Katherine Choong has done E-space challenge (8c+) in Précipice de Corbière, bolted by Nicolas Glée. (c) Isabelle Bihr

“It's a battle of endurance, on a very overhanging wall that starts with a first pitch in 8a+ and climbs crescendo to the crux just below the anchor, a dyno followed by some very physical and challenging moves. After falling 3 times on the final dyno, it took me 6 days to reach the top without falling! Climbed without kneepad 😉”

Katherine is a former competition climber who some 30 times has been top-30 in the World Cup. She has previously done two 9a’s and several hard MP’s up to 8b+. In other words, her track record is one of the most impressive out there.

William Bosi has made the second repeat, after Aidan Roberts, of Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane 9A at Chironico. Bosi was reluctant to confirm the grade and says a recent 8C+ FA from him was more challenging. (c) Sam Pratt

From the press release: “Overall, Bosi spent 10 sessions working Alphane and 2 sessions previously last year with Shawn Raboutou where he explored and worked moves on the boulder before the final line and sequence was established.

Commenting on his ascent, Bosi commented,
"A few sessions back I was unsure as to whether Alphane would go on this trip, the temperature has been unseasonably hot, some rainy days had made it really humid and the route was damp in places. However, the crew out here managed to keep the psyche really high and the problem came together quickly. The moves on this line are so good and after a lot of time on the wall, I was really happy to claim the third ascent!"

Commenting on the proposed grade of 9A, Will was reluctant to confirm the grade.
“In terms of a grade, I personally felt that Honey Badger (8C+) was more of a challenge for me and proposing a grade for that at the time was daunting as it was my first 8C+. At the cutting edge of climbing, grading feels so much more difficult as the margins are that much finer and personal strengths and preferences really come into play. Is it 9A? Honestly, I do not know and as I gain more experience of climbing around this grade range I may have a better view, but it is a fantastic line established by Shawn and I look forward to seeing more experienced climbers comment on where the grade sits”.

The ascent of Alphane is another milestone for Bosi since his decision to switch full time to climbing outdoors. This spring, Bosi had a hugely productive trip to the Czech Republic to climb with Adam Ondra and in summer, he established the Peak District's hardest boulder problem, Honey Badger 8C+ at Badger Cove.“

Aidan Roberts, who two weeks ago did the first repeat of Alphane 9A, has done another Shawn Raboutou FA, Child of Hell 8C in Gottardo / Gotthardpass. Impressively, the previous competition climber did it on his first go after just trying it out on top rope. Just before, he had done Stairway to heaven (8B), in the picture. (c) Sam Pratt

How was it possible to send an 8C so quickly?
Ah yes, so the crux of Child of hell mostly revolves around a small right hand shoulder which of course makes it physical but the puzzle lies in the footholds and they’re very bad and very high! So I used the rope to figure out the best footholds for me. I did the crux section in 2 parts off of the rope but was happy with the method and had to stop as was worried my skin would split! So when I pulled on from the ground it was definitely a surprise for me to top out, I’d expected just to figure out the bottom section really (it’s about 7C+ until the crux). I had a very clear head whilst I climbed though, I think a continuation of the headspace I tried hard to adopt whilst giving attempts from the start on Alphane. It translated well.

Could this quick ascent in any way confirm Alphane being 9A?
Alphane definitely feels to be the hardest climb I have done. Not in terms of hardest moves but this isn’t the difficulty of the climb really. The difficulty lies in links as the transitions between moves are so exhausting and complex. But regarding the grade, I didn’t feel so much as though it was my responsibility to comment. I understand a first ascensionist has the pressure to establish the grade but I think it’s often the least enjoyable part of the process and I don’t believe future ascensionists should so much subject the developers decision to too much scrutiny. Grading has become such a point of pride within climbing. It has been for me lots in the past too you see.

So I’m making attempts to step away from this and any comment I would make on the matter would be in the form of a conversation with Shawn, though no such conversation feels necessary in this example. I believe the collective who graded this climb has so much more experience than I that it would be rather proud for me to think that I have a better idea!

Emilie Gerhardt reports on Insta that she has done Creatures of Comfort (8A+) in Vernayaz. In total, the 23-year-old has done roughly ten boulders 8A and harder in 2022.

Can you tell us more about your ascent?
Some weeks ago I saw Julius (Westphal, who took the picture) sending this boulder and was really psyched to try this one too. Unfortunately our trip was over but now we came back and I could try it too. My shoulders are always a bit weak so the first moves were the hardest for me.

It looks like you're having your best season ever?
We do not have a lot of free time for rock climbing trips due to our work in our climbing gym “Steil”. So we can always head for few trips for just some days. But being every day in your own climbing gym to work also means you can train there a lot too. Julius and I always train together and are pretty motivated, maybe that’s the key :)

Marco Zanone, who in 2022 previously has done three 9a's and his first 9a+, has sent Action Directe (9a) in Frankenjura, in just six sessions. (c) Andrea Zanone

Solid work! Can you tell us more about your ascent?
The first time I tried AD was at the beginning of this trip. I left Italy on the 4th of October, and after a few days to get used to the style I went to check the route. It was a grey and humid day, but still, I was very psyched to try and see how the holds on this legendary route are. Honestly, I was feeling under pressure because of the holy atmosphere you breathe, when you are staring at the line from the bottom. It’s very hard to describe the feeling. After that session, I was hooked, but conditions in Frankenjura this fall were very bad. It was raining almost every 2 days and inside the forest, it was crazy humid and damp. Sometimes the temperatures were quite high, which was almost even worse than humid and cold, because the surface of the rock was wet due to condensation. I could try the route, but not as much as I wanted and day after day I was more conscious that the chance of failure was higher than succeeding.

I ended up sending AD after six days of effort, It was also the last chance for this trip. That day the conditions were quite good, the wind was finally blowing inside the forest and the rock was stickier than ever before!! I was feeling very fit but also very very stressed out. After 3 tries falling in the middle section, I could enter the traverse part for the first time and climb all the way to the top. It’s a priceless experience being able to stand on the top of this legendary route. Thanks, Wolfgang for your vision.

Alex Ventajas, who previously has done a handful 9a’s, has flashed 5 Uve (8c) in Narango. The Spaniard has been waiting for the perfect moment for a year, checking others working it, and after he watched a video of it he finally went for it.

Could you say something about the flash?
When I started climbing I wasn’t really thinking about anything, my mind was kind of blank and my body was flowing, one hold after another. All the way up I had the feeling I already knew the moves, such as when you are projecting a route and you have already metabolized the sequences.

The final crux was my only doubt because that day the weather was pretty humid and I didn’t know which of the two betas I saw would have been better. My head was working pretty fast and, at first, I decided to try catching a sloper hold but I understood I might fall because it was kind of slippery, so I rapidly changed beta bumping to catch a crimp. Everything happened so fast in that section, I found inside myself a huge motivation, a fresh energy that let me keep going without hesitation through those crimpy holds.

When I reached the good one I took a breath, reset my mind and kept climbing carefully till the top!

Yesterday, the Olympic winner Alberto Gines López spent an hour trying and obsessing on the crimpy, Poison the Well (8C+), until it got cold and dark.

15 hours later he is on the last belay station on the Red Bull Duel Ascent, watching his team mate, the 2022 World Cup winner Luka Potočar totally exhausted and sweaty going for the last and sixth 8a pitch.

“I saw Domen (Skofic) was ahead and I just told Luka to fight. Once (Jernej) had taken his unfortunate fall, possibly due to accepting a bigger risk, I had recovered and had full control although I was exhausted.”

How about making this an Olympic discipline, the spectators seem to love it?
Please No :)

Luka: It was a totally new experience. I was exhausted as if I had never been in a competition before but is was great trying to stay on the wall. But I feel bad for Jernej and Domen.

Jernej: I blame my bouldering career. We tried to go so fast in the first pitches but in the end I was just too pumped.