Brooke Raboutou, who was #5 in the Olympics, presents a great video from her Ticino trip earlier this winter when she did Kings of Sonlerto 8A+, La Proue (8B), Heritage 8B (+) and Iur (8B+). On friday she will compete in the Bouldering WC in Meiringen as one of the favorites trying to defend her #4 position overall.

Lucien Martinez has done hist first 9a+, Papichulo in Oliana after some 20 sessions. Previously the editor-in-chief of the French Magazine Grimper has done ten 9a's. (c) Williclimb

Could you please say something about how you took it down?
I tried it on and of for several years (It was my side project of Fight or flight, which I failed once again this year). So quite a lot of sessions! I have done a lot of endurance training at the gym before the trip, with and without a rope. Maybe four sessions a week where I did endurance "a muerte", sometimes 15 routes between 7c and 8a+ in 3-4 hours at the gym. I think it's good training for a route like Papichulo which is more or less all about fitness.

How do you compare it to the other 9a's you have done?
I think it is my hardest. You really need to be in good shape to do it, so very very low end of 9a+, but still 9a+ in my opinion.

Zach Wilson, who did his first 8B+ last month, has done Sound of Violence (8C) in Joe's Valley (UT). On his first Insta for 15 months, he comments the posted video. "Had to sit down for 2019 due to nerve damage in my finger 2020-2021 I had multiple surgeries on my knee and shoulder. Didn’t touch rock again until last august."

Could you tell us about how much climbing/training you have had since 2019?
I got about three months of climbing/training in 2019 before the nerve injury in my finger I got from a slot crimp/finger jam. By the time it recovered I got two or so months of climbing in 2020 until I got the knee and shoulder injuries. In December 2020 I had surgeries on my ACL, Meniscus, labrum, and bicep. I got out of my sling and knee brace in the summer of 2021 and started bodyweight rehab then got to climb in the gym for the first time again in July 2021. So besides those few months split up between 2019-2020 I was not climbing/training at all, full no activity resting.

How did you get that bad injury in 2020 and are you fully recovered now?
An awkward fall while bouldering at my local gym. It was a dyno to a duel Tex grip and I slipped off at a weird angle while controlling the momentum. Yes, I’d like to say that I’m fully recovered now. I decided to try Sound of Violence to test the limits of my recently repaired shoulder and knee on its hard drop knee and gaston swing. So psyched to be back climbing.

Marine Thevenet reports on Insta that she has repeated Fred Nicole's White Strip in Brione. In total, the full time lawyer, has now done some 70 boulders 8A to 8B. (c) Clément Lechaptois

"White Stripe is just one hard move; good holds and a jump up to a big crimp. I tried the basic beta but I couldn't even imagine touching the good crimp! So I am pretty happy that a little crimp decided to exist between the first hold and the good crimp! It allowed me to figure out my own beta and not miss my chance in this super line ;)"

Dave MacLeod reports on Insta that he has done the second repeat, after Steve McClure, of Neil Gresham's Lexicon in Pavey Park. The original grade was E11 (7a) using the British grade which takes into account both how hard and how dangerous it is to onsight. Neil has said the climb itself warrants 8b+ due to the risk of falling 25 meters doing the final 7C boulder crux, which is the reason why R has earlier been added to the grade. If it would have been a risk of death then it would have been an 8b+ X, while it would probably have been an E12.

Dave reports that he found an extra gear placement and also that he did it on his first attempt having worked on it since last autumn.

Noteworthy is that the average age of the three climbers is 47 although Dave is just 44 years old. He has been cutting edge for 20+ years and just recently done 8B+ and 9a. Full detailed story on Dave's blogspot:

"Unfinished climbs have always been a source of chronic pain to me, an ache I can tolerate for long periods when there is no other option. But the minute I can change the picture, I’ll do anything I can to resolve it. When I say ache, I mean that in a good way, like the ache of burning muscles in training. It’s good pain! The minute I resolve it, I’m almost instantly looking to cause it again and have lived this way for 25 years. There is an expression that pain is the cost of being alive and as far as I’m concerned, it’ll stop when I’m dead."

Jonatan Flor reports on Insta that he has done the second ascent of Alex Garriga's Malleus Maleficarum 9a+ in Cuenca, which was bolted by Dani Andrada. (c) Javi Pec

A few days ago he also did El Subnormal Del Antihydral 9a and earlier this spring he has done El carnicero de Rostov 9a, Cordia Maleficarum 9a and more than a handful of 8c/+ to 8c+/9a. On the 8c+/9a and harder list, he is #7 with some 65 such hardcore routes. The 25-year-old started making 8a headlines ten years ago when he did his first 8c. Interesting is that almost all of the hardest routes he has done since 2019.