James Pearson, one of the best trad climbers in UK, has made the first repeat of Jacopo Larcher's Tribe in Cadarese. None of them have suggested any grade but as Larcher, who has done La Rambla 9a+, said that with 50+ sessions, "I have never invested so much time in a route before". Here is Larcher's video including comments from Pearso. The media have speculated Tribe to be at least 9a. This would mean that it is the hardest trad route in the world and Pearson confirms this. "Tribe is by far the hardest series of moves I have ever done on a trad-route." Interesting, it seems by Pearson's comment below, that he did it rather fast in comparison to the three years projecting by Larcher. Noteworthy is also that the 34-year-old did his first 9a in July, Condé de Choc. (c) Tristan Hobson

“I’ve known about Tribe, or at least ‘the big project at Cadarese’ for about 10 years. I’ve walked past it many times on the way to the crag, and wondered if it was possible, to climb or protect. But, despite it only taking about two minutes to set up a static rope, I had never bothered to actually look at the thing. I guess deepdown I thought it probably was impossible, like so many other King trad lines I’ve looked at over the years.

I followed Jacopo‘s journey on the route with interest, first of all interested to see if it’s possible, and later to see whether his conviction would stand the test of time and if he would put everything together. Climbing a first ascent is really hard, much much harder than making a repeat, it took a lot of curiosity for Jacopo to originally check out the line, and a lot of courage for him to stick with the process and finish it off.

I’ve been wanting to check out Tribe ever since Jacopo made the first ascent, but since Arthur was born, we’ve not really had the ability/energy/time to get stuck into a project like that. We arrived in Cadarese and everything was really really wet. For the first couple of days I got maybe an hour to an hour and a half to try the route - at the end of each day once the seepage from above and dried enough, and before it started to seep again. The conditions were pretty bad, but I managed most of the moves, by the skin of my teeth, and started to believe that one day I might be able to climb the route. After working the moves for some days, I climbed the route on my seventh lead attempt. I’d fallen pretty close to the top on numerous attempts before that, but the fickle nature of the final boulder problem often spat me off, despite not really knowing why. With lots of rain forecast over the coming days, I’d pretty much given up hope, which is probably exactly what I needed to take all the pressure off and just concentrate on climbing.

Whilst I can’t say I’ve checked out every single trad route in the world, I have been on quite a few of them, and I’ve spent a lot of time searching for my own megaproject. For me, Tribe is by far the hardest series of moves I have ever done on a trad-route, and it’s a real miracle that the thing is actually possible on gear. It’s rare to find a piece of rock compact enough to make a series of sustained hard movements, but with just enough decent gear placements. Tribe would already be an awesome sport route, and one I’m sure people would be queueing up to try to climb. What makes it really special however, is that no one needed to place bolts to climb it safely. Mother nature gave us everything that we need, right here... an amazing line, a cool series of holds, and gear placements, right where you need them.”

Fanatic Climbing reports that Anatole Bosio, who ten days ago did Aubade direct 9a+, has done Supercrackinette 9a+. He did it in two days after having projected it also last winter. (c) Jean-Eli Hugon

“I went for the send and I did it: 2 days for sending this King Line. It seemed crazy but I knew it was possible, one day for working the route, one day for sending it, but I had to give my best climb to do a perfect go! I was one fire during the beginning and I gave it all in the last move! When I took the hold of the final crux I understood that I did it! Back to reality!”

Drew Ruana has set a new world standard by doing three 8C+ and nine 8C's during the last year. As many top climbers, he always brings a fan and a hang board to the crag but how much and the way he uses them is unusual. We are talking a Milwaukee 18v for $250 lasting like ten hours in between charges and a hangboard by his feet. (c) Alton Richardsson

"I cool off holds and hands. Probably 2-3 minutes before every try cooling crux holds. It feels a few degrees colder than the outside air. Below 16 degrees it cools them off so they feel better, especially on slopers. Better on granite, not just slopers but crux holds. "

Interestingly, he says he thinks he had not sent a couple of the boulders if he had not used his fan. It should be mentioned that it was probably Martin Keller who brought in the fans to the climbing scene like five years ago. They have now spread so much so sometimes you will see five guys assisting hardcore boulders. We will get some follow up comments by Keller.

When it comes to warming up, Drew normally just sits down and pulls on his hang board adjusting and counter load with his feet. "I just pull on the hangboard until my fingers feel warm during 10 -15 minutes, whatever my project is."

Matteo Gambaro has done his fifth 9a, Narcissus in Albenga, which is a 40 meter long link-up. Based on 8a scorecard points, the 45-year-old is on pair with his best years ever. As a matter of a fact, he has scored higher every year after 40+ compared to when he was in his 30s. (c) Klaus Dell' Orto

"Narcissus is the end of a long process born 4 years ago when I had finished all routes in the Erboristeria sector." Then he bolted a new 25-meter line and connected it in a roof with some more bolts into another new exit.

How is it possible to keep progressing at age 45 and have you changed your training?
I don't know... I'm motivated as always to finish my project and I hope I can travel more and try new routes. Must believe everything could be possible and train, try and retry... and sometimes magic still happens. Covid changed our life and I climb more near home. I train for 3 or 4 half days a week.

Simon Carter reports on Facebook that there has been new bans in Arapiles, "And the situation is set to get far far worse." The new closed areas are; - All of Tiger Wall, and Plaque Rock!, - Castle Crag, - Chicken boulder, - Pharos boulders, - All of Lil Lil.

Alizee Dufraisse, who in September did three 8c+ variations in the Ali Baba cave in Rodellar, has added an 8A+ sit start to one of them repeating Dani Andrada's P con fin mas hulk extension 9a. (c) Josep Malo

How have you improved during the sessions and how much did you need to rest in between tries?
I made only one try a day in order to recover enough. I think I improved both in strength and endurance. Doing the boulder problem was kind of more “easy” even if it was always at my limit (super strength/resistant oriented, 22 moved on crimps, long moves). Thanks to the battle I put in on each try, I was still able to do a hard route after the boulder.

The French, who won the Arco Bouldering Rock Master in 2009 when she also got a podium in a Lead WC, has previously done two 9a's. Including also four 8B's, she must be considered one of the best ever female sport climbers. In 2008, she was the French Championship in Pole vault at 4.35!

Simon Lorenzi, who has done two 9a's, including Action Directe in 2017 at age 20, has done his fourth 8C, The Big Island in Fontainebleau. As it just took him two sessions he says it is maybe just 8B+. As a matter of a fact, all his previous 8C's he thought they were 8B+ as they also went down in just one or two sessions! The 168 cm tall says he thinks his progress mainly come from climbing more outdoors and working a lot on his flexibility and mobility.

Other reasons why we have not heard more about him is that he lives in Belgium and actually quite seldom climbs outdoors as he has focused on comps. In 2016, he won the Youth Worlds and the next year he was once #10 in the WC. Later he started to struggle. For 17 straight Boulder and Lead WCs, he was mainly #30 - 50, and it was not until the very last WC last year he was back on track as #14.

"Too much pressure but also not a really smart way of training because only focus on the physical aspect but it's something that we changed now. I try to climb more and more on real routes and boulders to work on the tactical and technical aspect." Next up is the European Championship in Moscow hoping to make it to Tokyo.

"I want to find a hard project to work on this year possibly the Sit of the Big Island. Next year I'd like to go one month to Margalef to work on First round first minute and one month in Switzerland to work on Off the wagon sit-start :)" (c) Oriane Tollebeek More pics and comments on his Insta.

Three weeks ago, Alex Megos posted on Insta that somebody had chopped the bolts of his recent FA, The Last Dance, which Julian Söhnlein had bolted. Megos said that, "The route was legally bolted and totally legitimate." and blamed the old generation for it.

Later it was found out that the chopping had been done by Michael Ordnung who had put up the neighbouring route Burn for you 8c in 1993, claiming that the new route was too close. Markus Bock, known for having said that if somebody puts up neighbouring routes to close he will act, was at the scene when the chopping occurred. Bock then made a comment on Instagram, "You will war!" Then it escalated so badly so you will have to find out in the below video.