Speaking on the Testpiece Climbing podcast, Sean Bailey reports that he has added a low start to the highball boulder Evilution Direct (8A) at the Buttermilks, calling it Devilution (8C+). The 8A goes from stacked pads and Sean basically added two super hard moves from a stand start. (c) John Kasaian

”Everyone that comes out of the Milks normally walks through that boulder, we were trying it late in the day, we brought like twenty pads out there to do it so I'm already like a little stressed. I really don't want to have to get all these pads out here again, and I turn around and I'm like oh my goodness, there's like thirty, forty people out here. I want to get this thing done, it's getting dark...”

Earlier in the winter season, Sean flashed Slasher (8B), did the FA of The Doors of Perception (8C) and repeated Lucid Dreaming (8C). More details can be found on Sean's Instagram. The 27-year-old has been an active IFSC competition climber for over ten years and in 2021, he won one Boulder WC and two Lead WC's.

Michaela Kiersch is on a trip in Hueco Tanks (TX), where she has sent El Techo de Los Tres B (8A), Full Monty (8A+), Power of Landjager (8A), Rumble in the Jungle (8A+), The Thrilla in Manila (8B) and flashed Focus (7C+).

Can you tell us more about your time in Hueco thus far?
I sent El techo in about an hour but I had tried it before, about 5 years ago. Landjager took about 20 mins and I had also briefly attempted it some years ago. I repeated Rumble in the Jungle the other day and Thrilla is an alternative crimpy exit. I sent it second try from the bottom once I figured out my beta. The Full Monty took me 2 sessions and I’d say it's the most powerful [of these boulder problems mentioned].

What is next on your agenda?
I’ll stay a few more days to try a couple more projects before heading back home to continue my training for Margalef :) in March. Nice to know my power is high! Now [I need] to make sure the endurance is good.

Silvio Reffo, who has 18 routes 9a to 9a+ under his belt, has done the FA of Lullaby (9a) in Covolo. ”Lullaby is the easy variant of a project of mine. In the last few months I have not climbed so much, because of the birth of my second child, but despite this in the last few weeks I have managed to climb many routes. I hope the positive trend will continue in the coming months, because the project I have in mind is really hard.”

Kerry Scott, who did three 8A+ graded boulder problems last year, has sent The Grinch sds (8B) in Eldorado Canyon. "The boulder definitely suits me very well! It’s hard to comment on the grade. People have opinions that are all over the place. It took me 3 sessions and I felt like I had some luck on my side because I executed all the moves perfectly and felt like I was in flow. For me, there was no margin for error on a climb this hard and technical.”