Laura Rogora has repeated Cody Roth’s Flipping Bird direct (9a) in Grottosauro. Seven weeks ago, the 23-year-old Italian won two golds in the European Championship. Since then, she has done six routes 8c to 9a (+), out of which one flash and one onsight, besides competing in four World Cups and the Arco Rockmaster. (c) Alberto Arre

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I did three tries on tuesday and sent it on my first try the day after. The route start with an hard boulder followed by an easier pumpy climbing where you can still fall.

Hannes Van Duysen, who was #14 in the Olympics, has flashed Poseidon's Kiss (8c) and sent Es Pontas (9a+) in Mallorca. His first ever DWS experience was trying the Chris Sharma classical line from 2006 and the 20-year-old sent it in just four sessions. (c) Yulen Calleja Ordiz

Can you tell us more about Es Pontas?
The big dyno was challenging but mentally the heal hook crux at the top was much harder as it is my antistyle. I actually tried to go for a harder physical solution but in the end, it was frustrating. Then Yulen advised on how to place the heel hook better and it was game on again.

The day of the send started with four tries not making the dyno and then I took a 1.5 h break and sent it, including making mistakes and being nervous at the top. What a great feeling topping out and remembering seeing the video of Sharma doing it like ten years ago.

What was your DWS personal best before Es Pontas?
I flashed the classical Loskot and two smoking barrels (8a+) and later I flashed Possidon’s kiss. I actually did not wear a chalk bag as I was so sure of falling. The first holds were wet due to high waves so I lost all my chalk and it became very hard but I could still send it with a good fight.

What are your plans for the winter and the next year?
First of all, I will start the winter training for next season. I am planning to start projecting Alphane. This is a boulder that makes me really psyched, I'm not sure if it will be this winter already but for sure in the near future. Then in 2025, I want to go back to Ratstaman Vibrations (9b). I tried it for the first time this summer and it is really one of the best things I tried, so if I have the possibility to go back there, I will go.

I will continue competing but I will make sure I will touch more rock. The Olympic experience was nice but hard and two years before Paris and especially the year before I climbed a bit less on rock.

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!