Hule-festen, 8B FA from martin mobraten on Vimeo.

Based on Similarweb statistics 8a has tremendously strengthened its position during 2016 with an increase in traffic of 39%. The most striking figures are however that the average 8a visitor stays over 15 minutes and that 84% come direct, instead of coming from Facebook, Google, etc. The average "Time on site" for our competitors are below 3 minutes and they get below 40% of their visitors "direct", which means that most of their traffic comes from Facebook and Google. 8a is also the only website which is spread evenly around the globe while all our competitors get some 50% of their traffic from their country of origin. To sweeten up the story, the first week of April has also started up with a new record when it comes to visits and unique visitors.

Many have said we cannot climb much harder. We have reached the physical human limit and actually there was some stagnation going on some years ago. However, 2015 was a record year when it comes to achieved grades for the community; especially for the youngsters and the female. Interesting is that this trend has continued during 2016 but it relates mainly to doing longer routes and boulders. If the trend continues, male doing 9a endurance routes will soon stop creating headlines. It might be that in 2020, ten guys including Ashima Shiraishi will do 9b and Climbing will be recognized as the most gender-equal sport in the world. At the same time, the first 9A boulder and several 8C+'s will be done including also female ascents. When it comes to grades and ages, there might be several showing the same standard as Adam Ondra and Ashima Shiraishi. In a longer run, there will be loads of 50+ doing 9a's and 8B+'s. The future looks bright :)

Black Stars of Fontainebleau. from David Mason on Vimeo.

Black Stars of Fontainebleau. from David Mason on Vimeo.

About a month and a half ago Iban Larrion added a new boulder-route in a smaller grotto aside the Baltzola cave, Mikelon, for which he suggested 8B+/C (remember that in 2012 and at the same spot he also made the FA of 'Airian', suggesting 8C for it). At that time we talked with him in this interview, where we also asked him about his long standing project with a rope in the same area, Iñi Ameriketan 9a+, which he was finally able to send about 2,5 weeks ago after trying it for 6 years. Pic© Estibaliz Díaz. Iban is the fourth to clip the chains of what was born as a 100% natural route (so far just a crimp broke and was glued back on the same spot) bolted by Iñigo Basterra in 1995 which first ascent was claimed by Rikar Otegi in 2002 saying it was a 9a. One year later it was bagged by Patxi Usobiaga agreeing with such difficulty proposal. Second repetition didn't happen till 2014 with an Adam Ondra well used to revise a good number of routes downward but registering this one with a 9a+ in his scorecard with the following comment: "Harder than 'Il Domani', even though easier beta than Patxi and Rikar used has been found. 2 days, sent in humidity." Iban confirmed us that Ondra used his method and coincide with him on his grading, even if "an intermediate in the crux section broke off, but this didn't mean that plus." We, in the Spanish 8a.nu site, have asked him some few more questions that you can read in this new interview.