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.

Gianluca Vighetti, who finished last year by sending two 9a+’, has repeated Adam Ondra’s Bombardino (9a+) in Arco, giving it a personal 9a grade. ”Literally the most unexpected ascent I've ever done. Did it in the evening after training in the Rock Master stadium.🤯 It would be crazy to do a 9a+ like that but I am sure this awesome route is not more than a 9a, and not an hard one if I compare it to the other ones I tried. 8b+, medium-good rest, 7C or 7C+ boulder.” (c) Crimp Films

Last year, the 17-year-old won two Euro Youth Cups and here is his full report of his amazingly quick ascent.
”This ascent literally came out of nowhere. A couple of weeks ago I made a quick trip to Arco together with my dad and my friend Giovanni Giachino, who was competing in the National Team Trials, while I took it as an opportunity to train on the routes in the Rock Master Stadium. This was the original plan, but then, on Sunday, after he finished the Trial kinda early (2p.m.) and I had already climbed 5 hard routes, we decided to use the time left to go check out this awesome route that has been on my mind for a while. I just wanted to get an idea, to see if I had a chance and hopefully come back next season.

After an attempt where I found all the betas for the hard boulder (and not really the rest of the route), I gave another try to see where I would fall and, I have no idea how, I didn’t. If I have to be honest I really wish I could say that I could do a 9a+ in 2 attempts, that would be crazy. But realistically I think it’s 100% not more than 9a, and not a really hard one, the new beta probably makes it a lot easier than before. This route was as cool as I expected it to be, and the crag is absolutely magical.”

World Climbing, aka IFSC, comes with good news. ”The gross total is set to exceed €1 million, marking a significant milestone for the organisation. The increase more than doubles the €374,400 distributed in 2024, underlining the continued growth of Climbing and the shared commitment to supporting athletes at the highest level.

For the 2026 season, each individual medal event will offer €20,000 in prize money, a substantial increase from €11,700 in 2024. The overall winners will be awarded €9,000”

Below the amount for each World Cup in 2026:
1st place: 30% or € 6,000
2nd place: 20% or € 4,000
3rd place: 14% or € 2,800
4th place: 10% or € 2,000
5th place: 8% or € 1,600
6th place: 7% or € 1,400
7th place: 6% or € 1,200
8th place: 5% or € 1,000

Based on the tragic accident on Kalymnos last month, and the fact that we know of two other bolts that snapped 1.5 years ago, all of which appeared ok on the outside, we have sought expertise from David Reeve. He is a technical advisor to the UIAA, which has funded a large part of his research, and his findings have been presented in his Crag Chemistry. The bolt in the picture is from one of the two snapped bolts on Facatelendos (6b+) in Ourania in 2024.

We have presented his thoughts in previous articles over the years and here is his latest Vertical-Life article from last year. Titanium vs 316 and 304 bolts

As we have seen that many ascents have been logged the last week on routes bolted in 2004, we wanted to present this short article as quick as possible. Reeve thinks we should be much more restrictive when it comes to how old bolts we could trust.

”Age means nothing without knowing the environment. Once it is known we are dealing with a sulphate cliff, I would distrust any stainless steel older than 2 years [on a sulphate cliff].”

”There is no doubt that if you avoid climbing pre-2005 routes you'll be safe. After all if you don't climb, you can't fall. However, beware flipping that argument around to conclude climbing post-2005 climbs will be safe. This is fallacious because the greatest determinant of risk is whether you have bumbled upon a bad crag or not. ”

The 2004 bolt that broke in Ourania was sent to Reeve in 2024 and also some rock samples where he found out that two out of six crags contained high level sulphate: Iannis and Secret Garden. The broken hardware from the recent accident have also been sent to the Australian and as well as samples from more sectors. We will follow up as more details are revealed.

Here is a statement published at Kalymnos Climbing Facebook page.

”Reading between the lines, my guess is that the intention of the pre-2005 restriction is that there is a theory that divides Kalymnos bolts into those of a) good metal and those of b) bad metal. The good metal bolts are thought to have replaced bad metal bolts after 2005. This certainly makes more sense than the alternative postulate that bolts on Kalymnos suddenly go bad after 20 years.

I'm assuming that we are looking at the "304 (A2) bad: 316 (A4) good" argument here. You are not going to tell them apart at the crag, so lets use date of installation as a guide. Those who read my cragchemistryDOTcom blog will know that I have spent years working on this distinction. The matter is super-complicated and I'll leave it for now as - yes 316 does seem superior but don't count on that always being the case. The mental shift I'm advocating for is to park all such good metal, bad metal talk and instead embrace the good crag, bad crag distinction. On Kalymnos we know for sure we have 3 bad crags, and have solid reasons to suspect they may be more.

If they are bad, it is futile to repeat all the hard lessons of Tonsai or Cayman Brac and we should move to the known solution of titanium bolting. This distinction between good and bad crags has nothing to do with the vibe. It is scientifically based and if you want to learn how the distinction is made, then take a look at my post on Ourania here.

So coming back to where I came in. There is no doubt that if you avoid climbing pre-2005 routes you'll be safe. After all if you don't climb, you can't fall. However, beware flipping that argument around to conclude climbing post-2005 climbs will be safe. This is fallacious because the greatest determinant of risk is whether you have bumbled upon a bad crag or not.”

Prune Martinoty has sent Stay kratom stay safe (8c) in Saint Léger. In 2023, she sent her first 8b+ and since, she has focused mainly on Stay… which she took down after some 35 sessions. (c) Clement Bustel

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
I started thinking about climbing 8c three years ago. When I first tried Stay (Stay Kratom Stay Safe), it felt impossible to send because the hard moves seemed extreme, and even the “easy” sections were hard for me. So I trained, and little by little the project started to feel possible. Last winter I was really close to sending, but I broke a pulley.

It felt like my dream was falling apart, so every day since then I’ve worked hard to get my level back. In the fall I returned to the route, but the rain interrupted attempts for the whole winter. I came back to the route about ten days ago, and every day I was falling higher. On Sunday I fell almost at the top, and I was so sad to fail.

On Tuesday, my first run was difficult because the rain had once again soaked the key hold for the first crux. I had decided to go home, but I didn’t want to come all the way to the crag for just one attempt, so I got myself ready again.

I fell twice in a row at the second quickdraw. I told my friends, “if I fall again, I’m done, I’m leaving.” And then I passed the section, even though the hold was completely wet, all the way to the good rest. And I knew that from there I could send, because I had already done it two days before. But to avoid pressure and not mess it up, I pretended that I hadn’t just done the bottom and that I was only trying for practice.

I felt good on every move, super focused. I took my time on every rest, even though they’re not great… When I reached the last rest, I felt the emotion rising because I knew it was done. Then came a few meters of very easy climbing, just to enjoy what you’ve achieved.

When I pulled the rope, it was crazy. The moment the rope started to clip into the carabiner, I exploded with joy. It was incredible to realize how far I had come. For some people, climbing 8c isn’t a big deal. But for me, I had just achieved my dream. It was extraordinary. Even this morning, I still can’t quite believe it.

What is next?
Now I want to do some easier route like 8a-8b for the rest of holiday and after go back for another 8c. Two in one season would be amazing.

Next dream it’s probably 9a but not sure it’s possible if you’re not professionnal climber and not ready to go through this process again. I need to enjoy my victory, and then I’ll get back to training for do other 8c and maybe harder routes.

Connor Herson repeated James Pearson’s Bon Voyage (9a) in Annot last year, keeping the ascent under wraps until the video release. With a tick list spanning several additional trad climbs from 8c to 9a+, the American has built probably the most impressive traditional climbing résumés in the world. Herson first drew attention in 2018 when, at just 14 years old, he climbed an 8c+ route on only his second attempt. That same year, he also repeated The Nose (8b+ MP) and finished 11th at the Youth World Championship.

Stefano Carnati and Pepa Šindel have sent Biologico (9a) in Arco. Adam Ondra did the first ascent in 2012 and in total it has been logged 16 times in the database.

Carnati: “Tried a few days some 8/10 years ago and 6 more tries this weekend. Didn’t pre-clip the third bolt. Placed a longer sling and clipped it from the jug, which still kept the jump safe. It doesn’t add much in terms of difficulty, but it does interrupt the flow into the first boulder. A better rebolting with the third bolt placed lower down should be considered.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Biologico was one of those projects I left unfinished about 8–10 years ago, sitting in a long list of “to do someday” climbs. So it felt really special to finally go back to it after so long. I’m currently recovering from a small tendon issue in my ring finger (nothing serious), but my last trip to Margalef was pretty tough on it, so I ended up just climbing easier stuff instead of really projecting.

What is next?
I’d love to get to Céüse as soon as possible. I don’t have any real plans for the summer yet. I finished my PhD last month, so I’m enjoying some free time while figuring out my next steps.

Leo Cea, with five 9a’s in under his belt, has spent the Easter holiday in Arco where he sent Underground (9a) and Pungitopo (8c+). Back home in Frankenjura the 13-year-old quickly climbed Kawaschuwu (8c+).

”During the Christmas holidays of 2025, I visited Arco for the first time — a place I had heard so much about, with a deep climbing history, and somewhere I had always wanted to experience. Now that I live in Germany, it’s relatively close, which makes projecting there a real possibility.

My first goal was to try Pure Dreaming (8c+/9a) in the Massone Pueblo sector. It’s a variation of the classic Reini’s Vibes, first ascended by Adam Ondra in 2018. I was also really inspired knowing that Andrea Chelleris sent it at just 12 years old. Even though I only spent four days there over Christmas, it went quite quickly: I sent it in 3 sessions and a total of 6 attempts. It became my last hard project of 2025.

But my projects in Arco didn’t end there. Together with my family and my coach, I chose Pure Dreaming also because it has an extension that adds the first section of Underground, turning it into a 9a+. That motivated me a lot, since one of my main goals for 2026 is to push my grade further. During that same Christmas trip, I started trying Underground. Although the wall isn’t completely natural — as it’s an old quarry — over time it has become a place full of history and incredible lines. Underground is a very special route. I read in an article from Desnivel that, according to Javi Cano, it was the first 9a in Italy, which made it even more motivating for me.

The route is an impressive roof: over 20 meters of steep, very physical climbing with three well-defined crux sections. The first one — the hardest — was the most challenging for me: powerful but also extremely precise. Finding my beta wasn’t easy, since the methods most adults use didn’t work well for me because of my height. Still, I was fascinated by the route from the very beginning.

I came back in February to keep working on it, but the conditions didn’t help at all. There was humidity, and several key holds in the crux were wet. Even so, the trip was very valuable: I was able to refine the moves, better understand the line, and go back home motivated to train specifically for the route — both in the gym and on rock in Frankenjura.

This Easter break felt like the perfect moment to return. The conditions were good, and I felt very well prepared — both for Underground and Pure Dreaming Plus. And it was incredible… right after getting out of the car and walking to the crag, I sent Underground on my second attempt of the day. Regarding the grade, while some suggest 8c+/9a, I personally agree more with the original 9a, as also proposed by climbers like Laura Rogora, whose height is closer to mine (144.5 cm tall, 150.5 cm wingspan). During that same trip, I also managed to send two classic routes in the sector that were in good condition: Super Maratona (8b+) on my second go, and X-Large (8c) on my third.

The next day I started trying Pure Dreaming Plus, and it went really well — I reached the upper crux twice. I felt that, with the days I had left, sending it could be possible, and I was really enjoying climbing this beautiful ~50-meter line. I took a rest day, and when I came back, an Italian climber told me that a key hold had broken at that crux, and that the route had become almost impossible.

I felt a bit frustrated, but after talking it through with my dad and my coach, I decided to change projects and try Pungitopo (8c+), an incredible natural slab in the Red Point Wall sector, first ascended by Adam Ondra in 2022. I was also really motivated knowing that climbers like Laura Rogora and Michaela Kirsch had sent it. I was excited to try something completely different: moving from a powerful, explosive roof to a technical slab on a fully natural line. That made it really fun.

So I dedicated the last days of the trip to Pungitopo. I had read that Ondra described it as one of the most beautiful lines in the area, and it truly is. The grey rock is amazing, very aesthetic, and the moves are extremely precise, requiring balance and full-body tension. A really beautiful route. With that, I completed what I had planned for Arco. It was a very fun and challenging process. Rock climbing is like that — you have to adapt to circumstances, like the weather or even the possibility of a key hold breaking on your main project. But that’s exactly what makes it more alive, more uncertain, and also more exciting. I’m very happy to be achieving what I set out to do together with my family and my coach: building consistency on routes between 8c and 9a across very different styles and rock types — endurance on classic lines (Era Vella), tufas (Trip Tik Tonik), steep pocket climbing (Víctimas Pérez), physical roofs (Underground), powerful finger-intensive routes (Wallstreet), and fully technical slabs (Pungitopo). All of this is helping me develop into a more complete sport climber. Now I’m really motivated to keep climbing in Frankenjura, and I’m also planning a trip to Spain this autumn.”