Andrea Chelleris has been on a trip to Saint Léger focusing on onsight. During three climbing days, the 15-year-old onsighted eight routes 7c+ and beyond including Abregenief (8b). Three years ago, he onsighted his first 8a+ as well as redpointed an 8c+/9a. In the last season, he won the Italian Championships in Slalom, Lead and Boulder.

Which were your most memorable onsights and did you come close on other harder routes?
I think the best onsights were Abregenief and Le placard (8a+) because these were the most classic but I enjoyed a lot all the other onsight in La baleine. I came close to onsight Collection automne hiver (8b+) and also Le mur des cyclopes (8b).

How long do you observe to find the best beta?
When I onsight I do a long observation, possibly more than 20 minutes, to find out the best beta but sometimes I miss some holds like on le mur de Cyclopes. This trip I became better at it but in some situations, I still changed the beta because the way I planned to make the move was impossible.

What are your autumn and winter (skiing) plans?
From this year, I decided not to ski anymore and focus on climbing and competitions. It was too hard to do both and I wasn’t enjoying that at all because in ski and also climbing I was really bad at first comp because I didn’t have time to get into shape. I chose the sport that I liked most.

From the fifteen of October I will be in Villanueva del Rosario and there I would like to try La Planta de Shiva (9b) and some other hard routes but anyway I will climb onsight as well. Maybe, I will also make a quick stop to Margalef.

How much and where do you train?
I train 6 days a week mainly at Climbing Ranch. To train comp boulders I go to other nice gyms in Slovenia or Austria.

What about school?
This is the third year of homeschooling for me and I study from home. My mum helps me with this.

Team Japan has dominated the men's Boulder World Cups for about a decade, and in 2024, they were more dominant than ever, securing all four top positions.

1. Sorato Anraku JPN 3 365
2. Meichi Narasaki JPN 2 860
3. Tomoa Narasaki JPN 2 690
4. Sohta Amagasa JPN 2 416
5. Toby Roberts GBR 2 365
6. Lee Dohyun KOR 2 280
Complete rankings

It is worth noting that Roberts did not participate in the last event, while Dohyun, who won the previous two competitions, only competed in three events.

Natalia Grossman has made history by becoming the first to win the IFSC Boulder series four years in a row.

1. Natalia Grossman USA 2 610
2. Oceania Mackenzie AUS 2 405
3. Nakamura Mao JPN 2 262
4. Annie Sanders USA 2 105
5. Janja Garnbret SLO 2 000
Complete rankings

Notably, Natalia competed in only three of the five events, while Janja participated in just two. Since 2021, Garnbret has competed in eight Boulder World Cups, winning six and earning silver twice. In the ten Boulder World Cups and Championships where Grossman and Garnbret have faced each other, Garnbret has claimed victory nine times.

Ludivine Balbi has sent Amadeus (8c) in Grotte de Sabart, uncut video. The 15-year-old did her first 8b at age 12.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and your climbing background?
I started climbing very early thanks to my parents who took me to the crag since I was young (I took my first steps in the Finestra sector in Margalef!!! 😊). When I was 8 years old, I discovered competition by chance thanks to my instructor at the time Mathieu (Gallo-Lavallee also called Mr. MA.GA.LA). I quickly managed to rank well on the local and regional circuit.

In the summer of 2021, at the U-14 French Championships I was number two. In 2022 at the French Difficulty Championship in Le Pouzin I won the title of French Champion and this gave me access to the French Team and to international competitions.

Today I share my passion for climbing between the cliff and competition. I have the chance to travel to the major spots in France, Spain, and Italy. I have already done some 8b in climbing trips and I wanted to try a harder project close to home. That's why I chose Amadeus. I am so happy to have done it in 10 days and about 25 attempts and especially before my 16th birthday (at the end of October). I wanted to thank the Block Out Toulouse club for their support and especially my coach Guillaume Mauss for his kindness and cheerfulness.

Lee Dohyun, who won in Prague last month, got the Boulder World Cup gold also in Seoul.

”I thought if Max got the top in three he would win the gold so when he got it he had won. I thought congratulations, but then my team and coaches said it was me who had won. I couldn’t understand it. I’m just really happy to win in front of my home crowd, it means a lot. It was a hard final round. All the boulders were hard for me. Very powerful and tricky moves. Very hard.”

The fifth and last Boulder World Cup took place in Seoul in Korea. 17-year-old Annie Sanders, who got her first two bronzes in the last Boulder as well Lead World cup won.

” I’m definitely still in shock right now. I wasn’t expecting this. After the second boulder I almost kind of gave up hope as a lot of people were topping that one so I was just trying to have fun for the rest of the round, and it paid off.”

Connor Herson has done the FA of Midnight Way (9a+) in Paradise Valley and The Shark 8b+ (c) trad in The Chief. The 21-year-old made his first 8a headline in 2018 when he did an 8c+, 2nd go at age 14. In the same year he repeated The Nose 8b+ MP; and was #11 in the Youth World Championship. Since then, he has evolved into one of the world's leading trad and big wall climbers. (c) Tempei Takeuchi

Can you tell us more about those two impressive first ascents?
The Shark: When I returned to Squamish, Didier offered to show me his project. I assumed I would just be trying the moves for fun, but he offered me a chance at the first ascent! I ended up sending it on my second session, grade is probably around 8b+ or 8c. The climb is pumpy, steep, and powerful, and it’s very high quality!

Midnight Way: I knew about this possible linkup last year, and it was my primary objective when I returned to Squamish this year. The line follows all the hard climbing on Spirit Quest (9a) and then climbs straight into several hard boulders. I ended up climbing spirit quest then falling higher up 3 times, and in order to send I needed to climb spirit quest and feel fresh after all the hard climbing!

On the day I sent Midnight Way, I high pointed on my first go (nearly doing it that try), then fell about halfway through spirit quest on my second attempt. On my third attempt I notice my finger was bleeding halfway through spirit quest, and it got worse and worse as I climbed higher but I still somehow made it work!

Josh Ibbertson has done Change P1 (9a+) in Flatanger. The 20-year-old, who has already completed seven 9a climbs, made his first 8a headlines at the age of 10. Two years ago, he sent Rainman (9b). (c) Adri Martinez

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Whilst not initially on my agenda for my first trip to the cave, but after belaying Jorge on his send of the full rig I got psyched to give the first pitch a try.

Leo [Böe] and I worked together to find our own sequences, so it felt fitting that we were able to send on back to back attempts! (Leo as it was getting dark and myself the next morning). The crux for me was maintaining tension through the very intense right knee and then releasing this without cutting feet. It's an intricate sequence that feels very burly at the same time!

I sent on the first go of what I think was session 9, although two other of those sessions were just 1 short try each. It felt closer to 7 'full' days of effort. I'm now motivated to come back for the full line next season!

What is next?
Back home in the UK for a bit to train and surf. Then off to Red River in November!

Michał Korban, with one 8c+ under his belt, has completed Action Directe (9a) in Frankenjura. It was put up in 1991 by Wolfgang Güllich as the first 9a in the world and has been repeated some 30 times. (c) Frank Kretschmann

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
The route took me around 16 sessions, making it my longest project ever. The first time I tried Action Directe was last June (I dedicated only one day to see how the moves looked), and I immediately knew I would come back to it. Between May and June of this year, I spent three weeks on the route, but unfortunately, I didn’t get lucky with the weather (the route was wet for half the trip), so I ran out of time. I decided to rest and heal my injuries—first a torn pulley, then a sprained ankle—so I was ready for the next trip at the beginning of September. The first week was quite hot (25-27°C), but surprisingly, I felt pretty good. Unfortunately, when the rain came, I had to give up again.

I set off for the next trip as soon as the conditions improved. Right away, I felt surprisingly good, and from the second day of this trip, I was approaching the Waldkopf with the intention of sending the route.

At this point, I knew that physically I was capable of doing the route, but I wasn’t sending it. I think I was putting too much pressure on myself. Up to that point, I hadn’t even reached the final sequence (the traverse to the left), but I felt the most confident on the finishing moves. Significant progress happened on the fourth day of this trip. I approached the crag after a full day of rain, thinking there was a high chance the route would be wet and I would have to retreat. I guess that’s exactly what I needed. During this session, I fell off the last move twice. The attempts that should have been the best turned out to be the worst. I still need to work on my mental game. By the fifth attempt, I knew I was already tired, so the pressure was off, and that was key. During that try, I definitely didn’t feel my best, but I managed to send it anyway.

Which sequence did you opt for at the crux?
I decided to do this section with a heel hook. At first, it felt like a bit of a lottery, but once I got used to the move, it felt right. Going straight from the crimp also wasn’t a bad beta for me, but I felt it cost me too much energy. The toe hook felt almost impossible.

Why was 8b was your hardest route the last year prior to sending AD?
This year, I mainly focused on training at the climbing gym and got into progressing with exercises on the hangboard and campus board. Additionally, I took my final exams this year and graduated from highschool, so I had less time for trips. I aimed to climb quick redpoints and onsights. For quite some time, I’ve wanted to do my first 9a, but I was saving that achievement specifically for Action Directe.

Our beloved indoor climbing photo contest is back! For the past three years, climbers have shared stunning images that captured the essence of indoor climbing, and this year, we’re looking for even more inspiring shots!

Throughout October, submit your best indoor climbing photos for a chance to win exclusive prizes from BEAL! We want to see photos that showcase the beauty of the climbing gym—the colourful movements, artistic route setting, and the vibrant community. Remember, every photo should feature people, and safety is key!

To join, simply upload an indoor photo to the Vertical-Life web gallery, select “Indoor”, and tag your gym. Share the image link to collect Vengas!

A jury will select 3 lucky winners to win BEAL vouchers, and there’s also a Crowd Favourite prize for the photo that gets the most Vengas!

PRIZES:
• 1st Place: € 1000 BEAL online shop voucher
• 2nd Place: € 500 BEAL online shop voucher
• 3rd Place: € 200 BEAL online shop voucher
• Crowd Favourite: 1 Year Vertical-Life Premium

The best shots will be featured in our Climbing Gym Gear Guide magazine, coming this November! 📖

Get snapping and show us your best work!