Alex Johnson has done Blackout (8B) in Joe's Valley (UT) and here is the video. (c) Melina Costanza

”My thoughts have been absorbed by this thing for months, waiting for temps to drop in Utah. Getting on Colorado crimp lines this summer only made me obsess over this one more. I tried it once last year with Allison Vest when she sent, and it was one of those climbs that just sunk its hooks into me. Quintessential crimp pulling test piece; the epitome of my climbing style. After dropping the end last weekend in maybe the biggest punt of my life, I’m real content with putting it away, and where I’m at with my climbing and fitness right now. What’s next? Unsure, but I know without a doubt this isn’t my limit.”

The 33-year-old first made headlines on 8a in 2008, when we followed up on her victory at the Vail World Cup 2008 in an article. The same year she did her first 8A+ and was also #1 in the 8a ranking game. In 2010, she was overall #4 in the Boulder World Cup including winning one event. She stopped competing in 2015 and took it up again in 2019, trying to qualify for the Olympics. Outdoors, she is having her best year ever in 2022 with two 8B’s and five 8A+’.

Karoline Sinnhuber has done Smeagol (8B) in Zillertal. "How much struggle did I have on the last 3 moves? - YES! Sososososo happy I could finally keep my shit together and top it out 😍"

In total, the former competition climber has done 46 boulders 8A+ and 8B. Last week, 8a reported that she had done her first 8A+ in eight months. The Austrian explained that she in June partly ruptured her pulley and later in July/August suffered from further inflammation.

Solène Amoros, a french multi-pitch specialist, has set a new PB by doing La flûte en chantier (8c+) in Verdon. (c) Theo Cartier

"I’ve been trying the route a little bit for the last two seasons, and this year I trained specifically for this. It is an incredibly beautiful line, with two (very bad) parallel tufas. One of the first lines you see when you arrive in the cave. It is composed of 3 sections: a physical 8b, a powerful 8b+ on bad holds (the crux) and an 8a+. The first 8b is composed of big moves in a 45° steep wall for about 15 m, it's not that hard but difficult enough to consume a consequent part of your energy balance. Then it’s less steep, and a good but really painful rest allows you to breathe a bit before the crux section: 15 intense movements without any possibility to shake or chalk. It is super hard to pinch and to be precise enough on the holds of this single tufa during a few meters. The feet are really bad and you need to rush forward until the moment you have to traverse to another tufa.

It’s a big traverse move and I sent the route the first time I stuck it. A 5 stars drop knee section leads you to another big rest. And then you're only left with a final 8a+, 20 m long and very stressful during the send! When I sent it, a little breeze was cheering me on, it was perfect. This year, it took me 10 days to send, divided between 3 trips. I was working and training in between and could go every two weekends only. In the end, I don’t really remember the send go but more so all the other tries and high points. Maybe because it obsessed me until the next one? I really enjoyed the process, the training and the good stress of giving everything for a route. Especially when the route is in a place as beautiful as La Ramirole. The Verdon gorges are a peaceful and quiet area that I really love, and I can’t wait to spend more time there in the next years."

What are the hardest MPs you have done the last two years?
Alibaba (8a+ - 240 m) in September
La Ramirole (8b max -150 m) in May
Hôtel Supramonte (8b max - 400 m except for the last easy pitches that were wet at the tile) last November
Lignes de vie (8a+ max - 150 m) in Grenoble last summer
Asproman (8a max - 200m) in Ailefroide 2 years ago 🙂.

What is your next plan and what about this winter?
I'm going to climb and bolt new routes in Albania for the next two weeks and then start training again to climb 9a on day 🙃

Taylor McNeill has done in Neverland, after projecting it for 8 days. "Perfect line... Best of the best." James Webb put it up in 2014 as an 8B+ and commenting, "Absolutely one of the best lines I've done. So glad to make the FA. Maybe the low now? Hope it's possible!" Then in 2019 a video was presented calling it 8C.

Do you know why it was 8B+ originally?
If I remember correctly, Jimmy had never done an established 8C at that time and didn’t feel comfortable calling it harder. The boulder is in the middle of nowhere, about an hour of driving on dirt roads. Also is quite hard. Daniel came really close in the spring, I bet it will see another ascent soon.

Gonzalo Larrocha, who in the last month has done three 8c+ and one 9a, has done Patanics (9a+) in . All in all, the 38-year-old is peaking, and only in 2022, he has done 120+ routes 8a and harder.

How many sessions did you project it?
This autumn seven days but I tried it many other sessions in other seasons.

I don't know what to say about this route. The process was perfect during this season. Every try I fell higher, only in the last two days had some regression tries. The problem is more or less the same as in No pain no gain. The main difference is that a crimp broke off which made the boulder section harder.

Simone Tentori has done the second ascent of Clement Lechaptois' Solitary daze (8C) in Fionnay, which is a direct exit to Permanent Midnight (8A+). (c) Sierra Fabri

"As soon as I climbedFoundations Edge (8C) (last month) I started trying Solitary Daze because it's a very attractive line and it seemed my style. This problem is both powerful and technical, you need to squeeze hard with your upper body and legs and at the same time you need to place really difficult heel hooks.

I tried for 5/6 days and I was really close, falling a few times at the last hard move due to the slipping heel. Finished the trip empty-handed and when I got home I started some work and uni stuff. I felt tired and weak during those weeks at home but as soon as I got some free time I decided to come back to try anyway. Friday night I took the 5 hours to drive to Fionnay and Saturday I climbed the boulder first try after the warm-up."

Iziar Martinez has done Nuria (8c) and Taladrina (8b+) in . (c) Bárbara García García Inés

In 2020, she climbed four 8c's, and since then she has focused more on competitions. This year, the 17-year-old placed on the podium in both Lead and Boulder in the European Youth Championships.

Karoline Sinnhuber has done The Antwoord (8A+) in Zillertal. "I actually didn‘t plan to try this boulder, because the start move and start position are really awkward. Anyway, somehow I landed there and checked out the moves. It took me a while to figure out the first move with the weird heel and almost in a lying position - but it worked out 😎" (c) Fabian Leu

Great to see you back sending hard, have you had an injury layoff?
I‘m also happy that I‘m back in business after a partly ruptured pulley in June and an inflammation in July/August. It definitely sucked, not being able to crimp hard 😁 there is still a bit of inflammation in my finger, but I can crimp - and that‘s all that counts 😄

Stéfanie Lo Piccolo has repeated her husband, Cedric's Trip tik tonik (9a) in Gorges du Loup. Fanatic Climbing has made an interview with the 37-year-old and mother of two children, who twice got a bronze in the Youth World Championship.

"After the Covid period, I was in good shape. The gyms were closed, the children were back to school, and we had more time to climb outside. In the space of a year, I did a lot of hard climbs: the tough 8c/+ of “Tango Tonik” at Déversé and several others lines in the 8c range. The shape was back. In the fall of 2021, I saw Petr Blaha try “TTT” and it caught my attention. I did 4 sessions in October 2021 in order to find my methods. This spring, I went back on the route and started doing good links."

During the last three weeks, she has worked it intensively and she thanks Matteo Gambaro who found a new knee bar that unlocked the first crux for her.

Aidan Roberts reports on Insta that he has done the first repeat of Shawn Raboutou's Alphane 9A at Chironico. The 21-year-old has previously done a handful of 8C's and his hardest is Isles of Wonder Sit 8C+. Five years ago he won a Euro Youth Cup and his best result among the seniors is #19.

"Alphane however, was a pleasure throughout. Every day of effort, on rock or replica, felt to bear fruit with lessons of subtleties in movement, intricacy of holds and optimising mindset. I’ve got nothing but positive memories surrounding this climb and lots of days sharing methods with friends. It feels as though every session has been a success, almost a shame that there won’t be more to come!"