David Bermudez Carbonell, who previously has done 18 routes 8c to 9a, has completed Victimas Perez (9a) in Margalef.

Can you tell us more about your latest 9a?
It has been a very special ascent for me because it was a route that I always wanted to do and before traveling to Margalef I had Víctimas Pérez on my mind.

The climb consists of over 60 moves on an overhanging wall with a final slab, and it is mainly an endurance route with a crux in the end of the route.

I sent it after 4 days of work, although the first 2 days I was sick and I was not in my best shape. The next days I fell on the final crux 3 times because my fingers did not lock well on a pocket. Finally on the last day of the trip I could send it.

Mackenzie Martin has flashed Víctimas del presente (8b+) and redpointed The journey (9a+) in Margalef. (c) Mateusz Haladaj

”Did it with one hang on my first session, then fell off the last few moves from session 2 onwards. Got sore fingers and left it for the year. Had forgotten about it after a hold broke but luckily it’s still possible, again hurt my finger (seems to injure more than those who climb it) rehabbed with water bottles and got it done with perfect connies (conditions). I was convinced it was benchmark 9a+ especially after the hold broke and the time it took but in the end I’m not sure.”

Jun Shibanuma is the second Japanese climber, after Yuta Imaizumi, that we've recently reported on who has done five 8C's, including Hydrangea (8C) in Shiobara and Byakudo (8C) in Horai.

What is your climbing background?
I got to know about free climbing when I was a high school student. I was very interested in climbing but I could not start until I entered Kyoto-university and their climbing club. I trained and climbed outdoors for 6 years and also got my Masters. I prefer to climb outside than the competition.

I work in a company which has nothing to do with Climbing. I’m just an office worker but I work remotely so I could go to Squamish and Brazil last year. I enjoyed climbing while I was working during the daytime. I train on weekdays and go outdoors during the weekends. Sometimes I tried my project in the morning before work.

What does a normal climbing week look like for you?
I usually train on Tuesday and Wednesday and take 2 days' rest for Saturday’s best try. Then I enjoy casual climbing on Sunday. But it depends on the weather. If I have a project, sometimes I try it on Wednesday morning before work.

What is your next plan?
I plan to go to Squamish and Brazil again to revenge Dreamcatcher 9a and Origens 8C/C+ this summer. In Japan, I’m interested in exploring a new climbing area in Hiei. There are numerous untouched projects around the mountain. I’m also interested in challenging [myself to] V16 [8C+]. Nayuta and Floatin are on my list.

Kai Lightner reports on Instagram that over the last week in Santa Linya he has done Open Your Mind Direct (9a), Ciudad de dios (9a) and Direct into your Fabelita (9a). Just two months ago, he made the FA of a 9a+. (c) Iandzilenski.com

Can you tell us more about these sends in Santa Linya?
Initially when I came to Santa Linya, I had my eyes set on another route. However, it has been raining a lot in the cave, leaving limited options for routes that are consistently dry. One of those routes happened to be Ciudad de Dios, a route I always wanted to try but was nervous to commit to because of how opposite it was from my usual style. The first 7 clips is an extremely bouldery, short, and powerful section that requires a lot of tension and power endurance. Once you make it from there, you have three options: the farthest left line goes as Ciudad de Dios (9a/+), which adds on a bouldery 8c+ called Fabela. The second line is a route called Direct into Your Fabelita (9a), which connects into an 8c called Fabelita. The third option is going straight up into another bouldery 8c+ called Open Your Mind, which when connected into the direct start is Open Your Mind Direct (9a/+).

The bottom boulder problem challenged me the most; once I got it dialed, I was able to shift my focus to learning and pushing through the top sections of each route.

What is your next plan?
I only have a few days left in my trip, which is not a lot of time to pick new projects. So my goal is to sample some new routes that will hopefully be future projects when I return.

Doug McConnell, who did his first 8c+ at age 40, has set a new personal best by doing Fabela pa la enmienda (9a) in Santa Linya. (c) Iandzilenski.com

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind it?
I tried this route a bit last year but on realising it was too hard for the time I had available, I stepped left and did Rollito Sharma extension extension (8c+) which has the same (8b ish) ending. It was a stepping stone. This year I went all in on Fabela pa la Enmienda. I committed March to just trying this route. No training, no other projects. Having previously climbed Fabelita, there wasn’t much new climbing to put together and progress was surprisingly good except that the weather wasn’t playing ball. It was unseasonably warm and rain was looming. Finally, a single cool day was forecast before a week of heavy rain and the pressure was on.

Everyone at the crag was buzzing - knowing they could send their projects, but that it might be the last chance for weeks. I got through Fabela (8c+) on my second try of the day and then spent 15 minutes resting on knees and jugs by the anchor of the first pitch, before committing to the upper part. I was really nervous and pretty tired but felt better than expected leaving each rest in the upper part. It’s really stressful to climb this “pa la enmienda” part because there are really good rests separated by sections that you really need to commit to and are totally fall-off-able. These big routes don’t happen without a fight, and my battle lasted over 45mins. I woke from a dream at the chain - relieved and surprised and very satisfied. One of the reasons I love the Santa Linya cave is that it always feels like a family - everyone supporting each other, and I really felt that lift me on the day. The next morning I woke up to rain - likely to make it unclimbable for a month!😅

It’s been a clear goal since 2017 to climb a 9a route. And that was part of my motivation for trying this. I used a new sequence in the crux found by the genius Jonathan Flor. Time will tell whether this method is considered easier than the others…I mean it involves a kneebar so perhaps it's 8b now?! This is certainly my hardest to date and seems like a step up. I like what the skaters say - “two to make it true”!

Rachal Goldman, who previously has completed a dozen 8A to 8A+ graded boulder problems, has done The Thrilla in Manila (8B) in Hueco Tanks (TX), after trying it a handfull sessions. (c) Joe Kinder

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Very excited about that one, my first 😃 I first tried it with Maya Ene and her family, which was so fun. We both knew very quickly we could do it - in fact Maya did it the same day (her last!) and that was really inspiring. For me it was perfect test of training. But I had to come back a few more times, cut my toe really badly and had some trouble pressing on the foot for a while, then some dry fires, and so on - started to get worried, season in Hueco was ending and it was getting warm.

The climb is a thuggy roof to a decent rest and then a hard crimpy traverse, big foot cut & a little hero jump at the end. It all came down to getting really stretched out on a heel toe cam that wants to pop and keeping tight enough to be ready for the enormous swing!

Day of the send my partner Blake carried ALL the pads out for me which was very nice. For the send go I finally put on a new shoe (comp solution) for the silly slippy heel toe - and it worked. Love this rock climb!

Advertorial: In 2002, Markus Haid, a previously lesser-known climber from Ötztal, managed to climb one of the most difficult lines in Tyrol. The very athletic line, which perfectly matches the aesthetic nature of the mystical Niederthai forest and crag, was Markus' first self-bolted route and first ascent. Mordor (8c+) and was also the initial spark for Markus' passion for bolting. Markus has now opened up over 300 routes, the majority of which are 8a and upwards in difficulty, and is still constantly on the lookout for the next great line. Happiness is the climber's latest achievement, a route that comes very close to his vision of a perfect line!

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In a somewhat surprising move, the Olympic Committee has announced a further path to Olympic qualification. In an effort to acknowledge climbing’s rich outdoor heritage, a further combined spot will be awarded to the highest ranked male and female climber in Vertical-Life’s Global Ranking Game between January 1st and June 1st of this year. As it stands these are the top-three male and female front runners below. Further news to come as this story develops.

1. Adam Ondra - Martina Demmel
2. Jorge Diaz-Rullo -Ainhize Belar Barrutia
3. Jonathan Siegrist - Jessica Pilz
APRIL FOOLS

William Bosi did the second ascent of Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) in February. This was the third 9A for the former competitive climber who has already completed Burden of Dreams (9A) and Alphane (9A). The 25-year-old stopped competing in 2021 after having had his best year in 2019, twice placing fourth in the World Cup.

Marco Müller has repeated L'isola che non c'è (9a) in Amden. (c) Moritz Waldleben

”The route "L'isola che non c'è" is a hybrid boulder/sport climb first climbed by Fred Nicole 15 years ago. It is located in a cave near Amden, Switzerland, and it sit-starts at the lowest point following a logical and natural line about 15 meters long to the exit of the cave. It can be divided into three parts. The first part being a crimpy roof boulder [Ragtime (8B+)]. Then there's an easier middle part which goes straight into the last boulder, which is quite powerful. After that, there's an easier climb to exit the cave.”