Anna Liina Laitinen (26), who is doing University studies in Finland, has done her first 8c+, Southern Smoke in Red River Gorge. This spring she also did her first 8b+ and first 8c. (c) Matty Hong What is your climbing background? I started climbing 2007 immediately when I saw a climbing wall. I've always dreamed about climbing but I didn't know that was possible in Finland. The climbing gym where I started was 1,5 hours away from my home but I was happy to take those 3 different buses to get there even I had time to give only couple of burns. How much travelling are you doing nowadays? This year has been crazy! I've never traveled this much! I guess I've done 10-12 trips this year including the competitions? I'm lost on track. But I'd love to be able to do it even more in the future or stay abroad a little longer. How can you explain your fast progress in the last year? Travelling, training and the company I've been climbing with. One year ago I started training a lot, more than ever. But the progress is not only explained by training hard but the biggest improvement has been in a mental part of climbing and caused by just climbing a lot in a different places, different routes, and pushing myself to a situations I'm not feeling the most comfortable with. The company I've spent time and traveled have had a huge impact to my climbing as well. When your friends are climbing hard you naturally start trying harder routes. And I'm sure I wouldn't climb this hard without my positive boyfriend Matty Hong who's super psyched as well. Being super motivated and psyched to climb is my secret. And there's no end for it which is scary!

Awesome vol 4 from miniestandar on Vimeo.

Awesome vol 4 from miniestandar on Vimeo.

Anna Liina Laitinen (26), ktorá je momentálne študentkou vo Fínsku, preliezla svoje prvé 8c+, Southern Smoke v Red River Gorge. Len túto jar preliezla svoje prvé 8b+ a 8c. (c) Matty Hong Aká je tvoja lezecká minulosť? Začala som liezť v roku 2007 akonáhle som uvidela lezeckú stenu. Vždy som o lezení snívala, ale nikdy som nevedela, že je to vo Fínsku možné. Hala, kde som začínala, bola 1.5 hodiny od môjho domu, ale napriek trom prestupom pri ceste autobusom som tam chodila s radosťou, i keď niekedy zostával čas len na pár pokusov. Ako často v súčasnosti cestuješ? Tento rok bol šialený! Ešte v živote som toľko necestovala! Odhadom som za tento rok bola možno na 10-12 výjazdoch, vrátane súťaží? Neviem, stratila som niť pri počítaní. Ale rada by som toto číslo ešte zväčšila, alebo ostala v zahraničí na dlhšie. Čím si dosiahla také rýchle zlepšenie za posledný rok? Cestovaním, tréningom, a vďaka partii s ktorou leziem. Pred rokom som začala trénovať viac ako kedy predtým. Ale zlepšenie sa nedá podložiť len tréningom, najviac som sa posunula po psychickej stránke a to tým, že som liezla vo viacerých oblastiach mnoho rozličných typov ciest a dotlačila som sa aj do situácií, kde som sa necítila komfortne. Takisto partia, s ktorou leziem, mala obrovský vplyv na moje lezenie. Keď všetci okolo teba lezú ťažké cesty, tak prirodzene začneš aj ty skúšať niečo ťažšie. A som si istá, že by som takto dobre neliezla bez podpory môjho vždy pozitívneho priateľa Mattyho Honga, ktorý je takisto veľmi motivovaný lezec. Jednoducho byť motivovaný a užívať si lezenie, to je moje tajomstvo. A nemá to konca, čo je celkom strašidelné!

More than 25 years ago the first 9a was established, and more than 15 years ago the first 8C was reported. Although both Adam Ondra and Chris Sharma have done 9b+'s, overall progress seemingly stagnated until 2015. During 2016, the year when climbing became an Olympic sport, we have seen an extreme progress in most disciplines, suggesting that top climbers are about to take climbing limits to a new level. Here are some of the most remarkable ascents of the year. 9A by Nalle Hukkataival. A couple of guys have done 8C+. 8C by Ashima Shiraishi (15). Several girls having done 8B's. More guys than ever have done 9a+ and 9b routes. Several girls did 8c+'s and 9a's, Jain Kim did an 8c+ second go, and Janja Garnbret flashed an 8c route. Adam Ondra did the Dawn Wall in just 8 days. Charles Albert's 8C barefoot ascent is also a new standard. The number of climbers doing 9a's in 2016 is around 70, and there are about 15 female who have done an 8c, which is also a new record. When it comes to 8B+ boulderers, it is very hard to speculate but probably around 150 guys have sent a problem of this grade in 2016. When it comes to female 8A climbing, the number should be more than 25. The only disciplines where we have not seen progress is are onsight on routes and flash on boulders. The top level for onsights is 9a, but apart from Ondra, very few people have onsighted an 8c in 2016.