (8C) last September a couple of months after he did his first 8C+. "Immediately upon walking up to it, I knew it was something special if it was possible. It’s the sort of thing I’ve dreamed of since I started climbing, steep compression, at my limit, decentl…

Luca Bana repeats A Present for the Future (9a/+)

Luca Bana, who climbed Supercrackinette (9a+) two months ago, has completed A present for the future (9a/+) in Valle dell'Opol. "A couple of afternoons to put up the quickdraws, clean a bit and check out the holds, then a handful of sessions to get the job done. Some holds broke off some years after Adam's FA, when my friend Teto Carnati was trying it, making the lower section (crux) considerably harder. Fortunately the following traverse, of course challenging, didn't feel too hard to me once optimised to its best. That's why, when I got through the crux for the first time, thanks also to a good amount of fuel left in the tank, I accepted the game and made it to the top. Overall, a pretty good looking line despite the poor rock quality in the first meters and some very painful holds. About grades, solid 9a/+ or normal 9a+ should be fine."

The 26-year-old has done eleven routes 9a's and harder. He has also done the FA of 36 routes 8c and harder including five 9a's.

Bana adds: "I still have a few hard unclimbed projects near home, so the plan in the short term is to challenge again myself for high level FAs, let's see! I bolted most of them with my friend Bernardo Rivadossi"

What's the longest you've ever project a climb?
I think that the most challenging routes I did took me a maximum of 8/10 sessions to complete. I'm not a super fan of routes worked for too long, and I know that if I want to make it one step further and move to the next level I need to invest more time. Let's see, for sure I'll dedicate myself to longer projects sooner or later.

Samuel Ometz puts up Avant Demain (9a)

Samuel Ometz has made the FA of Avant demain (9a) in St-Loup. "Happy to free a new hard line on this mythical wall! After having tried "Demain" a dozen times over the last 4 years, I decided to try a variant starting in "Nightmare" to skip the 1st crux, the rest being already quite challenging. A first slabby crux with a textureless sloper, followed by a second low percentage crux on shitty feet. 8 days focused on this variant this year."

Can you tell us more about the Demain and how hard it could be?
It was bolted around 20 years ago, by David Hohl, both the original and the variant I did. Demain is the direct start and adds a hard boulder at the start. The variation I climbed joins Demain after that hard section (7bish climbing instead of an 8B/+ boulder). Such slabby routes are tricky to grade but Demain could be 9b.

Sam Weir climbs Forgotten Gem (8C)

Sam Weir has made a quick ascent of Forgotten Gem (8C) in Chironico. Here is an Instagram video of the ascent. This was the tenth 8C or 8C+ for the 32-year-old, out of four in the last 12 months.

Can you tell us a little more about this boulder and your send?
I went to try it January with my friend Marine and it was -2 degrees when we got to the boulder. This first session I fell on the top out third try because I was giving ground up tries and was onsighting due to us not having enough pads or a ladder to check the holds. I got scared and dropped. Then the sun left the valley and temps got too cold to climb. I Came back yesterday from Geneva for a day trip and did it I think second or third try! It’s a really basic board style climb. 5 stars. One of the best in Switzerland.

What are you thinking about tackling next?
I’m trying this old Tony Lamiche project in Chamonix and training on the board with my friends. Then, back to Fionnay to have another round on Fuck the System once it melts out!



Yuta Imaizumi has amassed some impressive bouldering footage on his Youtube account Imax over the last few years. In total, he has done six 8C's as well as the only repeat of Dai Koyamada's Nayuta (8C+). Yuta says his favourite 8C is Rokudo (8C) which he completed in three days (see video).

Over the just the last year, Yuta has done Ukiyo (8B+), Asagimadara (8C), Fūjin (8B+), Gakido (8C+) and Ashurado (8C).

Last month he was #5 and #11 in the Japan Lead and Boulder Nationals. "I’ll participate in the first Lead World Cup in China [this year]!" The 23-year-old made his debut on the international scene placing #35 in a World Cup at age 16. His second and last World Cup was Meiringen in 2021, where he was #25.

How does a normal climbing week look like?
I train with a routine of two days of climbing and one day of rest afterwards . I mostly climb spray walls from basic level to high level and sometimes go climbing at b-pump Ogikubo as well. I train lead climbing once a week. Some days I do endurance training and try hard routes. During rock climbing season, i don’t do lead climbing but climb crimp routes on a spray wall. In the season, I go outdoor climbing once a week.

Tom Bolger FA's E.L.L.I.E. (9b)

Tom Bolger reports on Instagram that he has done the FA of E.L.L.I.E. (9b). "This hybrid route of both boulder with pads into a route (where I low level decked a bunch of times )😅 has its own unique character. For the mathematicians out there it works out at 8A+/B Boulder - into an 7C+/ 8A Boulder into an 8c+ route … it’s a Lot of steeeeepppp climbing ." (c) Esteban Lahoz

The 36-year-old did his first 9a in 2011; in 2022, he did his first 9a+ with the FA of The journey (9a+) and last year he repeated Maya (9a+). The Brit has lived in Catalunya and put up several hard lines there over the last decade, but he often still travels back to the UK for work.

Stefano Carnati completes Vicious Circle (9a+/9b)

Stefano Carnati has made the second ascent Vicious Circle (9a+) at Mišja Peč, which is a bouldery 8c+ start linking into Sanjski par extension (9a) that Adam Ondra put up in 2016. "9a+/b. 40 movements, extreme power endurance climbing with a hard crux. Broke the first hold and the entry section got slightly harder (climbed it second try before then and had to spend another two days to solve it again ), I used kneepads which helped for some rests. In my opinion, the first half itself is much harder than the second (i.e. “Sanjski par”), but the second is definitely the redpoint crux. What a process! 2nd ascent and 2nd hardest route I climbed so far!" (c) Nicholas Hobley

What was the process like on this one?
It took me 3 sessions for “Sanjki par extension”, the second half of the route, and 10 to 12 more for Vicious circle, out of which 7 at least only for the first part. During my stay in Slovenia I gradually attempted to make up this condition in order to feel up to projecting something that was continuously pushing me to my upper limit. For the nth time in my climbing career I ended up in the loop of projecting, the typical process made of progress, setbacks, pressure, vacillation and so forth affecting all lovers of the sport. But, last Saturday I found the key to break this endless loop! Now it's time for some extra slices of cake and looking forward to diving into another upcoming loop!!! My warmest thanks to all the people who made this process so enjoyable! Proud! 🙌 🍻 🍰

Last year, the 25-year-old Italian did Erebor (9b) as well as Vecchio Leone Sit (8C+). Currently, he lives in Slovenia and he's in his second year of PhD studies in environmental and chemical sciences.

How do manage climbing and your PhD program?
As I mainly work in a lab, my schedule is rather busy, so I train mostly in the evening. I generally train three days a week and climb outdoors during the weekend.

What is next now that you have done almost all the routes in Misja Pec?
I’ll be in Slovenia until May so I am really looking forward to visiting some other crags around (e. g. Ter, Čreta…). Hopefully, they will dry soon. I also left some unfinished business in Istria, but the weather went from cold and rainy to too warm in a few weeks, so I’d rather save these crags for another season.

Ben Hanna logs Ace of Spades’ (9a+)

Ben Hanna sent Ace of Spades (9a+) at the Poptire 17 months ago, but kept it a secret. ”I’ve been wating a long time to post this! [Climbed it] First time making it through the boulder, and I’d be damned if I was going to fall on the top and have to fight through that boulder again”. (c) Ian Dzilenski

What was it like keeping it a secret for almost one and a half years?
It was hard at first for sure, but after awhile it actually became quite fun. I had been thinking about this idea of making a climbing film with a few hard climbs which nobody knew I had done and when I sent Ace of Spades I decided this was my chance to make that film. I never thought it would take more than a year to make the film but in the end I’m really glad I committed to it.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I had tried it a few times over about a year and a half. I was able to do all of the moves the first day but linking the first boulder problem was quite hard for me. A lot of people fall on the last boulder problem, and I had belayed my friend on it a lot and watched him fall at the top a few times which was was really getting in my head. The day I sent it, I made it though the boulder to the first rest for the first time ever and I remember thinking “damn I really don’t want to do that boulder ever again” and so I just decided right there I wasn’t going to fall no matter what, and I was able to take it to the chains.

What is on your agenda now?
I am in Spain until the 7th of April, hard sport climbs! I’ve been here for 3 days. Still trying to figure out what I want to try.