We hope 2023 has been full of good climbing and successful trips to beautiful crags. We wish you strong motivation into completing new challenges in 2024. We are now almost 140 000 members who have recorded 8.6 million ascents into their logbook including some of the best climbs and climbers in the world. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Benjamin Guigonnet has done Comité d'accueil (9a) in Séranon. The 35-year-old mountain guide, alpinist and big wall climber is having his best sport climber year ever having done three 9a’s and two 8c+’. “I tried the route for seven days in December. I fell many times on the same move in the crimp crux!

What's up next for you?
I am going to Gréolières where I have many projects and maybe look at Bon Voyage in Annot.

Lilli Kiesgen has been on a short trip to Ticino where she first sent Alphane Moon (8A) in Chironico. Then she moved to Brione and sent Darkness (8A+), "Nice one. Went down in an hour."

On the next day she warmed up on Disney production (8A+) and did it in just 30 minutes. "Felt way to easy for 8a+. I would suggest 7c+ but it suited me really well."

The 26-year-old is a former competition climber who was #9 in the World Championship in 2016. In the 8a ranking game, she is #10 but without all her personal grades, she would have been higher up. Interesting is also that half of the ten 8A's she has done in 2023, she has sent within an hour.

What about going for an 8B as you can send 8A and 8A+ so quickly?
Haha, we are only here for a couple of days and I think I will need more time for an 8B 🙈 I tried Heritage (8B+) last year and I definitely want to try that one more. But at the moment It's just a bit too cold 😅. Next year for sure 😇

Jesús Muñoz (Chuchi) has done the FA of El Sith Elegido (8C) at La Pedriza, by adding a three moves start to an 8B+/C he did three weeks ago.

"Yesterday on my first try, and after 19 movements, I reached the famous good slopper in the last section of the boulder. Only the 6 easiest movements of the way separated me from the glory. I was exhausted, but I fought and I tried my best to get to the top of this boulder. If I had to do one more move I'm pretty sure I would have fallen.

It is a long Boulder where the resistance component determines the difficulty. I felt something similar to when you do a pull-up with maximum weight. For me, adding these 3 more movements to the 22 movements of “El Elegido” changes the game, at least that's how I felt it. I'm quite surprised that I was able to do this extension after only two work sessions after sending “El Elegido”. However, that magical attempt on Friday has kept me from returning for several days. I am sure of this.

Now it's time for a change of scenery. It will be easy since next Tuesday we are leaving for the US for three weeks to visit Bishop and Red Rocks.”

Jakob Schubert reports on Instagram that he has done Alphane (9A) in Chironico. The Austrian started working on it last winter and the send came after a dozen sessions. Shawn Raboutou made the FA last year and this was the fourth repeat after Aidan Roberts, Will Bosi and Simon Lorenzi. (c) Misha Photography

"The ride had it all, from inconsistent progress and setbacks, a slip after the hard part, having to wait out bad conditions before feeling worse again on the boulder but somehow battling through, a story of personal perseverance that I'm grateful climbing can provide me with 🥳🥳"

Taisei Homma, who the last two years has been #2 and #3 in the Lead World Cup, reports on Instagram that he has onsighted Fish eye (8c) and Paper mullat (8b+) in Oliana. "It was a very long battle in Oliana, each route being 50m. My arms were definitely sold out🪫🫠." (c) Toni Mas Buchaca

Tomoa Narasaki, one of the very best competition climbers during the last ten years, reports on Instagram that he has flashed Gakido (8C+) in Chigobutai. Narasaki suggested 8B+ for Gakido and later he made the FA of the sit start, Ashurado (8C). The four-move boulder was put up as an 8C+ and one year ago Ryuichi Murai repeated it indicating it might be easier. Murai has also tried the Sit and commented, ”The low start project joins Gakido after four crimpy moves like V13 [8B].” Yesterday, Yuta Imaizuma uploaded an Instagram video giving it an 8B/+ personal grade.

8B+ has been flashed some ten times before and, actually, some were originally graded 8C. Tomoa has previously done a couple 8C’s and in 2019 he flashed Decided (8B+).

Noah Wheeler sent Defying Gravity (8C) at the South Platte last month. This was the 21st 8B+ and beyond for the 21-year-old.

”With campus-board beta because my span is slightly too short to keep good tension on the low feet. Amazing how there's so many different ways to do the boulder dependant on one's body type, each providing similar difficulty and top-tier nuanced movement. Proudest send so far.”

Seb Bouin gives us a tour of the fantastic and relatively unexplored winter venue of Labeil, in his local stomping ground of Southern France. In the video, Seb attempts the crag’s remaining hard projects.

"Follow Alex through a full day of climbing and biking around his home area, the Frankenjura, while he attempts the crazy challenge of climbing 10 routes from 8b to 8c in 10 hours, using an e-bike to get to each route."