Laura Rogora has during a one week trip to Mišja Peč, without any restday, sent Strelovod (8c), Sanjski par extension (9a), Histerija (8c+), Martin Krpan (9a), Xaxid hostel (9a), Človek ne jezi se L2 (8c+) and Talk is cheap! (8c). Previously during the last four months, after winning two golds in the European Championship in September, she has sent five 9a’s and Trofeo dell'Adriatico (9a+). (c) Giulio Diener

Which routes did you like the most?
I like them all but probably Histeria was one of the best line and Sanjski par has super nice moves.

How come you think the last three months have been your best outdoors ever?
I think it depends by the time I dedicate to the rock. In the past 3 years I have never spent so much time outdoors.

Did you send any routes on the seventh day in a row and how tired were you?
Clovek ne jezi se [2nd go] and Talk is cheap. Quite tired🙈 the send try on Talk is cheap was quite desperate.

What are your plans for 2025?
I will compete in the lead world cup. Maybe something in Boulder also but I am not sure yet.

Ben Hanna, who just got back from a trip to Spain where he did three 8c+’, and Bayes Wilder, 13, have done Life of Villains (9a) in Hurricave. ”Gawd damn! It feels good to close this one out today! After 30 some days, finally did the thing, and with a double send with Bayes! First time I have ever cried after a climb.” More info to come.

Georg Parma has completed Forgotten Gem (8C) in Chironico. The 27-year-old first time made the VL/8a headlines in 2012 when he won the European Championship in Lead and flashed an 8a+ at age 14.

”So happy about this ascent. It has been the third season on it and I knew I had it in me to send this time. Still the line between failure and success is extremely thin, which makes me proud to have climbed this one. Frist of this grade for me. Thx to all the people that joined me on this line... Jonas, Maxi, Clem, Thomas... and Tina for capturing it and believing in me!”

Sungsu Lee, who two weeks ago did his seventh 8C in 2024, has repeated Daniel Woods’ The Process (8C+) in Buttermilks. ”It was an incredible experience. I spent five sessions sending this problem. It was my first 16, and I want to thank everyone who helped me.”

Moritz Welt and Nicolai Užnik have done From Dirt Grows The Flowers (8C) in Chironico. It was established by Dave Graham in 2005, and all 18 people who have rated it have given it 5 stars.

Can you tell us more about the trip and the ascent?
Welt pictures: We are in Ticino for 10 days and I had 'from dirt..' as my main project in mind. I tried it twice quickly before and knew it would suit me. Had one session working the moves on the 27th and some sending tries on 31st :) Half of our trip is over and weather is still great so I am really syked to try something else now!

Užnik: I checked it out cause I got a split on my finger trying Alphane and I thought this one could be better to try with tape on. I checked out the moves and the tricky mantle quite fast and came back the next day to finish it off. It’s a cool line, but I didn‘t enjoy it as much since the first few holds were kinda painful on the skin… 😅

Noah Wheeler started 2025 by sending Return of the Sleepwalker (9A). During the last six months, he had previously sent eight boulders 8B+ to 8C+.

Can you give us the full 9A story including the number of sessions needed?
I first tried Sleepwalker stand 2 years ago, but barely had any time on it because of weather. I had 4 goes last year for stand, 14 on the sit last year, and 2 this year. So about 20 sessions for the full thing. I was getting to the last hold in around 8 of these sessions.

After sending Sleepwalker last December, I had about 4 sessions on the sit before heading back for school. In that time, I made far better progress than I expected, sticking the sloper on my last session. A month later, I decided to take a few weeks off of school and travel back to Red Rocks to finish the process. I made quick progress in my first 4 or 5 sessions, eventually progressing such that I stuck the sloper consistently from the bottom, falling on the last left hand throw to a shallow pinch almost every time. For the next 6 sessions left in the trip, I would get to this spot multiple times a day, falling at the throw every time. There was one day where I got to the last move 6 separate times - effectively having climbed a v16 6 times with nothing to show for it. This process was extremely difficult mentally because I had figured the climb would go soon after I began sticking the sloper consistently. It took a while to admit to myself that the last move was the crux.

Therefore I left empty handed, mentally defeated, but very close as the same time. My time away from the boulder was great for my mental, wherein I ignored videos or discussions of the boulder until I began training for it specifically.

In the spring, I specifically trained underclings with weightlifting. In the fall, I set long, undercling-oriented climbs on the Tensionboard with left-hand finishes. Coming back this year, I was far more confident in my ability to send, as I felt far stronger, especially in the fingers and with concern to tactics and flow. In my first session, I fell on the throw move from the start, glimpsing at the mental defeat of the year prior. In the second session, asserted in my ability to send but possessing a tactically empty disposition towards actually sending, I took the climb to the top. ROTSW has undoubtedly felt like my hardest process yet, mentally and physically. But coming back this year, I felt surprisingly strong in both respects relative to the climb.

Tereza Širůčková, who was #14 in the Euro Boulder & Lead Championship last year, has completed La Rubia (8c+) in Villanueva del Rosario.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
La Rubia is a 50-meter route with 145 moves, located in the Chillam Balam sector, which I visited for the first time. Initially, I had my eyes set on a different route, but La Rubia was the first line that caught my eyes on our first day there, so I decided to give it a try.

It was the first route I attempted that was harder than 8b+. After working out the moves, I felt like I’d never be able to climb it. The route is full of pinches, and there were maybe three holds that were really my type. I was ready to give up, because it seemed pointless to keep struggling on the lower boulder section (around move 60). Instead, I wanted to climb easier routes to explore the area as much as possible and enjoy the process of discovering new rock and moves, which I love.

But my coach (Petr Klofáč) laughed at me, saying I just didn’t know how to project properly. That motivate me to keep trying and I gave it a chance. The first time I climbed through the lower boulder, I thought I could fall on any of the following moves. I fell “just” four moves from the top, which was so frustrating, but also gave me hope that it was possible. In the end, I sent the route on the 8th climbing day and my 16th attempt. I still can’t quite believe it!

What is your climbing background?
I’m a member of the Czech national climbing team and a university student. Right now, I’m mainly focused on competition climbing, but I absolutely love climbing on rock. Whenever training and time allow, I try to get outdoors as much as possible. I usually manage to find time for a bigger climbing trip (a week or two) about twice a year. Then I’m happy if I am possible to visit my homecrag, which is the Moravian Karst, or go for weekend trips a little farther away.

Nathaniel Coleman, who got the silver in the Tokyo Olympics, repeated Daniel Woods’ Defying Gravity (8C) 14 months ago. The Ben Nielsen excellent mini-doc captures Coleman’s process adding a 8B sit start and making the FA of No One Mourns the Wicked (9A).

Noah Wheeler has repeated Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) in Black Velvet Canyon and the 22-year-old moves to #3 in the ranking game. ”An athletic coming-of-age. Pulled on the last move of SW [Sleepwalker] freshman year as a ridiculous “what if?!” Sent the sit senior year.”

Jimmy Webb made the FA of Sleepwalker (8C+) in 2019 and then two years later Woods added a six moves 8B sit start establishing the second 9A in the world. Last year, Will Bosi made the first repeat. Comments from Noah to come.

Jan Štipek, who in 2024 won a Euro Youth Cup in both Lead and Boulder, has done Mr. Big (9a) in Margalef. The 16-year-old first made an onsight attempt, then fell on his second go before clipping the chain on his 3rd try.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Climbing Mr Big was actually a spontaneous decision. My original plan for this trip was to focus on Wild West (9a), but when I tried Mr. Big, I instantly fell in love with the route. It has powerful and dynamic moves, which are exactly my style, so I decided to give it my all.

How come you did not send any hard routes in 2024?
As for 2024, I had a very long competition season, which didn’t leave much time for outdoor projects. However, even during that time, I managed to climb a few 8c routes here in Margalef, which kept me motivated for this trip. I will log them now.

What are your plans and ambitions for 2025?
My plans are both on the rocks and in competitions. I’ll be competing in the World Cup, but I’ll keep my goals there to myself for now. On the rocks, I definitely want to climb more 9a routes, an 8C+ boulder, and also something hard back home on sandstone.