Sorato Anraku, last year's World Cup winner in both Lead and Boulder, will clinch the 2024 Boulder title if he finishes at least 13th in Seoul. Overall, six climbers from Team Japan are in the top ten, and the Narasaki brothers, along with Toby Roberts, still have a chance to win.

Natalia Grossman and Janja Garnbret have each won the two Boulder World Cups they have competed in during 2024. Since Garnbret will not be participating in Seoul, the highest-ranked athlete among Grossman, Oceania Mackenzie, and Nao Nakamura, provided they reach the podium, will secure the overall title. Anon Matsufuji still has a theoretical chance, but Naile Meignan and Oriane Bertone are out of contention as they are skipping the Korean World Cup.

Anna Wild has sent Bat Route (8c) in Malham which has been rated five stars by all 14 that have star rated it.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the number of sessions neeeded?
I tried it a few times in spring but it got too hot and had a birds nest in it, so I had to wait until recently to try it again, I think 8 sessions overall. I really enjoyed trying this route, had been wanting to try it for a while as it is one of the best routes in the country. I’m excited to try the harder link ups of it next!

What harder link-ups could that be?
I’d like to try Raining Bats and Dogs (8c) and Batshadow (8c+) next.

Stefano Carnati has sent Flow State (8C) in Val daone. The 26-year-old is one of the very few climbers who both have done a 9b route as well as an 8C+ boulder.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Although it’s not that far from my home, I only visited this area for the first time last year. This spring, when I found out that Pietro Vidi had climbed this line, I was psyched to come back and put some effort into it. The boulder follows a great roof, combining the first and hardest part of “Grizzly” with “Flow” (both in the 8B range) for a total of 15 moves. The crux is holding the final sloper.

After completing both individual lines a few weeks ago, I immediately started trying to link them, and during my third session, I was able to climb it! Overall Daone is a nice area that offers some good quality problems. Big Illusion (8C) is another hard one by Stefano Scarperi, which still awaits a second ascent. I hope to find the time to return before the snow comes and make some tries on this as well!

Stefano Ghisolfi, with over 50 routes 9a to 9b+ under his belt, has done Little Badder (9a) in Flatanger. The 31-year-old Italian has been in Norway since the beginning of August focusing on Silence (9c).

What is the status on your big project and how was your latest 9a ascent?
The season is almost over unfortunately, no Silence this year 🙃😭. But I had fun climbing four 9as in this trip, I'll be back stronger next season.

I started trying Little Badder because it shares the first part of Move so I worked on the first 2 cruxes while also trying Move. Then when I knew I could do it I tried it from the ground, fell once in the first crux and then sent it later.

Andrine Skilbrei, who started climbing at age 19 and last year sent La Rubia (8c+), has completed Brunhilde L2 (8c) in Flatanger.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
When first arriving in Flatanger this season I was looking for a nice project to get back in shape on after a somewhat slow year without much climbing. Brunhilde was recommended to me and it seemed to be a good choice considering it didn’t have a line of people on it. This was in the middle of august, and there were still a lot of people here at that time.

The route, at least for me, breaks down to 3 quite hard dynamic coordination moves separated by a lot of steep resistance climbing on mostly good holds. The final big move especially caused me a lot of trouble as it was at the very limit of my reach (I`m 1.60) as well as being at the very end of all the hard climbing, making it not just difficult physically, but also mentally.

In the end I spent about a month trying the route, with the last two and a half weeks consisting of falling on this one move over and over again before I finally stuck it and was able to carry on to the top. All in all I am really happy about how it all turned out, and I am now looking forward to returning to new projects in Flatanger next year.

At the European Youth Boulder Championships in Troyes, France dominated in the boys' categories, while Great Britain excelled among the girls. Overall, France emerged as the top nation, with 13 climbers reaching the finals. Samuel Richard was the only competitor to win both the semifinal and the final, having also led in the qualification round. Notably, Israel achieved an impressive feat by securing all three podium spots in the boys' Youth B category.

Juniors: Kito Martini FRA - Emma Edwards GBR
Youth A: Samuel Richard FRA - Lucy Garlick GBR
Youth B: Itamar Harel ISR - Olivia Kistmacher GER
Complete results

Petra Klingler has had a memorable day in Magic Wood, sending Octopussy (8A), Jack's broken heart (8A+) and Unendliche Geschichte 1 (8A+). The 32-year-old has won the World Championship in Boulder in 2016 and Ice Climbing in 2022.

Can you tell us more about that special day?
What an incredible day it was! I arrived to Magic Wood on Saturday evening to try UG1 with some friends. Unfortunately, nothing was going right. I could barely manage the first move. Eventually, I managed to get an okay go, but it drained so much energy from me that I couldn’t continue afterwards. Feeling a bit frustrated, I headed to bed.

Exhausted and tired, I slept remarkably long on Sunday, waking up at 11 a.m., which is quite unusual for me as a morning person! After a hearty breakfast—or rather, a late brunch—we set off again. We started with a little warm-up on a 7a that felt surprisingly tough, and then we decided to give Octopussy a shot. I had already attempted it in two previous sessions, but the long reach had always been a challenge.

I started with a warm-up attempt. The holds felt good, and before I knew it, I was holding the top hold in my hand. It was such a surprise that we didn’t even film it. Catching my breath, I jumped back on, teasingly prompted by my friends, who joked that I would have to do it again since there was no proof of my ascent. And once again, I managed to climb the boulder cleanly.

Next to it was Jack’s Broken Heart, which I had also tried during two sessions. Since I felt good and was waiting for my friends, I thought I’d take the opportunity to repeat the beta and stay warm up. The first move was close, but I didn’t let go. Move by move, I made it to the crux—an extended reach to a sharp hold, a cut lose, and right heel to hand. I slapped the sloper and made a dynamic move to the left. At this point, I knew I couldn’t let go. Fortunately, my friend was filming, as I certainly didn’t expect to send it.

With two of my projects already crossed off the list, I felt happy and satisfied. I wanted to join the others at UG1 to burn off some energy and repeat the moves, hoping to tick off this classic before the season ended.

I jumped on and pushed through. What a day! I can hardly remember the details of the movements—it felt like a movie. I couldn’t believe it. Until that day, I had never sent an 8a+. Prior to that, I had bouldered seven 8as, four of which were in the Rocklands just last month. What an incredible day!
Just to top it off, we once again forgot to keep the camera rolling 😂🫣, so I climbed UG1 a second time for the camera 🙃.

Javi Pec has been a full-time climbing photographer for about ten years and has been sharing his photos on Vertical-Life/8a roughly every other month since 2005.” I remember many years ago. I won a Mammut chalk bag in the 8a contest - Photo of the Month 😂😂😂. Still got it 😂.

The 47-year-old is still climbing 5 or 6 days a week. ”I really love it! My highest grade is 8b. Not much considering I’ve been climbing for over 25 years 😂 Last week I did an 8a. Now I’m so close to send another 8b. Last Sunday I felt at the last draw…😂😂”

Just scroll his Instagram to see more amazing pictures. It should also be mentioned that he was a bit shy to have his portrait inside the Patxi Usobiaga picture and it also took some chatting until we got his grade level :)

What is your climbing background?
I started climbing in the late ‘90s. At first, I climbed occasionally since I was really into skateboarding, but little by little, I got hooked on climbing and haven’t stopped since. In these nearly 25 years, I’ve barely taken a break from it. Photography already interested me, but mainly as a way to capture memories. During my skateboarding years, we were always really motivated by audiovisuals, whether photos or videos. We loved looking at magazines like Thrasher and Transworld. In climbing, it was a natural evolution of those interests. I began taking photos of my friends, who were skilled climbers and eventually started selling my photos to magazines. This led me to connect with brands in the industry.

How and when did you become a full time climbing photographer?
I studied history at university and worked as an archaeologist for almost 10 years. During that time, I climbed and took photos. It was all a slow evolution. At first, I had occasional photography jobs, and little by little, it became something more regular. In 2013, I started as a freelancer. At the beginning, it wasn’t easy, but over time, everything evolved to the point where I could make a living from climbing photography. The rise of climbing gyms and competitions is also something that has helped me live off this work.

What are your most memorable moments?
Just the simple fact of being outdoors, climbing, and photographing top-level climbers brings me great satisfaction. Looking back and seeing how my career as a professional photographer has evolved is also very rewarding. Still, I have special memories, not just because of the photos I was able to capture at that moment, but because of everything surrounding them. For example, it was very special for me to photograph Angela Eiter when she made the first-ever female ascent of a 9b, ‘La Planta de Shiva’ in Villanueva del Rosario. I was immersed in documenting another of those special moments—Patxi Usobiaga’s process of climbing ‘Pachamama’ (9a+), when a brand called me to document Angie’s ascent. That same afternoon, I was on a train heading to the other side of Spain.

How much work do you normally put in during a week?
That’s something I couldn’t calculate. For me, climbing and photography are a passion that takes up all my time. I always want to climb. I always want to be outdoors. And with photography, it’s the same. If I’m not taking photos, I’m studying, looking at photography-related things, and always trying to learn new things to improve. Sometimes I’m out climbing and leave the camera aside, but many other times I do both. I try to make the most of my time because I really enjoy my work and climbing. While you’re climbing, you’re also observing where a good photo could be taken. For me, it’s something indivisible, and it occupies almost 100% of my time. It’s hard for me to be without climbing, and the same thing happens with photography.

Laura Rogora, the European Lead as well as Combined Champion three weeks ago, has repeated Adam Ondra’s Goldrake (9a+) in Cornalba. The same day she also onsighted Jedi (8b). Previously, the 23-year-old has done more than 20 routes 8c+/9a and harder which is almost twice as many as the runner-up, Anak Verhoeven. (c) Giancarlo "Abi" Sironi

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I tried it on Tuesday. On my second go I did it with one rest and on my fourth go I fell on the last hard move. I tried once again but I was a bit tired, so I came back the day after and did it on my first go. I solved all the moves quite fast but it took me some tries to find the best beta. The route and the rock are very nice, with small crimps on a slightly overhanging wall.

What is next?
I am going to Korea the day after tomorrow.