22 November 2017
First 9a by Dylan Barks
Dylan Barks has done his first 9a, Southern Smoke Direct in Red River Gorge. The 22 year old has previously done three 8c+, out of which the last one when he was 18 years old.
Then he had some health issues and climbed of and on until he took one year off. His come back started one year ago. (c) Dru Mack
"Southern Smoke Direct was a route that I tried 4 years ago and wasnโt able to put together. I came back this week and managed to climb through the bottom v12 boulder pretty quickly, but heartbreakingly fell on the very last move. I took a rest day and returned to the route on a beautiful, crisp and cold day. I hopped on the route expecting to fall on the bottom boulder at least a few times, yet somehow I executed the moves better than ever and found myself at the jug rest in the blink of an eye. From there I warmed up my hands as much as I could and just started climbing and trying to flow to the best of my ability.
As I entered the last few moves I felt pretty confident I would be clipping the anchors on my first 9a, the hardest grade established in the Red. Grabbing the last few crimps and being able to shake out felt pretty surreal. I grabbed the last hold and pulled one more move to the rest jug and couldnโt believe I had just done a rock climb Iโve dreamed about climbing for years. Doing this route meant a lot to me, and I am extremely excited to continue improving and pushing my limits as a climber. As a side note, I did another dream route today with Pure Imagination 8c+.
0 comments
Most commented
Jorge Diaz-Rullo reports on Instagram that he has made the first ascent of Cafe Colombia in Margalef. At 27, heโs already stacked four 9b+ sends and now heโs adโฆ
26 January 2026
Sean Bailey FAโs Duality of Man (9c)
Sean Bailey reports on Instagram that he has done the first ascent of Duality of Man (9c) in Dry Canyon. โ After four total years and three seasons of climbing,โฆ
23 March 2026
Jorge Diaz-Rullo proposes 9c for Cafรฉ Colombia
Jorge Diaz-Rullo elaborates on the reasons for him to suggest 9c for Cafรฉ Colombia on Instagram, which he took down last week after projecting it for 240 sessioโฆ
Related
11 April 2023
Dylan Barks sends Selecciรณ anal (9a+)
Dylan Barks has done Selecciรณ anal (9a+) in Santa Linya after having projected it for seven sessions. The 28-year-old did his first 8c+ at age 16 and he also boโฆ
24 November 2010
8a onsight by Dylan Barks (15)
Dylan Barks has onsighted his first 8a, Flour Power in Red River Gorge. One year ago his personal best was 7c redpoint. We're seeing dramatic progress here!
6 November 2011
8c+ by Dylan Barks (16)
Dylan Barks has jumped two grades and done Joe Kinder's Southern smoke 8c+ in Red River Gorge. In the -95 ranking game he is #7.
Related news
11 April 2023
Dylan Barks sends Selecciรณ anal (9a+)
Dylan Barks has done Selecciรณ anal (9a+) in Santa Linya after having projected it for seven sessions. The 28-year-old did his first 8c+ at age 16 and he also boโฆ
24 November 2010
8a onsight by Dylan Barks (15)
Dylan Barks has onsighted his first 8a, Flour Power in Red River Gorge. One year ago his personal best was 7c redpoint. We're seeing dramatic progress here!
6 November 2011
8c+ by Dylan Barks (16)
Dylan Barks has jumped two grades and done Joe Kinder's Southern smoke 8c+ in Red River Gorge. In the -95 ranking game he is #7.
Favorites
8 June 2026
Janja Garnbret does Bibliographie (9b+)
Janja Garnbret has added another milestone to her remarkable climbing career by becoming the first woman to climb Bibliographie (9b+) in Cรฉรผse, one of the hardeโฆ
Jorge Diaz-Rullo reports on Instagram that he has made the first ascent of Cafe Colombia in Margalef. At 27, heโs already stacked four 9b+ sends and now heโs adโฆ
16 March 2026
Ondra flashes 3*8C in two weeks
โI stopped focusing on competition bouldering after last yearโs World Cup in Prague, partly because I can already feel it on my body, especially in my shoulders. The modern competition style, with a lot of jumping from one hold to another, is very demanding for the shoulders.
Outdoor bouldering isโฆ