Jule Wurm, world champion in 2014 who retired from the scene in 2015 after having won the European Championship, has done Fragile Steps 8B (A+) in Rocklands. How is your life and climbing nowadays? Life is good! It’s great to be in Rocklands! I spent a year in the US last year for my studies and did neuroscience research for my MD thesis. Did lots of climbing while being in Boston, broke my ankle in spring climbing outdoors and then broke my arm in a gym there in the beginning of October. How did you train to speed up the recovery? For my arm I had surgery right after the accident and they put two metal implants to fix the fractures. Recovery went slower then I had wished, but I tried to listen to my body and did whatever felt okay. I returned to Germany earlier this year to finish med school and did lots of training to get in shape for Rocklands. Lots of fingerboarding, board sessions on a 45 degree wall and TRX training. There still are some hand positions that don’t feel comfortable for my arm, but all in all I’m very happy with where I am climbing wise! What kind of job are you looking for and how will you combine this with hard core climbing? I'm not really sure yet what I wanna do later. I either wanna do research again or work as a doctor, or maybe some kind of public health related job not really sure yet. And of course I hope to always find enough time for climbing no matter what job I will do.

Leah Dempsey has done her second 8A+, Myology in XXXX. In the female 8a ranking game the Australien is #9. (c) Matt Norgrove

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Ramon Julian, the double lead world champion, has done his 14th 9a FA Escalfit in Collsuspina. "A project of many years very similar to Frankenjura, today I have done the first ascent! Now for more! (c) Riki Kalamontse In total the 36 year old and 159 cm tall has done 50 routes 9a and 9a+. Including also 20 World Cups win the last 18 years, he should be considered one of the best climbers in the world since 2000.

Chaehyeon Seo, who did her first 8b+ being 12 years old, has done Bad Girls Club 9a Rifle. Few have suggested 8c+ but Daniel Woods have commented, "For sure harder than most 9as that I have done." Her father is a gym owner and takes her for long climbing trips every year. "She climbs and trains after she gets out of school. Her training time is about 5hours a day when she does. I make her training plans and I make new climbing problems for her on the spray wall daily. I would like her to be a climber that truly joins climbing."

loic Timmermans has flashed Face Bouc in Ailefrode giving it a personal grade of 8b+. "Amazing line and really interesting moves. Heel hook was key. Not pumpy enough for 8c?" (c) Chloe Caulier Last year he was #5 in the Lead WC in Chamonix and in 2018 his best is #13 and in the last event in Arco he was #17.

Jonathan Siegrist has made a quick ascent in just three tries of Honour and Glory 9a in Echo Canyon. "Strength endurance crimping at its finest, in a fantastic setting! Perfectly my style, but I definitely hesitate when calling it 9a... time will tell. 3 tries." This was Jonathan's 27th 9a and possibly his fastest but it might be that he is peaking as he just in July also have done four 8c+'s. (c) Mike Hopkins On his Insta he gives more details like, "the hike is a solid 90 minutes and 2k elevation, the conditions are bizarre because not only does the wall seep like crazy (many holds on HnG were wet) but the mornings are pretty damn chilly and then suddenly at 1:30pm it gets debilitatingly hot."