Loic Zehani, who previously did three 8c's, has done the first repeat of his father's route, Crépuscule in Orgon, giving it a personal grade of 8c+. Cristophe gives us some further info. "The route begins with a boulder section (about 7C): CUPRESSUS BLUES" 8b+, very hard for the fingers with small pockets and without feet) which is linked to the hardest part of L'ARLESIENNE 8b+, without any rest. It is a good stamina test piece with 42 movements and it took hime some 40 tries."

Jakob Schubert reports on Facebook, "THORS HAMMER"! Got the 3rd ascent of this amazing 9a+ in the Flatanger cave today! 60m of super steep climbing with some big rests took quite some energy and after struggling with some wet holds I'm very excited I could top out this magestic line. © Elias Holzknecht/ WOODSLAVE productions

The Youth World Championship in Arco will start on Friday the 28th with Bouldering and then it will continue with Lead and Speed for eight more days. In total, 1 167 starts will be done in the three disciplines so we are talking about the world's biggest climbing competition ever. The event will be run in WC format meaning that in Bouldering some juniors will be sitting in the isolation for at least seven hours. "No food or drinks will be provided." At least ten of the youngsters competing have been standing on the podium on a World Cup and beside that, the best female rock climber of last two years, Ashima Shiraishi will make her debut on the international scene.

jose luis palao has done his third 9a during the last year, Seta Total in Cuenca. "It is a route equipped by me and Luis Alfonso Felix which I tried a little last year and this year I got five days chaining attempts. First ascent by Pablo Barbero." (c) Javi Pec

"BÄÄÄM!!! First repeat of "Thors Hammer" 9a+ in the Flatanger Cave is done! Felt harder then the other routes I've done in that grade. Took me 3 days to link the over 60m pitch which is always between 55 and 85 degrees steep! 38min climbing time... felt like a 10k run! Thanks Raimund Matros for the pic!" It was mainly bolted by Magnus Midtbö but Adam Ondra made the FA in 2012 and there is actually a possibility to make an extension. Also Jakob Schubert is trying it and Daniel Woods and Ethan Pringle are up in the big cave, too.

Lee Sheftel, who is turning 70 next year, has had one amazing day in Rifle having done two 7c+, The Kiss That Stings and All quiet for western slope. The 69-year-old started working them this spring. "I went back to them about two weeks ago and things went much better. I often find that if I get stuck or frustrated on a route consistently I get stale and I need to back off and work on what’s suffering in my climbing and also just have fun. I’m now shopping for an 8a or 8a+. I might repeat an 8a+ I did years ago as I think I could fairly quickly but then again it would be fun to do something different as well. Maybe both.

Katharina Saurwein, #6 in the Boulder WC 2015, has done her second 8B, Fragile Steps 8B in Rocklands. "My Rocklands trip has come to an end frown emoticon but before that I managed to climb 'Fragile Steps' 8b smile emoticon and I am already excited to come back next year! I came very close to other projects, but unfortunately hurt my finger a little, so they will have to wait." In total, the Austrian has done more than 50 boulders 8A and harder. In 2004, she was #3 in the Lead World Championship being 17 years old and in 2008, she was #4 overall in the Boulder WC, having won one event. (c) Tom Thudium

Between 1989 and 1995, Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou was the best competition climber in the world and she was also one of the first female to have done an 8b+. She said that the secret was simply hard training but at 52 she is just enjoying climbing but still at the same level once she challenges a project. Robyn's focus for many years has been on being a trainer for ABC Kids and both her kids, Brooke and Shawn are world class youngsters. This week, Robyn will be working as a coach for USA during the Youth World Championships in Arco. - No War More Love 8b+ is certainly my proudest send to date. This route starts with a section of hard moves almost like a boulder problem followed by a really good rest and continues with a super resistance section (20 moves) and finishes with the crux and a pumpy technical finish. I had to dig deep to make the crux move after all the hard climbing below. Nice to know I still have it. Brooke has had an amazing 4 weeks in France. She has been climbing outside (yesterday she sent L'Arbouisier 8b+/8c) and training for Youth Worlds inside. She has topped over 10 8a-8b+ routes this summer.

Alex Huber put up La Rambla in 1994 as an 8c+. In 2003, Ramon Julian Puigblanque made an extension by climbing into the neighboring 8c route's finish, claiming La Rambla Original a 9a+. With 12 ascents it is now a well-confirmed and the most repeated 9a+ in the world. Interesting is that Ramonet climbed diagonally into the 8c eliminating a big flake, meanwhile all the rest but Adam Ondra, being then 15 years old, traversed to and rested on the big flake. Ramonet said some eight years ago that this makes the route just a 9a. Alex Huber has also stated that the new traversing extension does not add any major difficulty. La Rambla Original is now, including the failure of many 9a+ climbers', considered a benchmark 9a+. It might be time to give Huber some extra credit once more and upgrade another of his hardest test pieces from the 90'ies? In fact, already five years ago, he said that most of his FAs have been upgraded and this could be his super impressive Tick List based on the 2015 grading standard: 1993 Om 9a, 1994 La Rambla 9a, 1994 Weiße Rose 9a+, 1996 Open Air 9a+ The amazing thing is that such tick list would put him almost in the Top-10 list today, some 20 years after his prime. Add to that that he bolted and projected the routes more or less by himself and that most likely some of his old-school 8c's and 8c+'s, might be contenders for being 9a's today. Interview from 2010 and here one from 2008 with great pics.