Jonathan Siegrist, who previously has done 18 routes 9a+ and 9b, has made the FA of Close Encounters (9a+) in La Madres. "It’s a really cool route in Southern Nevada. A blocky limestone kind of style so lots of underclings, a critical knee bar, very compression type of climbing. And some very powerful moves too. It took me a dozen or so full effort days to decipher the beta and climb it." (c) Nate Liles

Sebastien Biner has done the ultra classical The Story Of 2 Worlds (8C) in Cresciano. It was put up, as a sit start to The Dagger 8B (+), by David Graham in 2005 as "The New 8C standard". Dave referred to the different (inflated) gradings school at the time. Actually, in the media it was speculated to be 8C+ but later it became a benchmark 8C until some called it "soft" and also 8B+ has been suggested, due to better beta and the use of knee pads.

"First one. Dont know about the grade. really cool to climb there, want to try the other side of the block!” (c) Clement Lechaptois

How was the process taking it down?
I first tried Dagger at the beginning of the year and sent it after two sessions. It took me seven more sessions to do the sit start yesterday. I did it with a left kneebar at the beginning and head first for the end.

What is your climbing background and what is next?
I am from Valais in Switzerland and I've been climbing for ten years, mainly bouldering. My next goal is trying some more hard stuff in Switzerland, like Dreamtime or some boulders in Versasca.

Alizee Dufraisse, who previously has done five 8B's, has sent Heritage 8B/+ in Valle Bavona, video. "For sure the hardest boulder i have done. Amazing one 🤩."

On Insta she says she needed 12 sessions. "Yesterday I arrived at the rock and I felt very good. For the first time, I knew that if I reached the hold at the mantle I would go for it. I made a try, relax, listening to Bob Marley and surprised myself to make my way to the top. The thing I am the most proud of is that despite a lot of uncertainty I took advantage of this moment, without hesitation… I just climbed… peacefully… with the support of @dave_graham_ 🥰"

What is next?
Staying here and boulder! I tried a little «From dirt... » in Chironico and I like it! But as we are closer to Bavona I think I'll also try some of the projects here, the boulders are amazing and always hard so that’s cool 🙃🔥.

Chaehyun Seo made her first 8a headline when she onsighted an 8a (+) at age eleven in 2015. Then being 14-years-old she did her first 9a. Then in 2019, she was #2 in her Lead World Cup debut, followed by four straight wins, still being 15-years-old. The next year she was #6 in an Ice World Cup after just having practised Ice climbing for four days. Last year, she was #8 in the Olympics games and then she won the World Championship. Her worst ever result, out of ten, in Lead World Cups is once being #3.

What are your goals for 2022 and what about the Olympics in 2024?
Now my goal is to become a national team member. If I will, I want to join most of the events. My goal is to be the Lead World Cup Champion again and make the finals in Boulder. I also want to become the Asian champion. And of course, I’ve been thinking about 2024 after the Tokyo Olympic game!

Could you please say something about how you train?
I train with my father 4 days per week, 2-3 hours for physical weight training for several parts of muscles and another 3 hours for climbing training.

Do you have any outdoor climbing plans this spring?
I do not think I can because I need to prepare for lots of competitions.

What was your best climbing memory in 2021?
My best memory was when I topped the World Champion final route! It was a dream.

Simon Lorenzi, who was just recently interviewed, has according to his plan done La révolutionnaire 8C+ in Fontainebleau. ” It took me 4 sessions 🙂” (c) Signarthur

On Insta he comments, ”After making very good links at my third session 2 weeks ago i took avantage of the perfect conditions of the weekend and sent it at my 4th try today after falling at the last move once and two fails for the start 😅 And then i finished this very good day by flashing "Kaïken" 8A+.”

Nicholas Milburn and Ben Burkhalter have done The Game in Boulder Canyon (CO). It was put up by Daniel Woods in 2010 as possibly the first 8C+ in the world. Later new sequences have been found and also some holds have grown possibly due to extensive brushing, as Daniel has commented before.

Milburn: "The first time I went to The Game was back in 2013 when Kerry Scott "sent". Since then it's been in my mind, but has also been beyond me. It doesn't play well to my strengths and it's pretty damn hard. I dabbled on it over the years, but never even did all the moves until this season. I finally committed to trying it and saw a perfect linear progression. I got reacquainted with the boulder, did all the moves, honed in on the beta, made links, punted, then sent. I'm proud."

Burkhalter, in the picture: "OH. MY. GOD. I cant even fucking believe it!! Words can't begin to describe the pure adrenaline, satisfaction, and sheer happiness I feel right now. I have always viewed myself as a pretty one dimensional climber – crimping on a board – so doing something that antistyle and that notoriously hard seemed unfathomable. I always told myself “Im gonna do The Game before I finish college” but I never could've expected this. When I started trying, to my surprise, I was making nice linear progress! Each session I improved and felt stronger and more consistent. Then last sesh I spiked the progress by sticking the crux from the bottom, but my foot picked! After that go I realized I could do it, but had no clue when I would. The boulder is so dependent on accuracy and raw strength/tension. If you don't grab every hold right, stay tight in the feet, and feel damn strong – you fall. “A lot has to come together to send.. sticking the crux was sick but don't get nervous, it's not going down anytime soon.” That's what I told myself. 2 days later, I went back with Nick B and Liam. Somehow with expectations low, fingertips numb, and muscles sore I sent!! Totally surreal, 5 days of effort… un...real."

Pedro Bergua has done Monster 8c+/9a in Alquézar, which is a 50 meters link-up of two 8c+'. The 40-year-old has a PhD in Sport Science and has climbing training blogspot. (c) Miguel Ángel Campo

"I tried this route in 2015 for the first time. That winter I sent four 8c+ routes in the same Alquezar cave. My daughter Julia was born and I had to work a lot on my doctoral thesis. After a six months break from any training or climbing, I never came back to try it. Later I have not been motivated to focus on any really hard route. I wanted to climb more routes and faster.

This year, due to circumstances, I had to climb closer to home. One day this winter I accompanied a friend to try his project in the cave and I almost did an 8b in that day. Because of that and the fact that I'm not too bad at cave style, I got motivated and kept going. I did a couple of 8bs and two other fast 8cs and decided to give a new opportunity to "Monster". I worked on it for three days and, to my surprise, I did it in a perfect try in which I had no expectations and I simply went up to gain rhythm on it."

How can you explain peaking again at age 40?
About my state of form, what to say. I'm turning 41 this month and I'm physically "far" from the shape when I was younger. But the long routes of the cave are not as demanding in terms of specific finger strength and endurance as the shorter routes. Yes, they are very psychological because they don't have super hard moves, but you can fall on all of them until the end. So an important part of performing here is learning them very well. Let's say that, at the level of specific indicators, these routes are not that demanding. In routes that are more demanding of your fingers or do not have such good rests, now I could not perform at this level. The most important thing for me about doing such a hard route (apart from having removed the thorn from 7 years ago) is that I have learned to control the process and understand how much I have to rest to be recovered and what I have to train to improve in each moment. The day of the send, I knew that I was recovered and that I had the skills that the route demands..., and I took advantage of it!

Alberto Gotta has done Perfect Man 8c+/9a in . It was found by Andrea Gallo and later rebolted by Matteo Gambaro, who made the FA in 2016.

How was the process taking it down?
I think something like 20 sessions but only during weekends because it is not close to my home and I'm a full-time worker. I sent it after trying it occasionally over some years because it is not that close to my hometown. That's why I needed some years. Differently from Matteo, I rested with a kneebar that I found just before the last hard section so that's why I proposed the 8c+/9a. It's a very nice powerful route under the main roof of the crag. A visit is definitely worth it.

You have not done many hard routes the last three years and now you started 2022 by doing three routes 8c+ and harder?
That's because I was almost a professional climber while studying at the University so I climbed a lot both in competitions and on rock. When the University finished, I immediately started working and the time for training drastically reduced affecting my performance. Lately, I found a good work/life balance so training is in full swing and I am able to climb hard again. (In 2016 and 2017, he was Top-21 six times in the World Cup, as well as doing his first 8c+.)