Eva Hammelmüller, #2 in the Austria Series last week, has done her fifth 8c during the last six weeks, Passport to Honesty in Ötztal. (c) Tobias Lanzanasto

"When I first tried this route, I thought it would take me quite a long time to send it, as the jump felt hard, and climbing in the jumping position felt even harder, not to mention the boulder problem at the top. In my second session, however, I stuck the dyno, and in the third session, I did the whole route! What’s funny is that I never really intended to try this route, but as everything else was wet, I didn’t have much choice - and it turned out to be a pretty good decision!

Yet although rock climbing is very important to me, I kind of missed the excitement of competitions. I didn’t lay my focus on the bouldering competition of the Austrian Summer Series, but the problems suited me well, and I am really happy with my climbing and the result. Most importantly, I enjoyed competing and had so much fun trying hard on cool blocs. Seems like rock climbing is pretty good preparation for comps! ;-)"

It should be mentioned that Eva did beat several high profile boulderer like Petra Klinger in the Austria series and as a matter of a fact, she won both the qually and the semi.

Jan Hojer,who did his first 9a ten years ago (Action Directe), has done House of Shock in Frankenjura. "I checked it out at the end of a session a couple of weeks ago. It felt alright but I thought it might take me a little while. Today (two sessions later) I found myself clipping the chains."

How much comp training have you done lately and what about summer plans and comps?
The last two months I spent 80% of my sessions on rock. When I’m indoors I focus on hard board climbing. I might go to Céüse like everyone else. Other thann that I just see where the weather is good. Maybe I will compete in Briancon or not at all this year.

Stefano Carnati, who last week did a 9a+ in Céüse, has done a three bolt extension to Geremia 8c+, creating the FA of MegaGeremia 9a in Valbrona.

"50 moves, with no real cruxes but really intense and continuous without any rests. The first time I tried I underestimated this new upper part, but then I started to fall again and again. After passing the first anchor over 12 times, eventually, I was able to make the FA. Definitely good training!

I’ve always said home crags are where I’ve climbed less, but this season it’s been all the other way round! And I’m thankful to the people who have invested their time in developing these playgrounds!

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Davide Picco has done hos first 9a+, Pure Dreaming Plus in Arco. It is a link-up starting by doing the hardest part of Underground and then continuing with Pure Dreaming. (c) Luca Rigo

”started trying the line on the first weekend after the opening of the region. The lockdown period in Italy was tough and long and my only training chance was on the Beastmaker 2000 😅. The first tries were a real surprise because I was able to reach the last meters of the route. Given my presumably poor endurance, I wouldn't have expected that at all. From then on it was a fight against the arrival of high temperatures and summer. Luckily this past week there was a slight breeze from north (25 degrees still) and I could happily clip the chain.”

Stefano Ghisolfi has done the FA of The Bow 9a+ in Arco. In total, the Italian, who has also been one of the best Lead competition climbers in the world, has now done 18 routes 9a+ to 9b+. (c) Sara Grippo Video starting 1.40 showing the amazing crux. Uncut video from below.

"I started trying the route after the lockdown and then it came warmer and warmer weather, so I was thinking about stop trying this summer and try again next fall, but I kept going and finally did it yesterday. The bow move is kind of crazy, when I was trying at the beginning it felt weird and quite impossible, but probably it is the easiest and only way to do it."

Molly Thompson-Smith, who was #7 in the World Cup in 2017 at age 19, has done three 8c's in Frankenjura the last six weeks.

"With no competitions up until now, and the GB Climbing Team not sending anyone to the upcoming World Cup events, as no climbing walls are open in the UK, I could focus on rock for more than short December trips to Spain for the first time ever! I’ve been with Jan (Hojer) in Germany since the U.K. lockdown began in March, and have been making the most of the lighter restrictions over here climbing on rock in the Frankenjura.

After the surgery I had on my finger in 2018, I didn’t think I’d ever climb in the FJ because of its intense and fingery style. So before our first trip I was a little nervous, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I really liked the short and powerful style. I’ve just been picking routes I’m psyched for and trying to do them quickly (mostly within a session or two) rather than choosing any long term projects. I’ve not really done that much on rock so I wanted to get more comfortable with the process of climbing something- it’s pretty different to comps!

It was cool to be able to do some 8c’s and 8b+‘s fairly quickly and this has given me a confidence boost in my current shape as well as motivation for more. I'd like to try some 8c+‘s or 9a’s this summer just to see what they feel like! We’re back to the Frankenjura again next week and then maybe on to Céüse. I’ve never been there before and I’m sure I’ve been missing out on some great climbing! "

Niki Rusev has done his first 9a, Napred I Nagore in Karlukovo. It starts with a 30 m 8c he did last month and then adds a ten-meter 8c+ roof followed by a five-meter 7B+ boulder. Ivailo Fazata put it up in 2015 as the first 9a in Bulgaria. "He taught me how to love climbing, taught me how to be disciplined and believe in myself." (c) Ivan Totev

"The hardest move on the 8c (Napred) is the last big jump for a hole. Then you must go to a very big crack. Then you slowly move your knees along the slit, as they are clamped, because there are no holds. Then the ceiling is turned. It gets even bigger. To send the 9a you have to go out through one of the eyes of the cave, and right in the end, there is a difficult boulder." More info on his Insta.

If you do some route reading before you go for an onsight, your chances for success will improve. Start by looking for places where you can rest. Then try to identify the cruxes. Often they begin like 50 cm above a clip. Look for different solutions that could be used. It is valuable if you can do the route reading together with a friend, just like in the world cup, although your friend will not try to onsight it. Explain and share your thinking and solutions.

When it comes to safety, it is quite normal to have the first or even second quickdraw pre-clipped. Possibly a friend could help you out with this. Alternatively, you could use a clip stick or just grab the first quickdraw to reach the second bolt. Once you start climbing, most top climbers think it is ok to down climb once if you mess up. When it comes to belaying a friend a route you also would like to try to onsight, it is in the grey zone, as also safety is jeopardized. Any belayer that learns from belaying, even if always looking down and never looking at the climber, could later not claim to onsight it. It should be mentioned that onsight ethics were much stricter in the early days of sport climbing as you were supposed to place all quickdraws on lead. Anybody using the ethics of today, as above, would be laughed at.

Fabrizio Peri, who did his first 9a at age 42, has done his third, The Bomb in Collelpardo. "Before the lockdown I managed to send a project that I had been trying for two years. It is a connection of about 90 movements which starts with the most of the 8b+ Callagan and then continues with a 10 meters traverse into the second half of Sitting bull of 8c+/9a."

So how is it possible to be in peak performance almost 50-years-old?
It's possible if you have a great passion and if you like to always train to the maximum ... and you must be lucky to not get injured. I am a lover of training and I like to study and always try new methodologies. I am a military teacher of physical education and climbing and I can train two times a day for an hour and a half per session.