Tyler Thompson has skipped 9a and gone straight to 9a+ by climbing Full Metal Brisket (9a+) in the New River Gorge (WV). The line was bolted by Lee Robinson and Jonathan Siegrist did the FA in 2021. (c) Hansac Ho

“Wow. Huge endeavour for me starting back when it was still an open project. Last fall I spent every weekend trying and the occasional Thursday when I could skip my lab. Wasn’t able to do it then but this week I was blessed by the weather gods and we got several beautiful coliseum days. Tuesday, during a breezy short sleeve day in mid February I clipped the chains! 30+ sessions. What do I do with my life now….”

When did you start working the route and how did you manage to skip 9a?
I started trying two years ago when the route was still a project but put more serious effort in last fall. And, I’m a student so it’s hard for me to travel somewhere to project a route. The New is only 3 hours away so I could work the route for an extended time. I thought this route was inspiring and that the moves were really great, so it was the route I wanted to put serious effort into. The 9a route nearby didn’t inspire me in the same way that Full Metal did.

Can you describe the route and what you liked so much about it?
The route is crimpy and body tension oriented. I’d say it suited my style well which was motivating. The holds are pretty bad for the entirety of the extended boulder problem that defines the route. The body positions are very specific because of how bad the holds are and I found the process of dialling in the sequences and the process I felt even after 20+ days was still very rewarding.

James Pearson, one of the globe's leading trad climbers, has made the FA of Bon Voyage, in Annot, France. He has not yet suggested a grade but based on his comments below, it seems safe to think it could be 8c+ or harder. (c) Raphaël Fourau

"I found the line in 2021 and have been actively preparing myself for it since then. It felt like quite a step up from other hard trad routes I’ve tried over the years, but I’ve really enjoyed the process of developing new skills and strengths to be able to stand a chance. After the split with Le Voyage, a first boulder problem takes you to a couple of good pockets (the final protection of the route) and a marginal rest. From here there are 20 hard moves to the finishing ledge, almost exclusively on shallow pockets and tiny crimps. The route is definitely run out, with long falls, but you’d be unlucky to hurt yourself providing the protection is well placed. Annot has some of the blankest rock I have ever seen and the walls can often be sandy and loose, meaning most of the routes stick to crack systems. Bon Voyage follows a diagonal layer of bullet hard sandstone dotted with tiny pockets... a true miracle of Mother Nature and a reminder why all the years of searching were worth it.

This route took me longer than any other route or boulder I’ve ever tried. Both in terms of days actively trying it and time preparing myself for it (~ 20 days over 2 years and 10 redpoints). I spent more actual redpoint attempts on this than on Tribe, and all of my other 9a sport routes. I had to train specifically on a fingerboard to be able to do the moves and link the intense, fingery crux section. Around the same time I made the first ascent, I climbed a couple of 9a's in a similar length and style. These took me around 4 sessions and 4 to 5 redpoints. These sport routes are both slightly more overhanging with easier moves but worse rests, and shouldn’t suit me as well. But I’m also aware that:

It’s a First Ascent, and they always feel harder than a repeat. Of the 20 days, at least 4 of them were spent brushing holds and trying to understand if the line might be possible. It’s slightly off-vertical which is a really difficult angle to grade. The holds are so very small and poor, that the moves feel difficult at first, but can quickly feel much easier as you learn the subtleties of each position.

The route is on pockets, which I believe to be one of my weaknesses. However, the pockets are so shallow (less than half pad) that they are more like crimps (my strength), and because of the sides of the pocket, you can’t use your thumb so you are forced to half crimp (my strongest grip type). It leaves me questioning: Did I need to train specifically just to reach an average level, or did I train to make my best strength even stronger? The answer to this question changes everything. The crux move is very low percentage. I fell many times on this move before passing it - counting significantly towards my number of redpoints, but with a bit more luck I might have passed it sooner. Still, even after passing it I still fell 3 times in the 2nd to last boulder, and almost fell on the final technical arête! It’s definitely not a one move wonder.

At the moment I don’t feel able to give this route a definite grade, which always sounds funny to me as a grade proposal should be just that, a proposal. In theory I should simply say what I think, leaving future repeater’s to give their opinion, and eventually we settle on a consensus. Perhaps I’m more sensitive than the average person but in practice I’ve seen and felt that it doesn’t quite work like that.

I could go with my gut and remind myself that at 37 I’m really too old to worry about things like this. I could also under grade it, effectively downgrading it myself before anyone else gets the chance, but this has a tendency to lead to grade stagnation like we’ve got with trad routes in the UK, and doesn’t do anyone any favours. However, both of these options would rely on me having a fixed grade in my head, which for all the above reasons - I simply don’t, yet. Before offering a grade I’d like to try a few more hard sport routes to better gauge my level, and also climb at Annot with other high-level climbers. Hopefully this will give me a better idea."

Thijs van Delden reports on Insta that he has done The Big Island (8C) in Fontainebleau, projecting it for a dozen or so sessions.

Can you tell us more about this send and your climbing background?
Last year I started trying the Big Island, although it's not completely my style, I felt that it was possible and started to devote some more time to it. In January I stayed in Font for almost three weeks which enabled me to try when the conditions were good. In my experience, climbing hard in Font is 50% being strong and 50% having good conditions. Luckily this trip both were right, and I managed to climb my first 8C, something which I am rather fond (proud) of!

I have been climbing since I am 12, so around 10 years, first I focused on comps but later I changed course and only trained for outdoors. This was mainly due to a shift in preference. In addition, my experience with comps was that it takes a lot of time and preparation whereas outdoors you can still train effectively and make progress while allocating much less time. This allowed me to focus on other things besides climbing, such as studying, reading, working, and playing chess. During the week I mostly train 5-6 times a week, somewhere between 1.5 to 2 hours a session. I often climb on the Kilterboard or spray wall, depending on my goals I also do some strength exercises such as weighted pull-ups and rings. I can do this all at Keiboulderhal, a climbing gym five minutes from home, which makes training very easy and efficient!

Currently, I am writing my thesis and doing a full-time internship at Deloitte, so there is not much climbing in the upcoming months, unfortunately.

William Bosi, who previously has flashed six 8B or 8B+, has made an amazing flash of Graceland (8B+) in Allgäu. ”First pull on rock in Germany so very surprised and happy to get the flash of this amazing bloc. Super cool shoulder move. Grades are impossible to know when you flash but I reckon it’s more on the 8B side than the +? Hopefully more people will go and try it soon :)” (c) Band of Birds

How did you prepare for the flash?
Was a fairly unprepared day as I was only free from 2pm and don’t know the area so we looking up what seemed like a cool and steep crag and headed to just have a look. As it had been snowing so much I didn’t think anything would be dry and we didn’t have pads. So I was very surprised to arrive at a really cool looking wall which was dry and had two stashed pads under it! I wasn’t really able to tell exactly where the lines went so I messaged Dominik Bösch who is local and luckily he was free and then popped over. He showed me the lines and his beta once he got there. So after going through the moves in my head a good few times I sat down and went for Graceland first! As it has a weird shoulder move I really wasn’t expecting to flash it, but somehow I was able to do the move well and just stay on.

How did you warm up and just how cold was it?
It was around -5 to 0 I believe and I warmed up by pretty much just doing arm swings and then feeling some of the holds around, my first pull of the floor was on Graceland.

What is next?
I’m back in the UK now but just training to hopefully return to Arco for Excalibur (9b+) in the coming weeks!

Michaela Kiersch, who just last week did the 35m endurance test piece La Rambla (9a+), reports with Insta videos that during her first two days in Brione she has done Fake Pamplemousse (8A), Entwash (8A) and Frogger (8A). (c) Tina Johnson Hafsaas

In the La Rambla interview, the Doctor of hand therapy, explained how she had prepared for her Euro trip. "I did a really regimented training block of about 6 weeks following my trip to the RRG (Red River Gorge). It included moonboard, kilterboard, circuits, and hangboarding. And, sauna every day!"

How long did it take to get into the groove of bouldering after having focused on endurance in Siurana?
On my first day I did Entwasch and Fake pamplemousse, so it didn’t take long at all! I had one gym session in Barcelona, it's close to the airport. It’s a nice surprise to be here and having fun in the forest. And less windy ;)

As it stands, the 28-year-old is a contender for having the All-Time High best Combined route and boulder tick list. In just the last year, she has done around 30 boulders 8A to 8B+. In previous years, she was more of a route climber having completed a dozen routes 8c+ and harder.

Michaela was #22 in her Boulder World Cup debut in 2010 at age 15 and the next year she was #18 in a Lead World Cup. From there, she put competitions to the side, and chose to focus on rock and University. Michaela did her first 8c and 8c+ at age 21. Interview from last summer.

Jorge Diaz-Rullo reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Mejorando la Samfaina in Margalef. (c) Adri Martinez

The route is a connection that links Mejorando Imagen 9a+/b and Samfaina 9a+ which, according to Jorge, is his most difficult route to date. The 23-year-old has previously done nine 9b's.

As Jorge suggested 9b+ for it, could possibly mean that his big project, Cafe Columbia, to the right on the same wall, might be 9c. The Spaniard has logged 130 days on his mega-project and commented last week to 8a, "I am sure it is the hardest route that I ever tried."

Ryuichi Murai, who already has five 8C+ ascents to his name, reports on Insta that he has done in Red Rock (NV), after projecting it for eight days. (c) Momoka Oda

Sleepwalker was opened by Jimmy Webb and later Daniel Woods added a sitstart, calling it Return of the Sleepwalker (9A).

Did you give the 9A sit start a go? Did you do any special training in order to get in shape for this trip?
Tomorrow is the last day. So the sit start is for the next time. I made some sloper and fat pinch problems at the spray wall and trained sometimes with the Beast Maker 2000. Additionally, I also did full span training from an undercling to sloper hold. (Sleepwalker requires wingspan).
My basic climbing style is training on the gym's spray wall 2-3 times a week. The amount will increase a little more one month before a trip. The content includes max power training with problems of V12 (8A+) and above, and circuit training with problems of V7-9. And I often do finger pull-ups using the Beast Maker 2000. I sometimes do plank training at home on days when I don't climb.

When and where do you plan to travel next ?
Maybe Alphane or South Africa in June-July.

Cameron Hörst has done Smoke Wagon (9a) in . (c) John Kasaian

Can you give us the lowdown?
I started trying “Smoke Wagon” (9a) in the winter of 2021 but never came back to it until the end of December 2022. Since December, I have taken a couple one week trips to Vegas (from Salt Lake City) to try the climb between training. I haven’t kept track of the number of sessions but I put a good bit of work into it. I chose to work this route, in particular, because it is a pure resistance route (which has historically been my anti-style). The goal being… that trying this route, in between training, will hopefully help equip me for harder projects in the future!

What's next for you this year?
I have some lingering projects here in the states I want to finish off throughout the year and will be travelling to France this summer to climb in Céüse!

Cameron made his first 8a news in 2012 when he did his first three 8b+. In addition to excelling at climbing, Cameron excelled at American football in high school.

Stefano Ghisolfi has done the FA of Excalibur (9b+) in Arco. It was bolted by Christian Dorigatti and Morris Fontanari who invited Stefano to try it two years ago. Over the last year, Stefano has been trying it with Jacob Schubert, Will Bosi and Adam Ondra. (c) Diego Borello

Can you tell us more about the ascent? Did you do any specific training and did you benefit from trying it with others?
It is a short route but there are 18 moves and the rest in the middle is very important, a huge amount of strength is needed but it is not enough, power endurance is crucial for the last crux. I think it took me from 20 to 30 sessions. I didn't do any specific training but I focus my training more on power and power endurance in the past months. Trying the route with other climbers speeded up the process of finding the perfect beta and helped with motivation in the long term.

With more time, do you think you can go beyond the difficulty that something like Excalibur presents?
Yes, sure! Actually, there is a possible low start of Excalibur 😅😉 I don't know if it is possible but seems hard. We start from a rock, it is possible to start further down. There are 3 or 4 moves under probably but we never tried. I'll try it for sure, with some crash pads.

The 29-year-old has previously done three 9b+'. On the competition scene, the Italian has been one of the best performers over the last ten years having won six World Cups and being Top-8, in 39 such events.