Birte Gutmayer has done Idée fixe (8c) in La Saume. "~7c+ to a good rest, followed by a 12-move power endurance crux where precision and beta were key for me. The right mindset and good conditions had to come together to realize this project."

The 32-year-old's grade pyramid is very impressive and in total, she has logged 1 150 routes with comments in the 8a database. In her latest Insta from July, she comes with interesting thoughts.

"To find a well matching climbing partner is as hard as finding a good hold on Frankenjura limestone. Some look good but won’t bring you further. Others are maybe deep enough but don’t fit your fingers. Others may be to fragile and they break once you put force on them. Joy, motivation and awareness are some of the key features my climbing partner should bring to the crag. Positive energy is as essential as the air I breathe but nevertheless the choice of good climbing partners is often underestimated in an individual sport as climbing.

The choice of climbing partners is sometimes based on their maxgrade - the higher the better - but this doesn’t tell you much about the personality. They are probably motivated to climb but also to belay? Is your success of similar importance as their own? Other climbers choose their climbing partners based on fun - the funnier the better. It is getting complicated as soon as the evening beer is preferred to another belay session.

In my opinion good climbing partners are always aware and with confidence. They give me advice and share the perfect beta. While resting they don’t stare at their smartphones but enjoy our common real life with good vibes. They encourage me at the start and cheer at the right moment so I can push to my limits and beyond."

Could you tells us more about your ascent?
In June with „Idée fixe“ in my mind I came to Briancon to check out the route. The line in dark grey rock looked like the perfect endurance test piece where I could take advantage of my strengths. I had six days of projecting in three weeks with really good progress. In this phase I rehearsed all the moves, tried to optimize the beta and only did links between the rests. As a side project I climbed „Saume sweet home“ whose crux is part of Idée fixe. But „Idée fixe“ has a harder crux in the midsection. In the fourth week of my stay in the Briancon area I started to do redpoint attempts. I realized that Idée fixe won‘t be a matter of endurance because I didn't even get really pumped until the crux moves but my fingers and shoulders weren’t strong enough to do the last three hard moves on crimps. In three days I fell nine times at the same move without any improvement and I felt close to my physical abilities. Also the heat wave in mid July didn't increase my chances. So I decided to drive back home for training.

My motivation for training was high. So I was confident when I came back in August. But in my first week back on the route I struggled a lot with single moves due to quite humid conditions. After a weak the conditions changed. The humidity dropped down to 40% and I could do a big linkup from two moves after the first rest to the end of the 8c crux sequence.

I got psyched again to have some promising tries the next day. And finally it happened on my second try then. Compared to the 8c crux in control the 8b-part to the anchor was a bit shaky and risky because I took the gamble to not climb this part in one link since my first stay back in july. The whole process had its ups and downs but probably that’s part of projecting at your limit. And so I am even happier to climb this great power endurance test piece.

Arief Nagara has done Mark's Traverse (8A) in Mortar Rock and Midtown Brown 8A (+) in Delete. Amazingly, the 12-year-old has now done 78 boulders 7B+ and harder including three flashes. The picture by his father Innosanto, is from Action Jackson 7C+ which he has not yet done.

How much do you take part in your son's climbing?
I mostly am just lucky in that I have a very flexible schedule, and I know climbing so I can take him wherever he wants to go. I was never much of a boulderer and I'm from the era before crash pads, so nowadays my role in that is mainly helping carry pads, spotting, and videotaping. For sport climbing, I'm more useful because I can assess any cleaning issues if he has to bail on a lead, etc. But really he is very self-motivated about climbing. He has had some really great coaches and mentors. As I said, I quit climbing 25 years ago. My sport is martial arts, and I'm an instructor at a dojo here in Oakland. But he discovered climbing himself. The fact that I could support him in it definitely helped of course, but he's mostly motivated by his team and coaches. I think the climbing community has been great too--after some initial presumptions by some people, most climbers are willing to take him seriously as a fellow climber.

If anything I try to step back as much as I can because dad as a coach or someone trying to relive my youth vicariously through his accomplishments is a mistake.

Before this year I didn't allow him to post grades with his sends, but with that much experience I feel he now has a strong sense of what climbing grades mean in relation to his sense of self as a person and as a climber, so it's okay to have fun with that. His base is pretty strong, with almost 80 sends V8 (7B+) or above. Some are of course going to be disputed. Some are "soft". Some are hard.

Arief comments on his send of Midtown brown: "I first tried it three weeks ago and over two sessions got some really good links. But it still felt impossible because even though I could do all the individual moves I could only do the crux in isolation once every five times or so. And I couldn’t do the crux when I started from the start. Plus the second part is hard. But then I went back this week I was able to repeat the finish pretty easily and did the crux in iso on my first try so I was feeling really strong. I started trying send goes and taking long rests in between, which is unusual for me. But it worked because I ended up having enough energy to send even though it was at the end of a five-hour session"

Mike Doyle, who has previously done two 8c+ routes, has sent Honour and Glory (9a) in Echo Canyon, giving it a personal 8c+ grade. "What a fight to the finish! I'm really stoked to have managed to take it to the top the first time hitting the big flake! An endurance monster and masterpiece. Found really good beta (double kneepads) through the bottom. IMO 8c to the flake then 8a+/8b to the summit. That can take it up a grade but there's probably still better beta to be found. Lots of options and I really loved that about this route." The picture is from his Insta

Mike did his first 8c+, by the FA of the classical Lucifer (8c+) in Red River Gorge (KY) back in 2007.

Thomas Joannes, who previously has done five 8c+, has done Cabane au Canada (9a) in Rawyl, giving it a personal 8c+ grade as it only took him three tries. Adam Ondra onsighted it in 2013 and last year he updated his scorecard by calling it 8c+. Thomas comments, "Pure line, 100% competition climbing style. 🙂 Soft 8c+ in my opinion."

The 27-year-old has been an active competition climber until 2018. Seven times he has made the final in a Lead World Cup including once being #3.

Maxi Karrer has done Der heilige Gral (9a) in Frankenjura. It is one of the longest routes in Frankenjura following a big archway and everyone has given it five stars in the 8a database.

"I started thinking about the route when I began my studies in Erlangen 6 years ago. From there it is just a 30 minutes drive to the crag but I never felt strong enough to climb a 9a. Over the years I could climb some 8c routes and 2 years ago the FA of Laktatsturm (8c+) was my first 8c+. From that time the route “Der heilige Gral” was back in my mind!

After checking out the moves I was sure that it was possible for me. In the next season 2021, the crag was often very wet! This is one of the main problems while trying the route. So no chance for me to climb it. This year, after my exam, I felt good and had the time to try it again. The route was dry and with a very fast send of I bleed black (8c+) 3 weeks before, I was super motivated! The route starts with some easy moves in the overhang. After that, there is a hard mono section which is followed by a crazy no-hand rest. From this point, you have to climb 8c to the top. All in all, I needed around 10 sessions doing it. For sure one of the best lines in Frankenjura 😊."

Jane Švecová (Vincourkova), who did her first 8B+ this spring, has made the FA of Margo (8B) in Moravský kras, video.

"I was originally trying Janja SD (8B+) from Martin Stráník. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach most of the holds and the major parts of the moves were impossible for me. While my husband kept trying Janja I decided to entertain myself and kept trying it, I found a completely different way for the crux. The first three to four moves are the same, but then I continued with the moves further up in the roof, so I decided to make a new boulder from it. I've been struggling with one, I would say, the crux move, but then Lucie Hrozová visited me and she came out with a very different beta which suited me even better. Then there was a really hard foot exchange which took me most of the time, to do it.

It is crazy to say but even in the summer, there could be close to five-degree celsius by the boulder, so for many days, I was struggled with cold, or with a wet rock because of the moisture coming from the cave below the boulder. On day eight or so I finally saw some progress. Then the weather was really poor and I had a lot of work, so I was just hang boarding a lot. After a month I got time to get back, and we came to the crag, I warmed up in some easy boulders and sent the project first go. I didn't expect it, everything was just perfect, I just kept going and all of the sudden, I was at the top. So yeah, it was very fast send that day, I decided calling it Margo as it is as well an iconic climber as Janja and the style of this climb is similar to what you can see from Margo, for-example in LaRambla 🙂"

Yannick Flohé, who has been Top-7 in all eight WC's he has done in 2022, has been on a quick trip to Magic Wood where he did four 8B+ boulder problems. In the 8a ranking game he is #4 and that is also his position in the IFSC Lead and Boulder rankings 2022.

"It was my first time in Magic and I really enjoyed it. The first three days started with rain so I checked out Ill Thrill (8B+) and did The Never Ending Story (8B+) and Power of Now (8B+) which stay dry except for the last hold. Power of Now only took a couple of tries but Ill trill felt hard for me because it’s so technical with lots of heel hooks. On my last day, I made a quick ascent of Believe in two (8B+). It’s a rarely repeated 8B+ that shares the same start as Steppenwolf. I also tried In search of time loss in the Darkness cave but It was too hot to try hard. But luckily I’ll come back straight after the Koper WC in two weeks 😄."