Sophia Hoermann, with a handful 8A+’ to her name, has sent
Room Service (8A+) in Squamish. ”Second sesh, second go today! This line made me nervous... my mind palace took some damage from the weight of expectations and doubt... just needed lovely natalia lafourcade music to get out of my head a bit and a super supportive crew to give me some confidence.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
It was my first time in Squamish this year and my trip was a blast. The location and vibes are so good there, but I put an uncomfy amount of pressure on myself over this line because I’ve seen that so many shorties crush it! After a few days of joyous romping in the forest, I had my first session. It was going downhill mentally until I discovered that a left heel hook method worked really well for me. I went back a few days later and felt some of the same expectations and pressure holding me back on my first go. On my second, I played some music on my phone and tried to climb more freely and remember where I was and why I was there. The moves still felt hard but I felt way less limited mentally and found myself holding the cut with the sounds of my friends spotting me in the background. I was psyched to share the moment with Roger (who also gave me so much beta), Toinon, Levi, and Owain. Squamish is so sick!

What are your plans for the summer?
I have an internship in the Bay Area, all summer but I’m hoping to get some weekend trips to Tahoe and Yosemite in and explore some local spots too.

Marco Müller, who in February sent his first 8C+, has done Curve Ball (8C+) in Valle Bavona, giving it a personal 8C grade. ”The boulder went down a bit to fast compared to the other boulders I climbed in Bavona that season, which is why I‘m leaning towards the lower grade for now. But time will tell.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The same day I climbed ,Captain Nemo‘, I went to check ‚La Peregrina‘, the stand start to ‚Curve Ball‘. I managed to climb the boulder the same session, and started trying the sit for fun. I soon realized, that it might be possible to climb the whole line, so I returned the next weekend and got lucky with some north wind. The boulder is super technical and friction dependent, which is why the conditions make a huge difference between the slopers feeling sticky or not climbable at all. I could climb the boulder in my third session.

What is next?
The classics at Gottardo, I haven’t climbed there much, as normally I would have switched to rope climbing by now.

Jules Marchaland, who last year sent his first 9b and flashed an 8C boulder, has sent Sang neuf (9a) in Pierrot beach. (c) Hugo Parmentier

”Random day with my princesses. A change of plans led us here. Crazy to send it today after just a little session on it two years ago. An amazing route with a really interesting kneebar crux! The grade felt super soft but it suited my style perfectly.”

What are your summer plans ticklist?
Back for some bouldering. Today I will try Permanent midnight low (8C+) and in the end of June, The Understanding (8C). Later Céüse and Biographie (9a) and sport climbing in France before a Flatanger trip in august ! I am super psyched for the Kangaroos Dyno project which I tried a bit last year.

Marta Palou has repeated Jose Luis Palou’s La Gioconda (9a) in Rodellar. It is an extension to an 8c and in total 40 m long roof climb with hard cruxes and good kneebar rests all the way to the top.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and what went into completing it?
Last year I sent my first 8c+, and this year I wanted to try something a bit harder. I work in Rodellar for half of the year, so having a hard project there is really convenient because I can just go for a couple of attempts and then head to work. However, when I arrived this season, I injured a finger pulley, so I honestly didn’t think it would be possible to climb these grades so soon. One month after the injury I managed to send El hijo libre (8c), and now, just three months after getting injured, climbing my first 9a feels incredible!

And today, only 3 days after sending Gioconda, I went back to El Museo and sent DA VINCI EXTENSION (8c) too! I can’t wait for my finger to fully recover so I can try all the routes I want to climb and spend as much time climbing as possible :))

David Reeve has published a preliminary report in regards the fatal accident in Kalymnos in March. His conclusion is, "Until proven otherwise, all installed 10mm Petzl Goujon expansion bolts of vintage, say 2000 to 2005, should be treated as dangerous. It should be emphasized that this condition arises from the nature of the bolt itself, and is independent of its installed environment."

The Australian has several times been helpful to Vertical-Life/8a with comments on his articles.
”The problem is the bolt was badly made. Material good, manufacturing process bad. Whilst this batch of bolts was old, there is nothing to say that a modern batch could be equally bad.”

Can we generally trust Rebolt Kalymnos' "green crag" designation on Bolt Beta, i.e. crags where all bolts are listed as being from 2014 or later?
They are going on the evidence in front of them, and until we can prove otherwise, that is reasonable advice.

It should be mentioned that the bolt in the picture comes from Facatelendos (6b+) that broke in 2024. In this case, Reeve says it was sulphate in the crag that created SRB-mediated SSC. Rebolt Kalymnos reports that 268 routes have been rebolted with Titanium bolts, which is the only long term solution for crags with sulphate. 2376 routes are from 2014 or later with A4 bolts (316) and 1888 routes are older with A2 bolts (304) the latter should be avoided.

AI summary of the article:
The article's main conclusion is that the anchor probably failed because of a problem with the bolts, not because of chemicals in the rock.

The investigation found:
The bolts were made from the correct type of stainless steel.
There were no clear signs of corrosion causing the failure.
There was no evidence that sulphur-related chemicals or bacteria in the rock caused the cracking.
The threads on the bolts showed signs of being worked too hard during manufacturing, making them more likely to crack over time.
The author's current theory is that the bolts had a manufacturing weakness that eventually led to cracking and failure.
So the short answer is: the evidence currently points to a problem with the bolts themselves, not sulphate in the crag. More testing is still being done to confirm this.

Prudence Morgan-Wood, with two 8c’s under her belt, has done La reina de la Piscineta (8c) in Rodellar. The five star line was put up by Dani Andrada in 2008.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Ever since David [Zarco] did this last year I wanted to try this route but did not expect to get it done so quickly ! Only took me 5 tries of the upper section ! Found a really cool “Pru” beta involving sitting on a high right heel to get through the first crux. No idea how I held on for the rest. One of my biggest fights I think 🥰 thank you David for the betas and the belay and Caro and friends for the cheering on the send.

How long and steep is it?
The guide book says it’s 30m long but it feels a lot longer haha. It’s fairly similar in overhang to Cosi but slightly shorter I think 🤔 the most peculiar thing about it is always having to get to the top otherwise you lower straight into the middle of the pool (like you’d have to take your harness off and everything).

Janja Garnbret has added another milestone to her remarkable climbing career by becoming the first woman to climb Bibliographie (9b+) in Céüse, one of the hardest sport routes in the world. Before her ascent, only five climbers had successfully completed the route.

The 35-metre route was bolted by Ethan Pringle in 2009 and first climbed by Alexander Megos in 2020. It is known as one of the toughest endurance challenges in sport climbing, with more than 80 difficult moves. Megos originally graded the route 9c after spending 60 days working on it. However, after the second ascent, Stefano Ghisolfi suggested a lower grade of 9b+, which has since become the widely accepted grade. Garnbret, 27, first tried the route shortly after the 2024 Olympic Games. She returned to Céüse several times and finally completed the climb on her fifth trip. © Jessica Glassberg/Red Bull Content Pool

”It feels incredible. It's honestly really hard to describe. When the send happens, everything is smooth, everything is perfect. You basically don't feel what you're climbing anymore. I think over the past five trips I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about Céüse and the route itself. I was maybe less nervous than on previous trips. I felt the strongest and felt like I was ready for the process. These two weeks really tested me in a way that nothing did before. It tested my patience.

On what was planned to be a warm-up on the route, I just felt perfect and kept going. I was just in my own bubble, in my own world, just doing what I love most. Unlike other days, not a lot of people were at the crag, so no loud cheering. It was one of the most serene moments in my rock climbing career.

This send is the accumulation of everything I learned over the past two years. This route taught me that with a calm mind and with patience, anything can happen. Never count yourself out – until the very last try, you need to fight hard. So, when it finally does happen, it’s an incredible feeling. All the work you’ve put in, all the commitment, the patience – when everything comes together, it feels incredible. Today my heart feels very full.

This is something that will stay with me forever. It will help me in future rock projects, in competitions, in training and whatever I do in life.

This send is the accumulation of everything I learned over the past two years. This route taught me that with a calm mind and with patience, anything can happen. Never count yourself out – until the very last try, you need to fight hard. So, when it finally does happen, it’s an incredible feeling. All the work you’ve put in, all the commitment, the patience – when everything comes together, it feels incredible. Today my heart feels very full.”

Putra Tri Ramadani topped the podium in Prague after a dominant performance throughout the competition. The 20-year-old, who placed ninth at last year's World Championships, won the qualification round and entered the final after sitting third in the semi-final, just one hold behind the leader. In the final, Ramadani delivered a convincing performance to secure a comfortable victory.
”This is the second final and the first medal for me, so obviously I’m happy and hopefully I can do this again next time. It was a diffcult final especially at the top section. It was a difficult route and definitely made me pumped.”

Annie Sanders continued her winning streak in Prague, taking gold in Lead just two days after topping the Boulder event. The 18-year-old shared first place with Chaehyun Seo in both qualification and semifinal rounds before pulling ahead in the final, climbing two holds higher to secure the victory.

”It was super fun. The route climber very bouldery which I think suited my style quite a bit. I managed to find the hand hold at the top that led to the crimp that helped me take the win. It was incredible. I’m really tired. But it was super cool and the crowd was super supportive. Yeah, I’m pretty excited.”

Elisa Lauretano, who in April sent her second 8B, has repeated Cristian Core’s Sheep Legend (8A+) in Rifugio Barbara - Lowrie.

Can you tell us more about Sheep Legend?
It doesn’t get many repeats because, aesthetically, it doesn’t jump out next to the other lines in the area. It’s a low, committing traverse on slopers and pinches with movement that feels way more like lead climbing than typical bouldering.

In summer 2024 I had a few chances to escape Turin’s heat and train at Rifugio Barbara, and this traverse was perfect for it. Dialing the beta took a while, but the real puzzle was finding the right sequence on the final crimps to actually send.

I’d already linked all the moves, but I never got a proper try. The condensation there is no joke, it soaks the rock and you can’t ignore it. Just a few days ago, after watching everyone climb all day, I stuck around as dusk hit. With my boyfriend’s help I found a way more efficient sequence through the last crux and after a rest day, I finally topped out.

What are your summer plans?
Last summer I couldn't climb at all because of an injury, so my main goal this summer is simple: climb as much as I can 😄 My dream line would be Hazel Grace (8B+) at Gotthard Pass, but let's see if I get the chance!