Luca Bacer, with two 9a’s under his belt, has completed Halupca 1979 (9a) in Osp/Misja Pec. Uncut video on Youtube.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I was feeling in good shape, so a few weeks ago I decided to give this route a more serious go after some sporadic attempts over the past years. Good conditions allowed me to put in some solid tries and send it before summer. It felt easier than the other 9a’s I’ve climbed, but still harder than the 8c+ routes I’ve tried.

You can now explore Vertical-Life Premium gyms directly in your browser, check out routes and boulders and log your indoor ascents in just a few clicks. All your indoor ticks are added to your logbook, so your climbing history stays complete in one place.

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If your local gym is not available yet and you would like to see it on Vertical-Life, feel free to let them know or send us a message. You can explore gyms directly via the map, or take a look at one of the more active gyms on the platform, Kletterzentrum Gaswerk Wädenswil, to get a sense of how routes, topos, and activity are displayed.

Navigation Updates
Alongside this, we’ve made a few adjustments to the navigation to keep things more organized:
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Jana Svecova has sent Drift (8C) in Moravský kras, which is a variation of Tokyo Drift (8C) she made the FA of last month. (c) Lukáš Černý


Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
So basically, Drift is a boulder established by Adam Ondra in 2017. At the beginning, I thought this boulder wasn’t for me because I couldn’t reach the footholds that everybody uses. Also, there was the project Tokyo Drift that I was really psyched about, so I went straight for that.

Once I finished Tokyo Drift, I wanted to hop on Terranova and slowly get back into projecting it, and that’s exactly what I did. But after that first session on Terranova, when I felt too tired to continue doing some links, I tried the original line, Drift, just out of curiosity. I started to figure out a beta that might work for me, since I couldn’t reach the big foothold that everybody uses, and I found a solution.

At first, it felt very hard, but suddenly it became possible. It was just a matter of getting it into my muscle memory. Once I passed the first crux, I got into a position I knew from Tokyo, and the rest of the boulder was the same.

So it took me a couple more sessions to finish it. ��This one is special for me because it’s an already established boulder, and the grade is approved by other climbers like Will bosi or Jakub Konečný, who is a local climber and did quite a few other 8C’s there.

What is next?
Well ... once I return from Melloblocco, I will get back on Terranova until the conditions are good - see what needs to be improved and once the conditions are too hot I will train for a fall season and hopefully get some good highpoints or send? 👀

Oriane Bertone, the superior World Cup winner last year, has published a video of her sending Gecko (assis) (8B+), with amazing hip flexibility, and Kheops (8B) in Fontainebleau.

”What an incredible morning !! I managed to climb Gecko assis (V14/8B+) on my first attempt of the morning and Khéops right after... just enough time to move to Cuvier Rempart. Two of Font's best lines in one morning. I never would have thought it possible, even though I'd already made good progress on those two boulders.”

Can you tell us more behind the process doing Gecko assis?
The stand already felt incredibly hard when I tried it a few years ago, and I honestly think I wasn’t physically strong enough at the time to really make the movements click.

A few weeks ago, I randomly gave it a try when I came to spot a friend on Les Beaux Quartiers (8A) on the same boulder, and ended up sending the stand in just a few attempts, which was a pretty big surprise. After that, I thought the sit would be a good training goal as well, since it’s quite long, demanding, and physically taxing.

I put two more sessions on it, and sent it yesterday morning on the very first try of the session :))

Lilian Moretti and Mathis Chappe have completed The Big Island (8C) in Fontainebleau.

Moretti: I tried The Big Island for the first time in December 2024 (for 2 hours), and I haven’t been back since. On this trip, it took me three sessions to complete it.

Chappe (pictured): So my first session was in December 2024 but it was short because it was at the end of trip. Then I went back with my dad in February 2025 but the friction were really bad for sending. So we went back with Lilian last week to send the Boulder. It took me 7 sessions for the send.

What is your climbing background?
Moretti: My parents have never climbed in their lives. I started climbing when I was 8 years old at a local club. Until I was 16, I almost exclusively did lead climbing. In December 2024, I went to Ticino for the first time, and since then I’ve fallen in love with outdoor bouldering.

Last summer I had loads of projects in mind, but I was injured for six months, so climbing was impossible. I did a lot of hangboard training and weightlifting. It was really tough mentally, but I’m happy to see that it’s all behind me now and that I’ve never been stronger.

Chappe: I am from Marseille, I started climbing at 11yo and i started doing comp 3 years later. In highschool i went in Briançon because there was a student-athlete class and this is here that i discovered my passion for outdoor climbing. I won multiple French cup and this season i am selected on the U21 French team. Now i am living in Grenoble because it’s one of the best cities in France for climbing and training.

Ai Mori from Japan, the 2023 Lead World Champion, topped all four routes in Lead at the Asia Championship, and in Boulder she flashed all four problems in the final.

Among the men, Suzuki Neo, a World Cup winner in Innsbruck last year, won all three rounds in Lead, and Japan took all three medals. In Boulder, Dohyun Lee from Korea won ahead of Tomoa Narasaki. Complete Results

In the first European Youth Boulder Series in Soure, Portugal, Italy won two golds and one silver. Giovanni Bagnoli won both the qualification and the final, as did Amélie Kägi. A total of 233 teenagers competed. The next European Youth Boulder Series starts on 9/5 in Graz, Austria.

U17: Amelie Kägi SUI - Pietro Franzoni ITA
U19: Jakoba Rauter AUT - Giovanni Bagnoli ITA Complete Results

Sera Gearhart has repeated Chris Sharma’s Spinal Twist (8B) in Little Cottonwood and sent Spirit Walker (8B) in Ogden.

Can you tell us more about the process behind the two ascents?
The boulder [Spinal Twist] itself is really sick and revolves around some tricky technical sequences. I tried this boulder maybe three days in the fall before falling on the easy outro from the bottom, kind of a punt. I wasn’t prepared to get there at all since it was at night and I didn’t have a headlamp on. Lesson learned! I went back another day in the winter and the conditions were horrible so I wrote it off for a few months. I was sick and traveling for awhile so I didn’t go back until it was a bit too warm this year. This spring I went back another 2 or 3 days but was pretty discouraged since it sits in the sun in the afternoon this time of year and it’s hard for me to go in the morning. I wrote it off again for the season. We got a lucky cold day this week and a few friends and I went to go try. When we got there, I was pretty sure it was going to still feel too warm (again in the sun) but my friend Matt convinced me it would be worthwhile (thanks Matt!)

[Spirit Walker] This was a very similar process! I fell at the end in December and thought I was close, then from a variety of reasons I didn’t get to go siege again until March (sickness, travel, injury). When I went back I realized I could do a more standard beta which gave me a minor existential crisis. Luckily Matt Fultz advised me to keep trying my old beta and it worked. Down to the wire since it got super hot there as well.

How does a normal week look like for you?
A normal week for me isn’t too bad! I’m definitely busy but I prioritize climbing over school. I work standard hours Monday through Friday and go to class, and I usually do all my homework and exams for the week one day on the weekend! I’m excited for summer since I won’t have school.

What is your job and what do you study?
Both my work and school are in biomedical informatics, I work for the American heart association where I do work on quality improvement. I just started last fall for the masters degree, I have another year and a half until I graduate.

How much do you climb in a week?
I am able to climb outdoors most evenings if I stay local, I just put off doing my school work until the weekend haha it’s a lot.

Eva Hammelmüller, with five 9a’s since last year under her harness, has repeated Adam Ondra’s Bombardino (9a+) in Arco. The 23-year-old, who is runner-up, in the female ranking sent it last weekend after a total of just four sessions. (c) Felix Mast

”Speechless. Never have I ever thought in my wildest dreams that I could do this route that quickly. It already felt amazing when I tried it last week on my third day of climbing. This weekend, I returned with good skin, refined my beta yesterday, and sent it today. I still simply can't believe it. I think the crux is 100% my style, and the route is for sure a very very soft one for the grade. Nonetheless, I am just super super proud!!”

Hannes Puman, who did a big wall FA in Yosemite in 2024, has done the first ascent of Trainspotting Direct (8C) in Lexby. The name comes from it being located in a small grove only 200 meters from a train station, nine minutes from Göteborg Central Station. Henrik Sennelöv started projecting it 35 years ago, and in 2016 Alex Megos made the first ascent of the left hard 8B version.

Hannes, who just visited Fontainebleau, doing multiple 8A+ to 8B+ quickly, repeated the original Megos 8B line some years ago.

“I think I finished the straight-up line after some five sessions this winter. It does not look hard with the big rounded feature at the top, but it sure is. This winter I have climbed more outdoors, and this seems to have helped a lot.

What is next, and what about your Olympic quest?
I have a couple more projects, but I guess they will have to wait for the winter. Regarding comps, I have been bothered by a thumb injury that makes it hard to pinch, so I think I will have to skip the first comps.

The Olympics is still a dream but at the moment the main priority is getting injury free. Meanwhile I’m enjoying climbing outdoors. The bouldering season has been great but I’m very excited for trad and sport season!”

The 28-year-old was Youth World Champion in 2014, and his best senior result is eight in the World Championship and fourth in the Euros.