Austin Geiman has after 100+ session taken down Defying Gravity (8C) in South Platte. This summer the 38-year-old set a new personal standard by doing five 8B’s in Rocklands. (c) Ben Neilson

Can you tell us more about your story with Defying Gravity?
I first tried it in 2013 when it was still a project. I managed to do the first move (which is the crux) fall of 2013. I fell off the second jump move which is around 8A in difficulty. Soon after a piece of the starting foothold broke off and it made my method much more difficult. Daniel Woods then came to try it. He used a different method which did not use the foot. I continued working on the climb off and on for the next 10 years. Never repeating the first move, but feeling close at times. During that time I had multiple climbing-related injuries that set me back. Then in the fall of 2023, I started seriously projecting it again with Nathaniel Coleman. The move began feeling familiar again I thought it might be possible for me, but I had my doubts.

Nathaniel then did the climb with the heel hook method which got me really amped. I stuck the first move again right after he sent it! But of course, I fell on the second jump again! This season I went into the climb with the right mindset and better tactics. It became a reality in the third session this season.

How can you explain peaking at age 38?
Definitely smarter technically and tactically. Also, learning to rest more and listen to my body. My elbows and shoulders are healthier than they have felt in years.

Victor Guillermin sent Trip tik tonik (9a) in Gorges du Loup, two months ago. "So nice! In the beginning, the route was wet, but after a big fight, I managed to pass through the wet crux, I fell on the easier part (8a+) at the end... A couple of weeks later, I came back and it was dry, but I fell again on the easier part... a couple of tries after I made my way up to the anchor! Very nice route, one of the best for the grade, even if it is soft if you are good at kneebar..."

This was the seventh 9a or 9a+ for the 19-year-old who headlines the video, “best 9a in France", and he might be right as all 15 who have star-rated it have given it five stars.

What are your winter plans?
I will keep pushing in Stoking the Fire (9b) in Santa Linya this winter... Right now, I am trying the route getting closer and closer! The goal is to do it as soon as possible!

Jessica Pilz, the overall Lead World Cup winner in 2024, has sent Paint it black (8c+) in Zillertal. (c) Michael Piccolruaz

”The route is quite new, bolted by Flo Schmalzl. We did the third (Misha) and fourth ascent after Flo and Jakob [Schubert]. I first tried it on Wednesday last week, but I only had one good try because, on all the other attempts, my heel slipped all the time on a high left heel hook in the middle of the route. Yesterday, I checked out the moves one more time and then sent it on the next go.”

What are the winter plans and the competition plans for 2025?
No proper plans for this winter, but I think training starts in December again, so I will also rest a bit in November. And for next comp season I plan to compete in all lead world cups and I am not sure about bouldering yet. maybe I do a few bouldering world cups, which are at the same venue as lead or close to Austria.

William Bosi has made the first repeat of Aidan Roberts' Spots of Time (9A) in Hellvellyn. "Can't believe it! What a king line. Hopefully, this sees some more attention definitely deserves it." (c) Band of Birds

The British climber stopped competing in 2021 and started focusing on routes. During 2021 and 2022, he successfully climbed six routes graded 9a+ to 9b+. Since then, his attention has shifted to bouldering. At 25 years old, he has now completed four 9A boulders, giving him the most impressive bouldering tick list out there.

How many sessions were needed and are you doing the same beta as Aidan?
It took me 8 sessions and only one move we use the same beta. I do the first move off a heel then I skip the intermediate/move and go straight to the high left edge. Finally, for the last move I also skip the intermediate by doing a bigger more powerful move to the good lip hold.

Is it possible to say which 9A is the hardest and easiest?
Very hard to say as they are all quite different styles. Both BODs and SOT are very board style problems and I would say BODs was harder for me but I didn’t find the new beta people are using now, so that could change it. ROTSW and Alphane are so different it’s hard to compare but I think both felt easier than BODs. SOT felt more similar to those two but it’s perfectly my style. Currently, I think the jump between 8C-8C+ to 9A is maybe too small so the 4 9As I’ve done would be on the lower end of the grade. Keen to try more hard lines to help figure this out soon. Hope that makes some sense Very unsure at the moment.

Ina Plassoux Djiga, who last month won the European Cup in Bologna, has sent La théorie des cordes (8c) in Saint Léger. The 25-year-old made her debut in the World Cup only four years ago.

Can you tell us more doing your first 8c?
The most beautiful route I’ve done so far. This route is divided into three parts: a first part on very physical tufas, a second part which is more an endurance one with a big arm lock as the last move, and finally as a reward, a great slab that must be worth 7c, where you still have to stay focused.

For me, the difficulty of the route was mainly in the lower crux, which I find very difficult. In January, when I returned to the route after a year away due to injuries and then competitions, I completely changed my methods to try to optimize this section as much as possible.

I had promised myself that if I made it past the first section, I wouldn’t fall at the crux of the second one. Since I didn’t use my knees after the bottom section, I was a little worried about making it to the end of the second part. In the end, it worked, and I kept my word, falling only once...on the move right after the crux.

The morning I topped the route, it was raining so hard that we didn’t even think about climbing. In the end, I managed to squeeze through the drops to the top at the end of the day. I’d planned several weekends in Saint Léger between October and November to climb the route. Even though the conditions weren’t optimal, the tufas at the bottom were still completely dry, which was super important for me to be able to do the route.

I’m very happy to have done this route and I’m looking forward to discovering other great lines in this sector in this grade this winter!

Connor Herson has repeated the 35 meter granite crack Magic Line (8c+) in Yosemite (CA). In 1996, Ron Kauk sent it with pre-placed gear and then his son Lonnie did it in the same ”pink-point” style in 2016. Two years later Lonnie did the first clean ascent and upgraded it to 8c+ due to the added difficulty placing the gear.

Connor first gained attention in 2018 by sending an 8c+ on his second attempt at just 14 years old. That same year, he also repeated The Nose (8b+) and placed 11th in the Youth World Championship. Since then, he has emerged as one of the top trad and big wall climbers in the world.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
I first tried magic line in December of last year, shortly after I sprained my ankle so I was wearing oversized shoes and just checking out moves on toprope. Then I returned for a weekend in January - on my second day I tried it on lead and fell at the very top! I thought I would do it quickly, but I returned a few more times that season and didn’t get good conditions again, and soon the waterfall was too high and its spray was reaching the climb.

This fall, I returned to the valley with magic line as my primary objective. My first day I had a solo session toprope soloing on it, then the next day I decided to give a lead try, and somehow I sent it! It felt very flowy but insecure on the send go — I was executing the moves well, but I was very pumped and every foot placement felt like it was going to slip. I was confident I’d fall almost until the moment I clipped the chains!

Claudia Ghisolfi has spent two weeks in La Ramirole where she in the last few days sent Agressif you want (8c) and Spanish Caravan (8c). "For me 8c is ok. Definitely, I prefer Aggressif than Spanish. This last one is too long. My legs hurt now. Ok, the moves are not that hard and you can rest everywhere but mentally, it is not easy. Maybe next year I'll train my legs too before coming in la ramirole!" (c) Laura Rogora

Can you tell us more about the trip?
It rained a lot these days but fortunately, I did several routes and my boyfriend, Alessio Voghera, who is not a professional climber, could climb his first 8c+ la flute en chantier. 😊 can't be happier about this trip!

Austin Hoyt, who last week did the FA of Mr.Nobody (8B+), has done the FA of The Big Bad Wolf (8C) in Gunks (NY). "Wow! I can't believe it went down today. I was so nervous all of last night that I almost bailed. When Adam first FAd the stand, "Three Little Pigs (8A+), it felt impossible. I spent four days just trying the crux move never doing it. Fast-forward to this year, we went out to try the low moves, and somehow in 90 degrees, I did them all. While it felt good, linking any together felt nearly impossible and I had only done the actual crux of the stand for the first time that day. After another two sessions, I finally sent the v12 stand and got right to work on the low moves again. It took another six days to iron out all my beta and feel prepared enough for send goes. Finally, on sessions eight, all the pieces fell into place and I took it to the top. To me it feels like v13 (8A+) into the v12 stand. Regardless of the math side of things, it feels like the hardest thing I've done and one of the coolest! All in all, it took me about 15 days in total I think! Unbelievably psyched." (c) Siri Siharath

Owen Whaley has completed Grand Illusion (8C+) in Little Cottonwood. Nathaniel Coleman put up the 25 moves roof climbing and also 9a+/b has been suggested for it, as it takes some two minutes to climb.

"This line has been at the top of my list since the first time I laid eyes on it. Perfect granite tufas, pinches, and crimps all the way from the bottom. I've been improving on the different sections through the seasons and started feeling really psyched last Spring when we dug out the boulder from under the snow and I started refining the 8B section. All summer I focused on power endurance, always with GI in the back of my mind. A few weeks ago I flowed the "Slug Link" and knew it was game on. I started getting closer from the ground every session, a type of linear progress I've never really experienced.

All I remember from the send was doing the 8A+ moves and noticing that it was raining much harder than it had been all night, I felt in control all the way to the lip but then slightly panicked because of how slippery it was. Luckily we put a kneepad over the crucial hold. Doing it on Instagram Live was super special, shoutout to the boys. It's almost bittersweet, so many good laughs with so many different people. One I will always remember."