Katja Zoner has done her first 8c, Picket Fence at Beauty Mountain. ”Sad I don't get to grab those sick pinches anymore! Amazing, unique holds and movement. Grades are weird and this route suits me really well... certainly didn't feel as hard as I'd expected. Enjoyed some post-crux spice building bad feet hiiiigh above my bolt for the last reach out of the crux sequence.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Picket Fence is a route I have always been curious about. It sits on the Travisty Wall, which is quite unique for the area in terms of holds and movement style, and it has some notoriety, mainly due to first ascentionist Mike Williams’ professed 150+ days of effort to send. It’s a short, bouldery and technical route consisting of pinches, sidepulls, several monos, and tricky feet. I scoped it out earlier this summer and it seemed to suit me well, then I began trying it at the start of September and made quick progress. Excited to see what the rest of the season has in store.

David Firnenburg has sent in . The 28-year-old has previously done roughly 20 routes 9a and harder.

“Summer was pretty hot in Switzerland and climbing in Gimmelwald was unpleasant. Now the temperature dropped and holds feel sticky again. Checked out the moves of ‘Inferno’ around 3 weeks ago when it was still hot. Worked on it the past weekend and sent it in my last try after falling at the last two hard moves once. The route is a combination of ‘Jungfraumarathon’ (~9a) and ‘Gimmelexpress’ (~8c+). It links the hardest part of the 9a with the second boulder of the 8c+ with a good rest in between. I actually don’t like combinations so much but this line climbs nicely. Great endurance test piece with amazing view onto white mountains. Gimmelwald is worth a visit if you cross Switzerland one day!”

What is your next plan?
I am about to finish my psychology studies in summer next year and then planning to do a one year climbing road trip with my girlfriend Andrea in Europe. Good times ahead!

Adam Ondra has returned to Vranjača in Croatia. Last month he did the FA of A je to! (9a+), named after his favorite Czech cartoon, and now he sent B je to! (9b). Adam has done 28 routes 9b to 9c, out of which 21 are FAs. (c) Kuba Sobotka

”Start like A je to, but then go straight up via very hard crux, some easier climbing and dropable second crux. Bolted and tried in August, now on my second day.”

Sebastien Bouin reports on Instagram that he has repeated Stefano Ghisolfi's Lapsus (9a+) in Andonno. The 30-year-old has done around 60 routes from 9a to 9c. (c) Clarisse Bompard

"Lapsus is actually the link up of two historical routes at the crag. It starts in "Noia", the first Italian 8c+, and finishes in the hard part of "Anaconda" 8b+. There are some hard moves in between to connect both of these routes. It makes for a really cool endurance route, on this blue and orange rock! I haven’t climbed a lot in Italy, and it's really cool to discover new crags, which are actually not that far from France."

Roxane Durand, who did her first 8c last month, at age 38, has sent Last soul sacrifice (8c) in Gorges du Loup.

”I was working on this route since the begining of September. I spent 9 days and 18 tries. The first pitch is Soul Sacrifice, 8b, which is very resistant. The first boulder of the route is very physical, then you have a good rest with a kneebar. Then, you need to climb a bit fast not be too pumped at the end of L1. You need to breathe at the belay with quite good holds and a bad kneebar which is uncomfortable. Then, the second part of the route is still resistant but the holds are worse and it's more bouldery for me. It's hard to stop climbing to clip the quickdraws, I only clipped 3 in the second part, but some of my friends clipped only one or two 😮The second part (L2) is not too long, about 20 movements I think.”

Michael Piccolruaz, who was #15 in the Tokyo Olympics, has repeated Chris Sharma's Alasha (9a) in Port de Sóller. The 27-year-old Italian is foremost a boulderer and in 2017, he took second place at a World Cup. He has also done two 8C boulders. ”Best experience of my life climbing these moves high above the Mediterranean Sea! The definition of KINGLINE!!”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Alasha is definitely special. So happy to get the 3rd ascent. I`ve tried it a bit already two years ago when I got to witness Jakob`s impressive ascent. This year then I planned a trip specifically to try Alasha only.

Together with Jernej Kruder we started working on it right away only to find out that the lower part was soaking wet. And this struggle with the conditions continued for almost the entire trip. And as so often it ended up becoming a last day best day kind of situation. A key hold entering the crux just wouldn`t dry up so I had to put tinfoil on it to prevent my fingers from getting wet and like this make it somewhat climbable. The ascent was quite epic then. I had my crew of friends there supporting me and cheering and on my first go of the day I stuck my previous highpoint on the absolute limit saving myself through to the saving right hand jug. The last moves to the lip of the wall were thankfully all in control and I got to fully experience the rollercoaster of emotions hanging on the topjugs of Alasha so high above the sea. Definitely a dream come true. What a Kingline!

What is next?
Next some projects around home in Innsbruck 👍🏻. I have a long term project of climbing all the routes at the Schleierwasserfall. Currently I'm working on Weiße Rose (9a) and I've tried an open project once which is really good as well. So those two routes I definitely wanna climb now this fall.

Keenan Takahashi, who did his first 8C+ in July, has made the FA of Ego Death (8C) at Mount Blue Sky.

”I was shown a photo of this prow project in early July, and thought it looked like one of the best boulders in Colorado. At the time I was close on Insomniac (V16) and so focused on finishing that first before checking it out. After finishing Insomniac, I was feeling pretty exhausted after 2 months of hiking and projecting, so much so that I actually got sick. But I really wanted to go see it, so I went out with my friends Kevin and Ethan to the zone, which I hadn’t been to before, and finally tried the prow.

Immediately upon walking up to it, I knew it was something special if it was possible. It’s the sort of thing I’ve dreamed of since I started climbing, steep compression, at my limit, decently tall but safe, and such fun movement. An amazing combo of technique and power.

I surprised myself by doing all the moves the first session, but I was feeling in for sure my best shape and the style really plays to my strengths. Once I realized it was possible, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and was really fixated.

I had to wait to recover from being sick, which took a longer time than anticipated, but I finally went back with Katie (Lamb) and we tried for a few hours. She was second day on, so only tried a bit, but I seshed for a while and made some key links, doing it in two overlapping parts. For the first time since doing A Little Life, I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about the line too much.

After a lot of rest, I went back again, this time alone as Katie was resting. I found a new mental space I’ve never had before, fully calm and really happy to be there, truly not caring if I did it. I knew I’d try until it would get done. Then, on the wall, I climbed perfectly. The sort of moment I always wish for but have only had one other time, on Kintsugi in 2018. I barely stuck the crux and then had a minor error in the easier upper bit but very fortunately didn’t punt. I deal with ego like everyone else, but the name stems from the flow on the wall, as “I” really ceased to exist, there was just awareness and breath.

All told, for sure one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, in any aspect of my life.

As for the grade: Drew Ruana tried a couple of days, as well as Griffin Whiteside the year before. Drew was trying a different sequence at the top, which sounded really nails, but we both felt it was a big step up from V14s in that style and agreed V15 seemed more than fair. I’m curious what other folks think, but more than anything I’m just so stoked to have had such a fun time trying such an incredible bloc and hope other people like it too!”

Loic Zehani has done the FA of Tsuki no kitsune (9a+) in Chanac. In total, the 21-year-old has logged 70 routes 9a to 9b out of which 38 FAs.

"Nice route, the movements are so nice. The first real route in the ninth degree of the Mende area (the neighbour that I sent 2 days ago [Passing shot (9a)] rather 8c+/9a ). Bolted by Gauthier Leprince (for the first five meters) and my father. In 12 meters there is all: little slopers, shoulders, one and two fingers pockets, compréssion etc."

Jakob Schubert reports on Instagram that B.I.G. aka Project Big in Flatanger, goes at 9c. The Austrian made the FA, of the Adam Ondra bolted route, last week during his 6th live-streaming attempt. (c) Alpsolut pictures - Johannes Mair

"I felt at a point where I had found the most efficient way possible for me, the whole route was worked out perfectly and I didn’t see any room for improvement. So all that it came down to was my physical & mental shape which I think are very good right now. Given the current information that I have and considering Adam’s opinion, it feels right to propose 9c and I’m looking forward to see what time will tell."

Here are the hardest routes in the world including the FAs and the repeaters;
B.I.G. (9c) 2023, FA Jakob Schubert
DNA (9c) 2022, FA Seb Bouin
Silence (9c) 2017, FA Adam Ondra

Excalibur (9b+) 2023, FA Stefano Ghisolfi
Mejorando la samfaina (9b+) 2023, FA Jorge Diaz-Rullo
Sleeping Lion (9b+) 2023, FA Chris Sharma
Suprême Jumbo Love (9b+) 2022, FA Seb Bouin
Zvěřinec (9b+) 2022, FA Adam Ondra
Bibliographie (9b+) 2020, FA Alex Megos, Stefano Ghisolfi, Sean Bailey, Seb Bouin
2018, FA Alex Megos, Stefano Ghisolfi, Jakob Schubert
Vasil Vasil (9b+) 2013, FA Adam Ondra
La Dura dura (9b+) 2013, FA Adam Ondra, Chris Sharma
Change (9b+) 2012, FA Adam Ondra, Stefano Ghisolfi, Seb Bouin


Adam Ondra is listed five times as an FA. Stefano Ghisoli and Seb Bouin are mentioned four times, out of which one respectively two times, as FAs. There are, furthermore, at least seven routes graded 9b/+ out of which Seb Bouin has done four and he is known for his hard grades.