Israel Olcina (43) has done the second accent of Beto Rocasolano's Cheerleader 8B+ in Castillo de Bayuela, Spain. It is his second 8B+. Israel is a respected climber having been one of the first Spanish climbers to climb 8A in the late 90's. © Inés Tostado

"How has been the process on Cheerleader?
I had seen it when Beto did it in march. I was amazed with the line and I couldn't get it out my mind back then. I stopped trying it at the end of the season and without the first move due to a index injury and I back to it end of november. The problem climbs an overhang to a roof and the section is a 7-8 moves where the first three are the hardest.

Cathy Wagner has added another three 8a's to her ticklist out of which one in Virignin and two in Blavet. This means that the 53 year old has done 64 routes 8a to 8b in 2018. In total, Cathy has done 699 routes 8a to 8b which just might be most in the world among the female.

Keenan Takahashi reports on Insta that he has done Nalle Hukkataival's Kintsugi 8C in Red Rocks.

"Possibly the best boulder I’ve ever done... exhilarated, adrenalized, and psyched beyond belief!!!" (c) Killa Kev

This was Mr "Ario's" second 8C in 2018 when he also has done 5 8B+ and 16 8B's out of which two flashes.

David Firnenburg, #3 in the Combined World Championship in 2016, has done three 8c+; La ley innata and Llamps i trons in Margalef and Jungle Speed in Siurana. "Escaping the wetness in Margalef. Some years ago I couldn't even do the gaston move. Today less than 2 hours (5 tries). Ascend with head lamp in the darkness. 8c+ for me although a hold broke (as far as I know)."

"My thoughts on my Olympic ambition: Well, I want to qualify for the Games in 2020 and I specifically train the combined format for it. Next year 2019 is going to be a tough season of selection. Only the best athletes and the ones who can perform at the right time in comps will make it. I am confident of myself that I have the mental and physical strengths and abilities to make it to Tokyo. I am a good allrounder, never specialized on one certain discipline in the past. I commit to hard gym training this winter with a well balanced mix of rock climbing besides as well to be well prepared for the first World Cups in April/May 2019.

Though, the biggest focus is on the World Champs in Toyko because that's the first chance to get the ticket to the Games in Toyko. If you already make it there you won't have the pressure throughout the whole season and can better and earlier focus on your trainings for the "real" games in 2020. I am curious how next season will go for me and how I'll handle the stresses and strains of a very packed schedule. I put all in and give my best. That's all I can do. And in the end I have a clear result if it was enough or not. Overall I see it as a great challenge and an occasion to get better in my personal climbing. And that's the most important thing for me. 2019 is going to be exciting!"

Babsi Zangerl reports on Insta that she has done Jonathan Siegrist's Atonement 8c in VRG in just five tries. (c) Andy Earl The next plan is skiing and training back home in the Alpes together with her partner Jacopo Larcher who's hardest tick in USA was Necessary Evil 8c+.

”Our main goal was to climb on the Nose but winter came in too early....so we moved east too VRG....we climbed there for about 10 days....a lot of cool routes from easy to hard...maybe one of the best limestone areas in the US ... The climbing is perfect there, but I wished there wouldn't be the highway right next to it which is pretty annoying.”

Reffo Silvio, who previoulsy has done two 9a+ has done his 12th 9a, Pure Dreaming in Arco. " I have tried the route just few times in the last three months because of the bad weather. Today, after a very fast warm up, I have quickly send Pure Dreaming. My first 9a like a father!!! I hope for more hard routes in the next months!!"

For the third time, we have run the Poll, "What skill do you lack the most?". As for the 2013, 2015 and 2018 poll, only some 8 % pick Technique. In practice, the results have been more or less the same, beside the 2015 poll, where Finger strength got 31 %, instead of 26 % in both 2013 and 2018. Further more, Flexibility have increased in importance during the three polls and is now ranked #3.

As Flexibility is kind of easy to improve and is something you can train back home, this increase is kind of strange. Possibly it relates to the frequently published pics of celebs like Adam Ondra in extreme positions. One of his trainers Klaus Isele has previously on 8a said;

"What I still monitor is that some climbers believe that it is enough to stretch for 40 seconds in order to get “longer” = forget it. You need to hold a stretching position for two minutes (I often recommend three times the same position with that holding time). That works! To really gain length you have to repeat it every day. Your results will be visible after approximately 14 days."

Matty Hong and Ben Spannuth have done the third and fourth ascent of Joe Kinder's Bone Tomahawk in Fynn Cave both suggesting a personal grade of 9a. First Matty did it, (c) Jon Cardwell and a couple later Matty was shooting pictures of Ben doing it.

Giorgia Tesio, who just won the Italian Bouldering Championship, reports on Insta that she has done her first 8B, Fortunadrago in Varazze.

The 18 year old did her first 8a six years ago and it was actually a flash. Later she has been an active competition climbers having won three Euro Championships.

"I don’t exactly know how it was possible to top it in a day and an half of tries: when I tried it for the first time it seemed quite impossible for me, until I found out a new beta which fit perfectly for me: using the heel hooks in both of the two hard sections makes it less about strength and allows me to stick the hard move every time.

So the second day I knew I could do it, and I was so excited and anxious that I almost missed the opportunity to get my first 8b done, but fortunately I had my friends there to support me!

It seems that every in the last two years I ends my projects faster than before, such as it happened for Hyena, this means that I have to try something harder! So in 2019 I’ll look for new projects on rock, maybe near home so I can try them even during comp season; but next year is very important for me because it is my last year in young competitions! So I’ll try my best for making this year memorable, challenging my self in World Cup as well." (c) Fabio Fin

Spanish Pol Roca has done La Teoría del Todo in Albarracín suggesting a personal grade of 8B+. The boulder was put up by Beto Rocasolano as an 8C+ and Rubén Díaz repeated it suggesting it as 8C. Last week Pol also put up Boulder Blaster 8C FA in La Comarca. (c) Francis Guillén

It is your first 8C, how many sessions on it? Can you compare with others?
Yes, it is my first 8C. I found it two years ago but I didn't try it in 7 months due to an injury. It took me around 30-40 days. I can compare it with others 8B+ FA that I've done and Boulder Blaster is harder... but I think it's really hard to compare with others because the style is really hard to find.

Do you think it could be one of the hardest problems in Spain?
I don't think so cause it hasn't many moves but it is pure strength and without doubt is the hardest move I've ever tried.

Which is your next goal?
I have some problems to try and I can't say one specifically but there's one in La Comarca, not very aesthetic line but easy to see. Is the link up of an 8 moves 8B and an 8 moves 8B+. That will be the next hard line in La Comarca .

Matty Hong and Ben Spannuth have done the third and fourth ascent of Joe Kinder's Bone Tomahawk in Fynn Cave both suggesting a personal grade of 9a. First Matty did it, (c) Jon Cardwell and a couple later Matty was shooting pictures of Ben doing it.

This is how Kinder describes his route, "Crux in the beginning, very resistant with bizarre to-hooks and roof tricks. Then very continuous, muscly, and athletic. It’s not so finger intensive as it is full body intensive. It’s like being in the boxing ring and fighting to the end of utter fatigue.

Then there is an extension. I’ve done all moves and believe it’s an additional 9 bolts of 8c+. It will be significantly difficult. No rests after the glory jug on Bone T. Seems loco to me but has me very excited to see what my old ass can do on it. I’m heading down there tomorrow to try a bit. So excited."

Stefano Carnati, who did Biographie 9a+ this autumn, has had eight very productive days doing three 8c+. First the FA of Vortex in Gajum which he has tried for few days during the last four years, see picture. More info on his Insta.

Then he traveled to Spain and did A Muerte in Siurana and La Ley Innata in Margalef. "Nemesis is over!! 3AM alarm clock made its work! Spent several days last year and it drove me crazy. Today sent straight after a warm-up go."

In between day #8 and day #30, Stefano Ghisolfi did not see any physical progress on Perfecto Mundo 9b+ in Margalef as he kept falling on the same move.

"I just felt a slow progress on sensations and feelings on the route. I improved on the first part to make it perfect. I did visualization when I was home and try to reproduce the feelings. I trained my legs too because in the rest before the hard section I had to push with my left leg to stay in the position. The process has been very complicated and frustrating, during this year I had a lot of emotions, motivation and sometimes I thought to give up, but I never did. "

Stefano won the Italian Speed Championship in 2010 with 7.96 so he has actually not started any Speed training yet. He has deliberately postponed it in order to reduce the months with almost only focusing on indoor training prior to Tokyo 2020.

"My plan was to stay in Spain for a month until end of December, bit I did the route at the second day of the trip, so now I have one more month to train. Now I can focus on Olympics 100%. I will continue with some rock project but closer to home, while I can train boulder and speed. Living in Arco will help my outdoor climbing. But maybe not big projects before the Olympics. During 2019, I will do all Lead WCs and maybe 3 or 4 bouldering and Speed WCs."

Michaela Kiersch has had a great trip to Hueco Tanks where she quickly did three 8A+; Rumble in the jungle, Tequila Sunrise and Phantom Limb (c) Brandon Fox - The Foxes Photography In the Combined ranking game, Michaela is #1 among the female and #13 among the male.

"I went into this trip with no objectives other than to have fun and enjoy my climbing. The weather has been perfect and I’ve been with amazing friends. Couldn’t have been a better trip! Usually I do have plans, but this trip was more for my mental health and enjoyment than for sending super hard projects. My plan for the winter is to train, get stronger, and enjoy the holidays with my family. 2019 is still open ended for me, I really need to start thinking of some good new year resolutions."

Charles Albert, the famous Font barefoot boulderer, has made the FA of yet another 8C+, Hypothèse assis. It adds two moves to the 7C+ stand start. "It’s just another hard boulder, it’s not very beautiful and it’s chipped. I did it because it was dry. It took me three quick sessions and a long one. I don’t think it’s easier or harder with shoes the next project is another hard boulder.”

Charles climbs barefoot and he has established and repeated several 8C's and done the Fa of La Revolutionnaire 8C+. The pic by Neil Hart is from an 8B+ in Font.

Stefano Ghisolfi, #2 in the Lead World Cup the last two years, reports on his Insta that he has repeated Alex Megos Perfecto Mundo 9b+ in Margalef which originally Chris Sharma bolted. (c) Javi Pec

"I spent 32 days here at the crag, falling many times at the same move, but this time I grabbed for the first time that pinch and it felt unreal..."

Isabelle Faus has done Fred Nicole's Terre de Sienne 8B in Hueco Tanks. "hard dead point.. was trying the bump method for the first couple days... then started trying to go straight up to it and did it that sesh, didn't split any tips!!"

Originally it was given 8C, but then Dave Graham came and called it 8B/+. Some continued to grade it 8B+ but now it seems the consensus is 8B. Isabelle, who often gives personal downgrades, has recorded 16 8B's and two 8B+, making her tick list one of the most impressive by a female. In the 8A ranking game, Isabelle is #1.