"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.

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

"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

Here is a quick draft. Maximum one ascent per climber and traverses are excluded. Please make comments. 1. Burden of Dreams 9A Nalle Hukkataival 2016 2. Monkey Wedding 8C Fred Nicole 2002 3. Horizon 8C Ashima Shiraishi (14) 2016 4. Solaris 8A+ Josune Bereziartu 2003 5.Trice 8A+ Jim Holloway 1975 6. Gioia 8C (+) Christian Core 8C+ 2008 7. Catharsis 8B+ Tomoa Ogawa 2012 8. The Wheel of Life 8B+ (C) Dai Koyamada 2004 9. FA ? 7C John Gill 1959 0. Flash Entlinge 8B (+) Daniel Woods 2011, Flash Jade 8B+ Adam Ondra 2015, The Story of Two World's 8C Dave Graham 2005

2017 has been the greatest year in the history of climbing both measured in breaking new barriers but also on the general level of the best climbers. The record year started with Margo Hayes (19) doing the first female 9a+ by La Rambla in February. In September Adam Ondra did the FA of Silence 9c and now Angy Eiter has done the first female 9b. Until five years ago, there were only some ten guys each year doing a 9a+ and a handful female were doing 8c+ (using modern grading). In 2017, we will possibly see three times as many male 9a+' and female 8c+'. In regards bouldering, it is the same trend showing a record for male 8C+' as well as female 8A+'. Including Ashima Shiraishi's 8C boulder in 2016 when she was 14 years old and a 9a route when she was 13, we can see that the female is catching up. In regards competitions, rumor says that Janja Garnbret tried the male final route in Wujiang and climbing equally high as #3 male.

Angela Eiter, the very best female lead competition climber in the history having won three World Cups overall and four World Championships, has become the first woman to climb 9b. Today, Angy sent La Planta de Shiva 9b in Villanueva del Rosario, Spain. (c) Red Bull Contenpool/E. Holzknecht The route was FA'd by Adam Ondra and Jakob Schubert did the second ascent. It should be noted that in regards the grade, it was Ondra's fifth 9b and he commented on his scorecard, "one of my hardest so far, pure endurance climbing with few rests, continuously hard with minimum of rests". Schubert said it was his hardest route so far when he did last year. She has worked it during several trips the last two years and she has also trained specifically at home in order to do it. The 154 cm tall has previously done four 9a's. Angy's husband, photographer Bernie Ruech, says that they plan to take pictures tomorrow and their plan was to keep silent until then. "It seems someone was faster :) Angy tried the route two years ago. She did the first pitch (8c) on her fourth try. She knew that the second pitch (mainly crimps) which is a pure power endurance route could suite her well. That’s why she tried the moves and after she told me she really loves that style and if there’s a 9b she wanted to try then, this is exactly what she’s looking for." More info to come...

Lukasz Dudek has done his 16th 9a by repeating Adam Ondras's Climb For Life in San Vito lo Capo. Adam named it in order to support Climb For Life - Give Bone Marrow - campaign where Ondra signed up as a potential bone marrow donor.