Everett Sloane has done We can build you 8B+, video, as well as Variant 8C in Lincoln Lake. The latter should is possibly the second ascent of a Drew Ruana creation.

”I started with the original boulder "We Can build you" v14. Drew Ruana found some super good beta with some difficult opposing heel hooks that fit my style really well. So after 3 days of effort I was able to put down the higher start.

Drew put up the low start -Variant a few weeks back so I’d been wanting to try it since I saw it. I’mnot sure but I think this may be the second ascent. This start adds a pretty powerful crimpy 7C+ or 8A directly into "We can build you" with no rest. The whole climb ended up being 20 difficult moves in a row. The final sequence is a really technical slopey traverse that I had to work for a long time to get my beta just right. I sent Variant the session after "We can build you" so I guess it was 4 sessions total.”

Illya Bakhmet-Smolenskyi has done his second 9a in 2021, Hades in Nassereith. "What a nice endurance rote! Could've done it 5th go, but slipped off the wet undercling twice. Surely a classic line out there! Would still say that it's easier than the Turkish Haircut (9a) in Turkey."

What is your next plan and what about comps?
Hopefully will go to Frankenjura in the middle of September and then to Turkey for November. Going to Voronezh and then I think I'm done for the comp season.

What are the experiences from Tokyo you will remember the most?
Well, for sure what I remember the most at the moment and what I will remember the most is disappointment. It definitely feels hard, working harder than ever, sacrificing so much and coming back home empty-handed. On the other hand, it always feels good to do your best and climb well on the comp. From this perspective, I don't think I could have done any better on this set boulders and final lead route.

The most positive experience to remember is the speed final. I had been struggling with for so many months with speed, making very little progression and unable to move my body up the speedwall in the right way. In the last two runs, it was the first time in my life when I felt I was levitating while speed climbing. It was effortless, "fast", and so easy. We were always joking that climbing a speed route sub-7 is as hard as climbing 8a on lead (for guys). I think it is actually true. And I was going crazy that after 3 years of practice, I was not 8a speed climber. On my last run of speedclimbing career, I climbed an "8a" and I am happy to quit. But to be honest, on these speed runs, I thought that speed climbing was actually fun.

How was your feeling during the 20 seconds or so you had the gold when Schubert was climbing?
I had no idea it would be gold, but I knew I would be on the podium. I knew that Jakob was super fit and I was 100% sure it would fit Jakob's style. I was pretty sure Jakob wouldn't fall lower than me, but I thought it was possible that he falls in the same move as I did and I would have won due to faster time. But Jakob was just unstoppable, incredible display of endurance and it was painful but easy to admit that Jakob was better climber that day.
(c) Petr Chodura

Charlotte Frank has done her third 8c, Battle Cat in Frankenjura. "The route is sharing its first part with Cringer (8b+), which I climbed last year. So it made sense to do the top out of Battle Cat this year. Unfortunately, the projecting process got intermitted a couple of times by heavy rainfalls.

All in all, I see this route as one of my very favourites in Frankenjura. That's among other things because of its unusual length and the delicate movements it requires. "

Vadim Timonov, Irina Kuzmenko and Sergei Skorodumov showing strong fingers doing ten hard classics in Rocklands including Sergei’s flash of Moon Shadow 8B.

Dan Mirsky has done his second 9a, Phat Club (Camp) in Rifle. "I'm proposing a name change here. Siegrist did the link-up from Fat Camp to tp Bad Girls Club and named it Phat Camp. Since Fat Camp and Phat Camp sound the same when you say them I'm calling it Phat Club instead. In any event, I think it climbs the best part of both routes, takes the straightest line and is maybe the hardest version?

It was kind of an epic process. I tried the link up a little bit in 2019 and thought I was close and was going out to try and send one day in September when I hurt my back (not on the route). That led to back surgery…. I tried it again last summer but didn’t feel quite ready in my recovery process so I put aside. This spring/ summer I felt physically capable but let it get in my head a bit and actually fell off in the final roof 7 times before I sent which was classically very anticlimactic. I finally got out of my own way and it all felt quite chill when I did it. I also just turned 39 (today in fact) so it was nice to get a win in as I am getting older, even if it was a link up🥴

Laura Rogora, who was #15 in Tokyo, is back in Italy and went directly to Grotti where she did quick work of Camo 9a. Although suffering from jet leg and a temperature of 36 degrees, the 19-year-old only needed three tries doing the first repeat of Fabrizio Peri’s very steep test piece.

“ I really missed a bit of rock. I drove 4 hours, climbed two hours, I'm tired, my skin hurts but I'm happy like this ! " More info in Italian on UP-Climbing.

Krzysztof Sas-Nowosielski, who did his last 8b+ ten years ago, has done Soft Power 8b+ in Apteka.

"As for the process of my preparations, the situation is that, on the one hand, my work significantly limits the possibilities of frequent climbing, because many weekends I am busy working at the university. As the climbing season in Poland lasts about half a year there is not much time for me to work on projects :(

However, on the other hand, being a sports scientist, I have so much knowledge about training and so much knowledge of my body that I can organize my training quite precisely according to my currents needs and circumstances. Taught by last year's pandemic, this year I have; modified my home training. Last year was for me in this respect not very successful, because the lockdown limited training to hangboard overhangs. When the possibility of going out into the rocks returned, I had little feeling of my body and it took several weeks for all the motor chains to "start working". As a result, I was only able to lead a few routes with difficulty VI.5 (approx. 7c+). Admittedly, the specificity of the rocks in my country - mostly vertical slabs with small holds and slippery steps - requires strong fingers and very precise footwork.

Taught by last year's experience, the "Training season" 2020/2021 I devoted to the modification of home devices with a board with screwed on holds that I suspended under the main hangboard. It allowed me to perform reaching movements (and not only dead hangs and pull ups). Since in last year I noticed a decrease in power ouput and a rate of force develepment (which is not unusual in the the age 50 +), I focused more on these abilities. I based much of this training on principles of the so called Velocity Based Training, controlling the speed of the generated movements with linear transducer. These changes allowed resulted in the improvement of the dynamic properties of the upper body, which made it possible to deal with routes with difficulties VI.6 (8b; which in Polish limestone is not too far from the maximum difficulties) relatively quickly as for the standards of the age of 50+. I think there is one more factor, and although it is mentioned at the end, it is the most important thing in my life: the constant joy of climbing! Thanks to it, I have not even one day over thirty years of my climbing that in which I would feel that I do not want to climb. It is still the greatest adventure of my life, and when you love something, you are faithful to it."

Alex Garriga, who previously in 2021 has done four 9a+', has done Los Inconformistas 8c+ (9a) and Autoengaño 9a in Rodellar. The first took six sessions and the latter seven sessions, "Very good route with a lot of tricks". Now he has started working on one of the 9b's in the Ali Hulk cave.

Staša Gejo, bronze in the World Championship in 2018, has during a three weeks trip to Rocklands done five boulders 8A to 8B, including three possible First Female Ascents. There is a video coming out soon. (c) Matthias Woidneck

The Arch 8B: "Soft, took me only 2 sessions, but very very beautiful! I like lowballs, what can I say..." Mooiste Meisie 8B: "5 sessions. Nice block, perfect line, but the amount of toe hooks reduces the rating... Drove me crazy, doing all these similar moves from the bottom to the crux... Almost gave up on it after 3 sessions, the toughest mental battle I had with a boulder. Maybe FFA?"
Shosholoza 8A+: "The best boulder in the whole world! 2 sessions. Also, FFA?"
Oral Office 8A+: "Mega jump, loved trying it! 2 sessions."
Pendragon 8A: "Such a waste of time. Dabbed a million times. Nice holds."

What did you think about the Olympics and the bouldering in particular?
Sad I didn't make it there. Looked magnificent. Less fortunate for some athletes due to shortcomings of the combined format, but fairly exciting to follow. Setters need better testers, especially for the female category. There has to be a fresh person who is capable of actually climbing the boulders, and that is on the level of the competing climbers. There should be a female who is well trained. Otherwise, it will always be messy.