Owen Whaley has done the second ascent of Zach Galla’s Sosa (8C+) in Little Cottonwood Canyon (UT). ”Satisfied with this one. Tried in the fall with Adam, couldn't touch the sit moves, felt psyched in the spring, and dug it out of the snow, which was fun. A bunch of really fun sessions with good friends. Shout outs to Zach and anyone who put in work. Great way to kick off the summer.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
So I first tried the sit moves in the fall after doing GI. It felt very hard at the time, trained all winter and was really psyched going into fall to start the projecting process. Dug it out from under snow, which took 4 days. By the time the boulder was fully dry I had good links and was ready to start giving ground rips. I think 8 or 9 sessions. Really cool boulder, sustained power endurance all the way through. Definitely very in my style.

Hugo Parmentier, with 14 routes 9a to 9b under his belt, has done Joe-cita (9a) in Oliana. ”70 billion metres and the rests that go with it. Super happy. Swartzy might not have done it but it requires a hell of a fitness anyway. Tess always all in my good and my less good times. ❤️ (c) Williclimb

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I’m proud to be able to send such huge and endurancy route! It is sooo long. Basically you climb a 5 meter section and take a real rest all the way up the 45m. By the way I used kneepads but I don’t know if Adam and the firsts repetetors used them. I believe it is 9a anyway. This route makes a lot of sense eventhough it’s a link up. You take the hard bit of Joe Blau and the best section of Morenita. The direct versions and this link were really good routes to try after tries in Papichulo or now in Joe Mama. Psyched !

Sera Gearhart has done Columbian Bowtie (8A+) in Castle Rocks (ID). The 27-year-old has sent seven boulders 8A+ or 8B the last year and she is runner up in the ranking game after Caroline Sinno. ”Combination damp top out and impending wall of rain motivation. First t today! I’m not the same climber I was 5 months ago.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the progressed you made the last five months?
I came to try this boulder in the fall and was really excited to do it, but then due to family events, weather, and work I didn’t make it back out there again until now. I remembered really clearly using a particular beta where I double clutched a move when I first tried it since it felt easier than bearing down on a small crimp. Coming back, I did it on my first try but I used different beta because my fingers felt much stronger. It was nice to see the progression!

Michał Korban, who last year sent Action Directe as his first 9a, has done Jungle Speed as his second. (c) Mateusz Haładaj

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I wanted to try this route for some time. After watching videos, I thought it suited my style because it’s bouldery. During the first two days I couldn’t stick the crux move (the one in the photo). On the third day, when the temperature dropped a bit, I finally managed to do it, but needed one more to complete the whole route. So on the fourth day, after falling in the “easy section,” I was able to climb the entire line.

Jonathan Siegrist, with a total of 83 routes 9a and beyond under his belt, has completed Erebor (9b) in Arco. ”A bad ass strength enduro test piece from Stefano [Ghisolfi]!! So incredibly psyched!”

The 39-year-old has had a steady progress for like 15 years and he is now #2 in the ranking game, 3 points behind Stefano Ghisolfi.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
So last winter was our first time in Arco. We were totally blown away. I was trying a different route but it proved too cold for me at that cliff so I spent some time checking out other stuff - including one try on Erebor. I had it in my mind during January and February and trained pretty hard for it specifically. It's a bouldery, powerful route which can be a weakness of mine.

When we got back in the middle of March I felt like the training was really good and I made rapid progress on the route, but then after a couple weeks I totally hit a wall and just could not break through this one section from the ground. After several more days I finally got through that section and felt like I could send soon! Unfortunately at this moment the weather totally shifted and the rain was intense - plus it suddenly heated up quite a lot. I kept trying but some days the route was wet or the humidity was just insane. We extended our trip as late as we could, and finally yesterday there was some wind and good vibes and everything clicked!