Jonathan Siegrist, who in just the last two weeks has done two 9a (+), has sent La Novena Enmienda 9a (+) in Santa Linya. "What a journey!! Feels pretty bad ass to climb all of the way up the gut of this monster cave. Got full-body-worked on the send for sure. 9a/+" (c) Cameron Maier

So you did your first 9a at age 24 and now at 36, it seems you are peaking? Could you elaborate a bit on your late blooming progress?
I worked really hard for the last four years to address some of my weaknesses with training and also with the projects I choose outside which definitely helped me make some progression! Also as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to be more patient, rest more, and take really good care of myself. But ultimately it’s not much about how ‘strong’ I am (actually I am super weak when compared to top climbers!), it’s more about just prioritizing being outside and climbing on rock "a muerte" as much as possible. Power is for sure my main weakness. I’m okay at static strength but true power is very hard for me. At least I think that’s the right answer… Climbing is such a mystery, I still have a lot to learn.

Christof Rauch has done Walk the line (9a) in Zillertal. "This was intense! My longest route climbing project and the hardest route I climbed so far! Maybe it doesn’t fit my style perfectly but I think it sits on the upper end of the grade. After falling almost 10 times past the last kneebar it became mentally really hard! Psyched to grab the third ascent after the legends Jakob Schubert and Adam Ondra. Thanks to everyone who supported me on this journey! Such a huge relief that it‘s finally over."

Christof is mainly a boulderer having done some 850 boulders 8A and harder out of which a dozen 8C's, although working full time. In the last two years, he has had some injury problems and this is why he has focused more on routes. This was the Austrian's fourth 9a the last year.

Are you fully recovered from your injuries now?
My elbow is not at 100%. I can not train one-arm pull-ups and no campus board but it‘s getting better slowly.

Chris Sharma has bolted a “blank” 30-meter wall in Siurana with no routes within some 40 meters of either side. All the moves have been done and after some ten sessions of trying, he has started doing some good links reports photographer Ricardo Giancola, who shared this picture from the new project and who also captured Sharma’s 8c onsight.

“It was totally unexpected. We were filming his project on El Pati but the wind was so strong that we went to that route to be able to do something out of the wind and that's why I didn't have my rope on that one, ha ha :)

It was crazy. He started the onsight and in the middle of the route, he did not know which bolt line to follow and had to yell to the guy below with the topo. - Should I go left or right?

The guy opens the topo, finds the correct side and reads info about the route. Then Chris continued the route like in cruise control! At one point he had to rest for like two minutes as his fingers were freezing due to the strong wind. It was amazing to see and so inspiring.”

Chris Sharma reports on Insta, with a video, that he has onsighted V for Vendetta 8c in Siurana. The last time the 40-year-old legend onsighted an 8c was in 2015 and in total he has onsighted more than a handful. At age 14 he won the US bouldering nationals and the year after he made the FA of an 8c+ in the US. Since then he has been on the cutting edge, first mainly on the comp scene winning a Lead WC in 1997 and later making the podium in another six WCs including four in Boudering. In any case, he is most famous for his FA proficiency, most notably in 2001, he made the FA of Realization 9a+ in Céüse. He has since gone on to make 16 FAs 9a+ and harder, in Spain, and essentially all his FAs are classics and well repeated five-star routes. When looking through the 8a database for the highest star rated and most popular high-end routes in the world, Sharma's FAs stand out in an amazing way! (c) Ricardo Giancola

Lucie Hrozová has done Rustam SD (8A+) in Moravský kras. Video on her Insta where she also says, "almost add Rustam Direct 8B too, felt In last hard move, excited to come back there 👍👍."

How are you dealing with your compartment syndrome?
With the forearms, it depends, like now it hurts a lot and I don't climb since then. It is not always the same, but usually, I can only boulder one short session, like a few tries and then three rest days rest. Some days are a bit better and some are like really bad.


The 33-year-old has won 14 WC medals in Ice Climbing and she has also done one of the hardest mix routes in the world, Saphira M15-. This career came to a halt due to a serious shoulder injury. Then in 2019, she did an 8c but she had to stop due to Compartment syndrome. Instead, in May 2020 she started bouldering and within six months she did her first 8A+. More info on comparment syndrome from an 8a training article in 2010.

Abigail Humber has done the FFA of Trebuchet (8c) in New River Gorge (WV). (c) Karen Lane

”To my surprise, it only took me six days to send Trebuchet! I have been taking climbing seriously and competing for five years, but I didn’t really discover outdoor climbing until all of the gyms closed when Covid hit. I’m so grateful that I was forced to go outside though because climbing outdoors has become one of my favourite parts of my life. This is my second 5.14 since then, and I have no plans on stopping!

Could you tell us about your plans for 2022?
I’m planning on continuing to climb outside while also doing comps, and following the psych! I want to climb more hard routes at the New, and hopefully, I’ll get the chance to explore other areas as well.

Full interview from one of her sponsors. "I had superglued shut a large gash on my finger from slipping while cooking the night before, and had taken some pain medicine to block out the pain. Halfway up, I noticed the cut had reopened and was gushing blood everywhere. At the rest below the roof, I tried as hard as I could to wipe the blood off on my pants, but it just wouldn’t stop bleeding. With the fear of slipping on my own blood in the back of my mind to say the least, I made the decision that I was going to try anyway. I’m so glad I did."

Toru Nakajima reports on Insta that he has repeated Dai Koyamada's Epitaph in Horai. Due to several broken holds, he upgrades it to 8C+. However, it might possibly be 9A now since the crystal of the key hold broke on his send, which happened on his 13th session.

The 29-year-old did his first 8B+ at age 15. In total, he has done more than a handful 8C's and he is well known for his extreme projects. One of them, free-soloing a 500 meter waterfall. He has also made two trips to Finland in order to repeat Nalle Hukkataival's Burden of Dreams 9A. "I chose a strategy of doing short trip at a high frequency and training with replica holds in between. This was rather successful, and I think it was close on the second tour." Then Covid-19 came and four trips were cancelled and then a new missed trip two months ago.