Would it not be great if Ben Moon could make IFSC route setters use his Moon Board for one World Cup problem? Then everyone could actually try it out and check the standard of the best in the world.

Alexey Rubtsov, World Champion in 2009 and #3 in the World Cup this year, has done the first 8C in Russia, Whiplash in Lietlahti Park. (c) Nikita Tsarev "First time I tried it in 2015. Every year I made one or two trips trying it but most often it was impossible to work normally, due to very quick weather changes. This autumn I already did one trip, but boulder was wet and I did just one session. Returning home, I began to closely monitor the weather and waited for the window. When the forecast was positive, I got into the car, only 12 hours behind the wheel and I'm on the rocks. This time I climbed the project on the second day, I spent about seven total. Lietlahti is a new crag, but it is very close to the Triangular Lake, only 2-3 km. Together they are really great! You can find a lot of bouldering on granite. Now there are boulders of all categories, many hard. There is also a rope. Perfect place:) The potential still exists. Basically, we climb the nearest stones. In the forest we do not go far when I finish everything I will look for new routes." The Russian also explains that he has done some Speed climbing session doing the track in 8 - 9 seconds. The next year he will compete in all three disciplines in order to prepare for the Olympic qualifications.

Finally, after 13 years, the east face of Pedra Baiana was conquered by the five climbing friends, in an expedition which lasted 14 days and yielded 17 tough pitches up to 8b through the 800 vertical meters of one the most difficult routes in Brazil, named Sangue Latino.

Taylor McNeill has done his first 8C, The Big Island in Fontainebleau and it just took five sessions. In total, the 190 cm tall spent three weeks in Font but basically it was just the last two days there were prime conditions that made it happen. (c) Dawn Davis "Dream bloc off the lifetime list. No amount of words could describe my experience with this boulder. Literal last day effort, climbed the island, then added the two moves for the real start. I have no idea what 8C feels like...I have such a specific style that I’ve done 8Bs that felt harder. Perfect boulder. I am notoriously bad at crimps, but am really good at wide compression on big holds. I honestly don’t think I could find a rock climb more my style. I am pretty tall, yes. I’m about 6ft 3in (~190cm) and have a span of about 6ft 6in (~198)"

"At FIXE, we have detected a tendency towards oxidation in marine environments that is very high and unusual in some shipments of FIXE-1 PLX hangers. The detected products have a batch number between 0116 and 2216. The first two figures are between 01 and 22 and the last two are always 16." More info.

Jose Agustí, who started climbing in 1991, has done his three year project El ordre dels factors + El super mon 9a in La Baume. The combo starting with an 8B boulder traverse and continuing with an 8c+ roof was put up in 2012 by Diego Marsella and has been repeated by Ramonet and Andrada. How can you explain reaching your peak at 40? I can explain it because of my experience. 25 years of climbing and trying to base my climbing on a pyramidal system that allows me to progress step by step without a lot of health problems and doing lots of routed in the 8th range. I am so close to the 1.000 routes between 8a and 8c+, and due to all this work, all this background I think that I get there. Just going to the route and trying to do each day the trav and the route once or twice each day. Till I found myself enough prepared to connect them. I only climb. If I have to count the whole process, when I started to work on parts of the route, more than 100 tries.

"After my ascent of „Hades, 9a“ in Nassereith/Imst I aimed to work on a harder project. I didn’t really focus on a route in the 9b range. However, the occasion came spontaneously. In October 2015 I first tried and completed the first pitch of „Planta de Shiva, 8c“. On the top I realised the multiple crimps of the second pitch. My husband Bernie encouraged me to check it out. Actually, I only tried it twice back then, but I understood immediately that I was passionated by the beauty and difficulty if this line and that the route suits perfect to my style. I managed to check out all the moves, but on some parts I wasn’t able to link more than two or three moves. In January 2016 Jakob Schubert did the second ascent and said that sending the route had been the fight of his life. These words really intimidated me and I started to question whether I’d chosen the right route. So I decided to focus on climbing the second part only, because the extension is hard enough. I don’t know what grade it would get, but it’s certainly a lot harder than anything I’ve ever climbed before. During the whole two years I returned seven times in total, neither for a week or when I managed to get away from work for longer then I went there for two weeks. The rest I trained at home in the similar intensity of the route. Joy and disappointment came along with me, as the whole process was plagued with frustration on some parts. Especially, when two holds broke off or when I got an inflammation on my pulley or ripped my hamstring. This October I climbed the second section and finally wanted to know what happens when I also add the first powerful pitch. Two days later I dared to give it a try and started from the bottom, but failed two times on the snap at the seventh quickdraw. On the same day, the 22 October, I did another attempt reached the anchor totally exhausted. I am sure the support of my husband Bernie and my father were one key to the success! I appreciate to have them." Red Bull Contentpool / Luka Fonda

Christof Rauch, #2 in the boulder ranking game who has done 100+ 8A's and harder the last year, put on the harness doing The never ending story 8B+ in Magic Wood. Once reaching the finishing hold he was given a rope and continued three bolts up repeating Unendliche Geschichte 1+2+3 9a which was put up by Peter Würth in 2009. "Amazing finish to such an awesome boulder! Perfect combination of bouldering and route climbing. The exit is harder than expected. Thanks to Tom for belay!" (c) Matthias Woidneck