Eva Hammelmüller, who previously in 2025 has done a dozen routes 8c+ and beyond, has sent Omen Nomen (9a) in Arco. The Austrian tried it four years ago but could just barely do every move in isolation. This year, the 25-year-old sent it in just four sessions and she moves to second position, after Laura Rogora, in the ranking game.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
A dream of mine that first took shape back in 2021 became reality last weekend. At that time, my big objective was to climb 9a, and I thought ‘Omen Nomen ’could potentially fit my style perfectly; the route is not too steep and really technical, and can be split into three sections with rests in between. However, to be honest, I think I just didn’t have the level yet. The cruxes require a huge amount of body tension, biceps, and finger strength - which I definitely lacked at that time.

Several years passed and finally, I returned this season with all my homework done. While I struggled to do the moves in isolation in 2021, I quickly linked both crux sequences this year. Four amazing days in Padaro with good friends later, and the anchor was clipped. Knowing how far I’d come since those first sessions, was an unreal and incredibly rewarding feeling. Huge thanks to the crew for hyping me up and sharing the psych!!

How can you best explain your great outdoor progress in 2025?
Over the last few years, my motivation for outdoor climbing outgrew my thrive for competitions. I enjoyed being out in nature with good friends so much more than competing, especially because I always experienced competition venues as really stressful and nerve-wrecking. While I felt energetic and psyched after a long rock climbing day, competitions left me feeling drained and tired. Therefore, I reckon that my decision to focus on rock climbing plays an important part in my performance improvement. If I feel relaxed and nothing but motivated, I simply perform way better. In addition, not having to focus on comp schedules and training cycles enables me to listen 100% to my body - if I am psyched for climbing, I climb, if I am tired or have many other things to do, I rest; that makes my training more effective and productive. Plus, I think my mentality is more the one of a team player - and outside, climbing is exactly about that: working together to find the best solution to succeed in a route, with the only 'opponent‘ being the route. After all, I guess it comes down to not take everything too seriously and make the most of every climbing session you get to spend outside with friends.

Jacopo Larcher has repeated James Pearson’s Bon Voyage (9a) in Annot. Pearson graded it E12 on the British trad scale, which also includes how dangerous and how hard it is to onsight. Later Adam Ondra did the second ascent, saying it is a solid 9a comparing to bolted routes.

The Italian climber boasts one of the most impressive trad tick lists, including his first ascent of Tribe, a potential 9a. He began projecting Bon Voyage two years ago on a solo trip, and after another solo trip and two more trips with a belayer, he successfully sent it.

"I remember when James first told me about Bon Voyage. He was still working on it at the time and showed me some pictures of those perfect pockets branching off from the classic Voyage, which required some creative beta. He spoke of bomber gear but also big falls: the perfect combination for some hard trad climbing!

After he sent it, I was even more motivated to check it out myself, so in November ’23 I drove down to Annot with my dog Olli. Once I started working the route, on a static line, I immediately told myself: “What a crazy line!” It’s incredibly rare to find something like this—proper hard climbing, yet still safe to protect on gear. I felt good on the route right away and was able to make big links, but the infamous mono move really made me struggle. My pinky was too weak, and I tore it as soon as I tried pulling on it. I had to find another method, which was super tough on the skin and low percentage. My fingers were simply too weak. I realized it didn’t make sense to try on lead when I couldn’t even consistently stick that move, so I shifted my focus to other projects (like Couilles de Mammouth). The next spring I made another quick solo trip, but again without real progress on that move.

This year, after winter training, I drove down again with a good friend, Nemuel Feuerle, for a week. We split our time between Bon Voyage and other routes, and finally that move started to feel doable—even with the pinky! Psyche was high and I was already planning another trip a few weeks later, but unfortunately on the second-to-last day in Annot I injured my neck while working the route. That meant a forced month of rest and losing power in my left arm for about two weeks. Pretty scary. Between the injury, frustration and other plans, I ended up putting the project aside. After the route-setting season, the plan for fall was to spend quite a bit of time in Yosemite as usual, but then unfortunately Babsi got injured, and I decided to cancel the trip as well. Bon Voyage started creeping back into my mind, especially since another friend was motivated for it too. I began training my pinky a bit, trying to find the balance between strengthening it and not getting injured again, and around mid- November I drove back to Annot. I don’t know what changed this time—maybe the training, maybe the shared motivation—but to my great surprise I could immediately stick the pinky mono move, and after a few days I finally tied in to give it proper lead attempts.

The first try on lead felt weird. I had spent so much time working the route, mostly alone on a static line, and I didn’t know what to expect. Part of me was hoping for an improbable “first go, best go”, while another part was just stressed about how the route would feel on lead. I was afraid it would feel horrible. I climbed poorly and was very tense, but when I fell I was relieved to finally be giving it real attempts. That try really unblocked something, and my internal motivation grew again. Everything felt different this time, and it was so cool to share the process and the attempts with friends who were also working the route. It felt like a normal day at the crag, sharing burns, rather than headpointing a hard trad line. 2025 was a challenging year for me. I had lots of amazing moments, but climbing-wise I struggled a lot and nothing seemed to click, which brought frustration and higher expectations/pressure, especially after the missed flash of Freerider. I couldn’t find the fire that usually burns inside me for climbing, and the more I searched for it, the further away it seemed. But somehow, in the weeks before the trip, I realized that the fire was coming back. I was climbing without pressure, simply for the joy of climbing and sharing good moments with friends. Some spontaneous trips reignited that spark, and the same happened in Annot.

I was getting closer and closer on every try, but instead of getting frustrated or feeling pressure—like I had for most of the year—I just wanted to try more, to climb more. Honestly, that’s what I had been missing these last months. It felt so good to try hard, share moments with friends, and be in a good headspace. The funny thing was that when I first started trying the route, I thought that once I somehow stuck the mono move, I would definitely send, since the last section didn’t feel too bad in isolation… but reality was different, and I fell at least five times after the mono. What an unexpected turn—from not being able to do the move at all, to sticking it almost every time and then falling after it. Mathieu Miquel gave us the perfect belay beta (redirecting the rope to a cam at chest height at the base of the wall), which made the fall off the arête safe. That allowed us to focus completely on climbing without fear. On Nov 29th, on the send go, everything aligned and I slipped into one of those rare flow states where everything feels almost effortless. Finishing a project with a big fight is great, but it’s also nice to finish such a long and challenging process in this way. In the end it’s just a piece of rock, but I’m grateful for what this route taught me throughout the process. It showed me that it’s always worth sticking with a goal, no matter how much you struggle. It reminded me of the importance of sharing the process with others, reconnected me with a country where I’ve spent a lot of good times and—especially on this last trip—reconnected me with my climbing. What a Bon Voyage, in the end. A big thanks to everyone who shared this journey with me, both there and from home.”

Ga-eun Kwon, who sent her first 8c+ at age 10, has repeated Chris Sharma’s iconic Era Vella (9a) during a three-week trip to Margalef.

”The first time I went climbing overseas was with just my dad when I was eight years old. Because that trip was so enjoyable and remains a great memory, the annual climbing trips are always something I look forward to and get excited about. ​Since it had been two years since I last sent an 8c+, my thirst for 9a had been growing. That’s why I was thrilled to come on this trip and finally climb the legendary Era Vella, which I had only seen in videos. ​The only really challenging part here was the cold, as the area doesn't get sun all day and is very windy.

​While adjusting to the time difference, I gradually worked out the moves, doing one or two attempts per day. After a few days, I solved all the moves, and Dad and I celebrated had a party. I was happy because I have always managed to send a route once I’ve solved the movement. ​In the end, I achieved the send after a total of six attempts over three days. ​The most memorable moment was during the fifth attempt: I passed every hard section, but just before clipping the final chain, the inside of a hold was wet. I struggled there for over 10 minutes before finally falling off. It was such an easy section, and I was frustrated and sad that I fell because the hold was wet.

My original schedule was to climb the next day, but Dad suggested we take a rest day. So, on our rest day, we had a great time walking by the sea and doing some local shopping. ​The following day, after warming up, I sent Era Vella on my very first try of the day, finally claiming my first 9a. ​The final moment was amazing; I'm so happy and still can't quite believe it.”

Her 54-year-old father, Younghye, who last year won the Ice World Cup in Korea, gives us the full background story.

”It is not easy for us, coming from an Asian country, to travel frequently to Europe. Because of this, the strength of the  "Selection and Concentration" has always been necessary for us. To ensure that she could complete her target route on each rare trip, we had to combine various pieces of information, preparing and training her for several months in advance.

As this is her last year of elementary school, I often reflect on my daughter's climbing life so far.  Since her mother and I run a climbing gym, the gym naturally became her playground from an early age.  By the time she was six, we began guiding her through more systematic training.

Ordinarily, she focuses her training on climbing competitions, only traveling for outdoor rock climbing once a year. Our goal is to let her experience the joy of climbing in nature and to use these rock climbs as opportunities to push her limits one step further. Because "Era Vella" is world-famous and has many videos available, we were able to analyze its climbing style and characteristics beforehand. I determined that the sustained endurance required for the 50-meter-long route and the angle of the steep overhang were well-suited to her climbing style. I set this route as her goal, and thankfully, she was able to solve the sequences without too much trouble.

However, due to her smaller stature, she often had to find her own unique moves—different from those used by adults—to solve various sections. Through this process, she constantly changed and refined her movements, learning ways to conserve energy even when using the tiniest holds.

Just when she had nearly solved all the movements, the weather became the critical variable. Even though it didn't rain, I suspect that the severe temperature difference caused moisture to appear on several holds. After struggling for several days with these wet holds, the wind finally picked up significantly on December 5th, returning the holds to normal condition. Not missing this crucial opportunity, she climbed calmly and steadily, clipping the rope into the chains to complete her first 9a route. And finally, we want to express our thanks to Chris Sharma for establishing this incredible line.”

Andrea Chelleris, who last month won the Euro Youth Cup in Toulouse, has done Victimes del futur (9a) in Margalef. ”3 days,6 tries. Incredible 3rd 9a of the trip!”

The 16-year-old has also during the last month onsighted six routes 8a to 8b and in the monthly ranking game, he is #4 worldwide.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I tried it for the first time probably two weeks ago, just after I wrecked my skin on Victimas Perez. It took me quite a long time to figure out the best way to do the crux, and I tried to pay a lot of attention to it because I knew I could do the first part easily and everything depended on the crux. The route has a mid/easy intro to a good rest and then the hard crux.

I gave it a try after sending Victima Perez and I fell at the crux. I came back today, and on the first try I got to the crux but I was pumped. The second try was very close, I fell going to the sloper before the jug. Then I really didn’t know if I should give it another go or rest for the next day, but I decided to go because I was feeling good. Everything worked out and I passed the crux! I was very scared to fall on the last slab, so I had a little fight before clipping the chains 😁

Jorge ToteLegu, who sent his first 7C boulder at age 31, has completed Street Fighter (8C) in Santa María del Espino / Alcolea.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
It was first climbed by Juan Alonso Mancera in March of this year. He had already done the stand start, an 8A+ single move, a few years ago, and it hadn’t been repeated. Then, less than a month ago, it was repeated by Guillermo Peinado, video. That repeat appears on Jorge Díaz-Rullo’s YouTube channel, since both climbers try the boulder there. And well, I liked the boulder. It’s in the Hidrofix sector. In March I gave it two sessions with good conditions, and now in November, with the cold arriving, I gave it three more and in the end it went down.

What is your climbing background?
Well, I started climbing in a casual and very on-and-off way, mixed with lots of other sports, around 2002—I don’t really remember, haha. I used to do rope routes, no bouldering at all. I actually started focusing more on bouldering and training a bit more consistently around 2017, when I joined a very small climbing gym we called La Gruta. Since then, I’ve been discovering more Spanish and international bouldering areas with friends and training in a more structured way up to now. These days I try to train twice a week and get out on real rock as much as my daughter and partner allow me, haha. And that’s about it, really…