BJ Tilden has done his fifth 9a FA, The Hunted in Wold Point. Interesting is that the 39-year-old had his best year last year and with also three 8c+ in 2020, this year is even better.

"A link up, but for sure one of the best lines in the cave. Does the start of Stalk and Ambush(V11) into the meat of Okami(14b) and finishes on Spitting Venom(14c). Combines the best part of those three routes right in The middle of the cave. Psyched!!"

Carlo Traversi, who previously this year did his first 8C+ boulder, has done the FA of Empath 9a+ in Tahoe. It took him including bolting and cleaning some 15 days. (c) Mary Mecklenburg

" I bolted it last summer and started working on it. Made some goods links last fall. This year I prioritized this route above everything. Climbing on Creature (the 8C+) was training for it. Once the temperatures dropped last week I started giving redpoint tries. Fell off the top a few times but managed to finish it up this past Sunday. It is slightly overhung, about 20 meters tall. Granite tufas and slopers. No real rests. Very bouldery." More insight on his Insta.

Barbara Zangerl, the best female multi-discipline rock climber for many years, reports on Insta that she has done Greenspit 8b (+) trad in Valle dell'Orco. It was put up in 2005 by Didier Berthod as an 8b+ meaning it was the hardest crack in Europe and possibly in the world but later also 8b have been suggested. Originally it had green bolts but they were chopped off. In 2006, it appeared in the film First Ascent and the 12-meter roof crack became an icon route. (c) Jacopo Larcher

" Greenspit was always a line I wanted to try one day. It took me 4 days (13 turns) from Handjam-fingerlock-crimps, feet first—you find it all on this one! It was fun to work on that climb and find out the beta to fight it to the top. Placing all the gear on lead and removing it after every single try adds some extra work/struggle to it. Really enjoyed to spend time with Jacopo at this very cool place and sharing the motivation."

It should be mentioned that trad grades have over the years developed stiffer than sport grades and including that you have to place all gear on lead, as the ethics also said for sport routes originally, an 8b trad most be considered as an 8b+ sport route today. "Feels definitely harder than any 8b I did... it definitely makes a difference placing the gear on lead..."Furthermore, beside Barbara being the best all-round female rock climber in the world, she should be Top-10 among the male. She has done 9a and onsighted 8b. In bouldering she did an 8B in 2008 but due to a back injury she then had to stop. In trad she has done up to 8c and her overall tick list in big walls are possibly only beaten by Tommy Caldwell.

Vojta Trojan and Martin Stranik have done Senzace 9a in Krkavka. Stranik got the silver in the 2007 Boulder World Championship and Vojta, who comments below, has previously done two 9a's.

"Krkavka - the crag where 'Senzace' is located, is almost my home crag. Even though, I haven't tried this route much before because there was a hold broken in the crux section and we didn't know if it's possible (I tried it once and it seemed very hard). Then Adam Ondra did the first ascent after the broken hold. After showing the possibility of climbing it I just got pretty excited and started working it. The route starts with ten moves which should be 8B/B+ boulder followed by resistance climbing around 8a+. In overall it took me around 5-7days (didn't count😄) but have to say, that it went down much faster then I expected. The day after the send I also did the "easier" start of the route called 'Kompletace' which is 8c+ and shares the main crux. "

Too much focus on short time progress is, what I believe, the number one common mistake among climbers. Climbing has been said to by a lifestyle sport were long time progress is just the consequence of being obsessed about solving challenges. Alex Megos trainers have said that they deliberately hold him back being a teenagers so he should not peak too early. Adam Ondra did not have a trainer until he had left his teens. He just climbed as much as possible. A couple of weeks before going to a Boulder WC, he could be in Kalymnos focusing on endurance challenges.

At the same time, the internet is flooded with short term courses and tips how to advance several grades very quickly. Especially kids and teenagers should not just train in order to achieve a certain grade or competition goal. The best thing about climbing is not to be #1 but to have gotten a lifestyle sport that could be your guide having fun around the globe or at your local gym.

Tiba Vroom, who had 7C as her PB three months ago, has during the last month done four 8A's as well as her first 8A+, Sofa Surfer in Magic Woods. (c) Hannes Kutza

"This year I feel like I was really well prepared for the competition season, all the national comps in the beginning of the year went really well, but than everything got cancelled because of the corona crisis of course. Luckily I had the opportunity to keep on training during the lockdown period so I decided to shift my focus for this year on rock climbing, which I never had time for before because I always focus on competitions. Than this September I went to Magic Wood for the first time and I really really liked it here so I decided to stay for a bit longer and try to climb some hard boulders. The style here really suits me as well, and Sofa Surfer especially because it’s physical as well as technical and I really enjoy that!

I am currently here on my own, living in my bus, but there are some other strong climbers here that I climb with. It’s not so busy here though, probably because of all the covid stuff. I know some people from the Netherlands who were supposed to come here but they were not allowed to go into Switzerland anymore."

Jonathan Siegrist has made the FA of Nu World at a remote new crag outside Las Vegas. In total, the 35-year-old has now done some 50 routes 9a to 9b, putting him as #6 in that list. In the annual 8a ranking game, he is #2. (c) Nate Liles

"All together I think I probably tried the route almost 50 times over 5 weeks. It took me many sessions to figure out the cryptic method through the bottom 7 bolts (it’s super resistant here - barely even a spot to clip, and absolutely no stopping for 30 moves). After this there is a small rest, and then for ‘Nu World’ you climb to the right and up another 25 meters of beautiful and hard climbing, maybe ~8c. The direct will go straight up for another 30+ meters and there are several very hard boulder problems with worse rests than on Nu World. I’m looking forward to trying it next season! But for now I need a break from the 90 minute approach... The direct finish will be crazy hard - if I can ever do the bottom again..."

Gio Placci has done Underground 8c+ (9a) in Arco and amazingly, it was on his 30iest day on. Even on the day before he did two indoor sessions and spent five hours in train and bus to reach Arco. He lives two hours from the nearest crag and he goes always alone to Arco which takes 2.45 hours if he is lucky to commute with a car. Last year he was #8 in a Euro Youth Cup but this year he focused on outdoors and have had a great progress. (c) Sara Grippo

"This year during the lockdown I was able to train very well in my home gym with my little brother. I trained two times all days for about 60 days! Due to the fact that just one comp took place, I could focus on outdoor climbing and I was able to send nine routes from 8c to 8c+. I live far away from Arco but I love this place and almost every weekend I go there to climb." The 19-year-old has just started the University and says that, "For me it doesn’t change so much if I rest or not, mainly only before competitions. Outdoors, I usually set a goal and I rest only for this. For example now I’m training to do a 9a in Arco, so I’m waiting the best conditions. Underground was nothing special and the send was very unexpected. I did it just as I was "training" during my third day on it. The first time I got made the first crux I sent it!"

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Buster Martin reports on Insta with a picture by Andrew MacFarlane that he has done Hubble at Raven Tor. It was put up in 1990 by Ben Moon as the first 8c+ in the world but later the UK scene have called it 9a although no of the first repeaters did upgrade it. Buster used the same knee pad beta as Matt Wright just did but did not mention any grade in his post. He has previously done one 9a+ and one 9a in Spain.

"The most technical piece of climbing I've done and maybe less of a test of power than you may think. It’s all in the subtleties and working them out. Yeah, you need to be strong but a twist of the wrist by a few degrees, hips in the right place or getting your fingers on the right ripples on the rock is what really gets you up this thing."

Buster says he took it down after some six sessions out of which four this year. One of the reason he tried it again was because Mat Wright find the knee bar.

So what do you think about the grade? It's obviously easier with the knee pad but compared to the other high 8s I have done at Raven tor then I think it is 9a.