Only one repeat of Action Directe 9a (+) during the last 16 months

EDIT: David Firnenburg repeated AD the same day as the article below was published. In 2016 we have seen an increase in the number of 9a ascents, with possibly 50%. At the same time, we have not seen an ascent of Action Direct for 16 months, which should be the standard 9a nowadays, even if it originally counted as an 8c+/9a. As none of the previous 18 ascents of Action Direct has been done during the months between November and March, most likely we are getting closer to actually getting two years without an ascent of the standard 9a. This indicates that Action Directe is actually more difficult than the current 9as that are put up and repeated frequently in 2016, i.e. the grade deflation continues. In practice this means that the original 8c+/9a Action Directe might possibly deserve another upgrade!