Anak Verhoeven reports on Insta that she has done Joe Blau 8c+ and Joe Cita 9a in Oliana. "Probably the 9th grade send-attempt I’ve enjoyed the most so far. 😊 
A route with lovely climbing from the very beginning, lots of cool moves and a super spicy slab ending. I’m particularly grateful for this send because my right pinky has been bothering me for the last 2 months." (c) Toni Mas Buchaca

The Belgian is a previous very successful competition climber and when it comes to outdoors, she has done 12 routes 8c+/9a and harder. In other words, although being just 25-years-old, she is one of the best female climbers in history.

How was the process taking it down and what is next?
I first spent some time figuring out the beta for the upper part — a slab with a deadpoint move. The first time I managed to do the deadpoint was in the dark with a headlamp. Once I had that dialled, I made sure I knew exactly how to climb the lower part of the route. The day I did a first attempt, I was pretty tired, but decided to give it a go anyway. I passed the hardest sections as well as the slab crux at the end, but fell at the very top with a foot slip, right before going to a jug. I rested for two days and on my next try (my second redpoint attempt) I topped the route. As for the number of sessions: I can’t really tell, because I had already figured out the beta for the first part when doing Patxitxulo last October. But it’s somewhere around 6 sessions during this trip.

What’s next? Well, I have several options in mind for routes I’d like to try, but I don’t have a new project yet. So I won’t say more for now. :)

Yuji Hirayama, one of the true climbing legends, reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Hanabi 8c+, which means firework, Mt Futago. (c) Shinta Ozawa

Since 1986, when Yuji did Le Specialist 8b+, the now 52-year-old has been on the cutting edge. In 1991, he won his first World Cup and in 1998, as well as in 2000, he won overall. After his competition career, he made the FA of Flat Mountain 9a/+ in 2003 and the next year he onsighted White Zombie 8c. A few years later he did Cobra Crack 8c trad and the FA of an MP in Borneo including one 9a pitch. In his resume, being one of the best multi-discipline climbers in history, he has also made boulders up to 8B+, DWS up to 8b+, several big walls including also several times have had the Speed record up on El Cap. Since 2010, he runs Climb Park Base Camp which over the years have organized several competitions. He has also been active in the Japanese Federation and helping out IFSC getting climbing into the Olympics.

Niccolò Ceria has published the full story of sending Christian Core's Kimera (8C) 8C in Rifugio Barbara - Lowrie. In 2007, Ceria watched a DVD video when Core made the FA and since then it has been on his mind. Previously, only Elias Iagnemma had repeated it although it was put up in 2006.

So did you spend like 40 sessions on it or even more?
I think less. I would say nearly 40 check-days. In most of these times, I returned back to the car for humid/wet holds. On other occasions, I only tried the dry part.

Is this the most you have ever worked a boulder?
Yes. Considering the whole experience it was definitely my longest journey on a boulder, even if I only had a couple of moments in 8 years when it was potentially fully climbable. I spent a lot of sessions just repeating the first half because of the complicate conditions which are anyway part of the story :)

In the last episode of Beyond Focus with Adam Ondra, he shows us how he trained in a sauna, how he dealt with pressure and the media and says that he sacrificed two years of outdoor climbing.

Kazuma Ise has made the FA of Hallucination 8C+ in Hourai, after the break. Dai Koyamada put it up as an 8B+ in 2003 and over the years many have tried to repeat it in the new much harder version. In the new crux you first make a dead point to a crimp from a one-finger sidpull and then another dead point to one more one-finger sidepull.

How much and How did you train for your project?
I only trained twice a week for five hours each. On my non-training days I work part-time, go to school and hang out with girlfriend. I did't train for anything other than the project. There was a possibility of getting a severe injury, so I decided that training twice a week was appropriate.
How do you train during the five-hour session?Warming up can be done in 15 minutes. Afterwards, crimp training, one finger training and weighted crimp pull-ups for two hours. The last two hours are free session time.


What are your next plan? Floatin 8C+ in Mt.Mizugaki and Epitaph (after the break) in Horai, probably also 8C+. These are my goals for 2022 and also to send 9A. Maybe Finland's BOD or a new 9A.

Luis Gerhardt has repeated Martin Keller's Der mit dem Fels tanzt (8C) in Chironico. "This one got on my nerves after falling twice at the mantle that day! After another silly foot slip close before the end I wanted to finish the session. I felt pretty exhausted but wanted to give one more try before it got dark! Not sure how but on the last try I found myself standing on top of the boulder!" (c) Nora Pailer

How many sessions did it take?
It took 8 - 10 sessions including the other variations (Insanity, Delusion, Einfisch) :)

David Graham and Clément Lechaptois report on their Insta (DG) and Insta (CL) that they have repeated Shawn Raboutou's Roadkill (8C) in Valle Bavona. (c) Kim Marschner

Dave and Clement worked the high-class problem mainly together and did finally a team ascent and Dave's Insta is as always full of intense details. "After 5 sessions I was confident I could climb through the crux down low; two very low percentage moves with my method, a tripped out ghost kneebar into a low percentage jump. I had rehearsed the top section many times, but felt extremely anxious about the technical mantel moves at around 8 meters followed by the last 10 meters of slab climbing which is not particularly hard, but revolves around trusting your feet and climbing very confidently in a true no-fall zone." He continues by saying that Lechaptois had a much scarier ascent with a headlamp.

Adam Ondra has done the FA of Kout pikle (9a+) in Moravský kras. "Really hard to grade, could be 9b for sure. Amazing 8Cish boulder to start in a dihedral (!!), then power endurance of 8c to the top. I love this line. Such a cool style, ultra technical and ultra physical too."

More pics on his Insta where he also says. "The grade is somewhere between 9a+ and 9b, but let's be on the safe side with 9a+😅"

As was mentioned in an editorial grade article yesterday, "If it had not been for guys like Adam Ondra and Alex Honnold etc giving their honest opinions, the grade inflation had been much stronger. My personal recommendation is that whenever you are in grade doubt of a FA, go for the lower one."

Stefano Ghisolfi has done the FA of The Lonely Mountain (9b) in Arco. It is a direct and harder version of Ghisoli's Erebor 9b and also the original line he bolted 18 months ago. (c) Sara Grippo

Full story at his Insta. "It felt very hard at the beginning, then I changed almost all the betas in every section and finally climbed it today. And it's even harder to grade it, so I can suggest a symbolic 9b, even if it is harder than Erebor."

What are your 2022 plans?
I'll do both competitions and rock climbing, maybe fewer comps than the previous years and a trip to Flatanger in August.