Jonathan Siegrist has onsighted Fuckin' Sphinxus in Ten Sleep Canyon (WY) and Hellbound (8b+), as well as flashed No Country for Old Men (8c) in Strawberry Roan. In total, the 38-year-old has onsighted twelve 8b+’, out of which half the last 15 months, and he is runner-up, after Adam Ondra, in the VL onsight ranking game. (c) Nate Liles

How have you been able to step up your onsight game lately?
To be honest I was never very good at this style (mainly a redpoint climber and never really did competition). But I practiced a lot when I was in France last year. And really the main step for me was just to try onsighting more - to make it also a priority some days. Like anything else you can’t get better at it unless you try. I’m starting to enjoy it a lot more now and actually find a nice flow when onsighting. Before it always felt so awkward and I was climbing with too much hesitation.

I really like flash climbing because it’s easier to find a nice flow with some information but for sure onsighting is a bigger challenge. I hope I can keep improving in this style but it’s hard! It also makes a crag with lower grades suddenly really exciting to go and try your best at. It would be fun to do a whole trip only for onsighting.

Mary Eden sent Necronomicon 8b (+) in 2022 and here is part of what she said. "The challenging roof crack has a 12 ft crux of WC friend .75s surrounded by fists, baggy hands, hands, and thin hand sizes. Necronomicon’s slash grade of 8b/8b+ comes from whether or not the climber can thin-hand or hand jam the crux section of .75s. If the climber can get thin hands or hand jams in the .75 section, then the grade is 8b. If they have thick palms and have to ring lock, paddle hand, or finger bar the crux, the grade is 8b+. "

Maël Musson, who did his first 9a last year at age 17, has repeated Seb Bouin's Little Badder (9a) in Flatanger. (c) Christelle Lafont

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Little Badder is a 55m route that can be split into 3 parts. The first is a 25m 8b approach to a big rest. It's from here that the route really begins, with a series of 3 cruxes. The first is the most unpleasant of the route: a 6C+ boulder crack, not very hard but very painful to climb with very bad feet. From there, we move straight on to the hardest crux of the route: a 7B+ boulder with lots of small, important wedges. We then relax a little on one knee before arriving on the last crux. This is the most physical part of the route, with great movement and swinging on good holds. All that remains is a 10m 7c in a ceiling to reach the belay.

Originally, my trip to Flatanger was intended to try Thor's hamer, another 9a in the cave, for a month. But when I arrived, I couldn't resist starting on some of the easier 8b/c routes, which seemed so incredible. After ten days, I decided it was time for a more serious project and, without really knowing why, I went for Little Badder instead of Thor's Hamer. On my third day on the route I managed to link up the whole end, so all I had to do was add the 8b approach.

During the next 3 sessions I fell into the main crux and almost abandoned the route after falling once into the first small crack crux (which is very frustrating knowing that you already have to climb 30m of 8b and change rope in the middle to avoid the pull). But by persisting, the crux finally passed. It was very motivating for the rest of the process, but the route wasn't finished yet. It took me another 4 days to get through the last physical section to the top.

Gabriele Moroni, with 26 routes 9a to 9b under his belt, has sent X integral (9a+) in Ravoire giving it a personal 9a grade.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and your personal grade?
X Integral is a logical combination of two previously established routes, Satire (8c+) and The Shoker (8c+). Both opened by local Dylan Chuat. He then had the idea to combine them togheter and did the FA of X Integral just after. I discovered Gottreux this summer looking for a place to climb in hot weather. I went there for a couple of weekends and quickly repeated The Shoker and started trying Satire with clearly the idea to have a possibility on X Integral. Finally august holidays came so I had more time to dedicate for this project. But eventually on my first day back I already climbed Satire and tried to keep going past the chains into The Shoker and fell right before the last rest. After a rest day and some failed attempts on Satire I could make it past the chain once more but this time, having it more dialed but with a good fight I could climb my way to the chains of The Shoker and finished X Integral for its 3rd ascent.

About the grade it's hard to tell. Unfortunately (or fortunately) in between the two routes you have a very good rest so after you climb Satire you can really recover and start the second part fresh enough. I haven't climbed that many 9a+'s but the ones I did they took me a lot of more effort (months or seasons) and this one just a bunch of sessions.

Adam Ondra is back on "non-plastic holds" directly after the Olympics. In Sloup he made the FA of Peppa (8B+). “Took forever to actually figure out the line and never really trying it, but once the mystery was unlocked, it was disappointingly easier than expected. Maybe harder, maybe not.”

Then he travelled to Val Daone where he on the same day, flashed Grizzly (8B) and sent Blue Arrow (8A) as well as Flow (8B+).

On Instagram, he comments on the Olympics, where he was #6 overall after having won in Lead and placed seventh in Boulder.

"I poured my heart into the preparation, I don’t think I have ever been so focused in my life like in the last months before this event ✊ I don’t think I have ever been better prepared than this time... For now, let’s have some rest and touch some non-plastic holds for a while 👊" (c) Petr Chodura

Tom O'Halloran, who participated in the Tokyo Olympics, has done The Red Project (9a). “The epitome of Blue mountains climbing. Does not get better.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I think 4th ascent after Alex Megos, Wiz Fineron, Ben Cossey. It was always known as The Red Project and was going to be known as that even once climbed. Alex called it Retired Extremely Dangerous however we reclaimed it as the red project like biographie/realization.

It’s brilliant. Partly bolted by Garth Miller in the 90s. Finished by Lee Cossey a few year later. It’s the most beautiful balance of technical, powerful, subtle aggressive climbing you could ever find. The crux is as frustrating as it is brilliant. Which is to say it’s a mega A++ for both. Skin, conditions, ability and head space all need to come together to make it happen. Several days of work in 2013 as Alex did it. A few in 2015 then nothing until the four days it took this year. A true life list route 😀

Matt Fultz, with eigth 8C+’ under his belt, has done the FAs of The Final Empire (8C) and Zugzwang (8B+) in Cascade.

Can you tell us more about the FAs and the number of sessions needed?
Final Empire is 5 moves up perfect granite edges. Big moves and tension the whole way through. Exciting climbing, and perfectly my style!

It took several sessions, I’m not sure how many. Lots of time cleaning because the top was carpeted in moss and mud. I first started properly trying it in early July.

Zugzwang is a 20 move problem through amazing sloping granite rails. Most of the difficulty comes in the first 3 moves which clock in around 8B, but then you have to complete a long and involved sequence that is around 8A.

What is coming up next?
Cascade is exploding with incredible and difficult granite boulder problems! There are many many projects still to be done. Right now I’m just picking through the ones I can do quickly.

A lot of travel planned for this Fall! I’m psyched to have a nice, long projecting season.

In the latest episode of The Struggle Climbing Show, Adam Ondra talks about sika reinforcement. "Routes harder than 9a+, I can maybe think of five routes that have no sika at all."

"I thought like chipping routes 15 years ago was a thing of the past.... to me it seems like it is coming back and nobody seems to care."

The reason for this is that most hard routes are on limestone. Ondra thinks it is OK to reinforce holds that could break off in the future, but he says that many climbers also put sika on holds that would break more easily. Ceüce is an example of good rock quality where sika is not needed that goes also for Yosemite, Flatanger and other granite crags.

Since Janja Garnbret won the Olympic gold in Tokyo, she has participated in 24 IFSC World Cups/Euro and World Championships. Out of these, three times she has been runner-up and 21 times she has won. The pressure she faced in Paris must have been immense and we reported that "this was possibly her biggest emotional reaction to winning a competition."

In an breathtaking Instagram report, she says. "I can’t explain how many times in the past 3 months I cried and broke down in the middle of training. So many ‘what if’s’ and doubts but at the end of the day I believed in myself and in my preparation. I don’t know if many people realize how hard it is to be the favorite and to deliver over and over again and honestly, I have no idea how I made it happen."

The 25-year-old Slovenian finishes up, "... still it was the hardest competition I’ve ever done."

Oier Berruete has repeated Iker Pou's 45 meter long Celedon (9a) in Egino, La Leze. (c) Mikel Etxeberria

Can you tell us more about doing your first 9a?
I had been looking at this route for a long time, because when you reach the wall it catches your eye and you start to dream about it. I started trying it a little last year, I took the steps and refined sequences... but I had to stop climbing due to a heel injury. For this season I was clear that I wanted to focus on this route, so I combined days on the route with training sessions directed to it. It has not been easy to catch the weather conditions, but it has helped me to try it in humidity and wet conditions to focus on details that I might not do in good conditions.

The route is very good, 45 meters of sustained climbing, with a sequence of small holds and delicate feet to reach the belay that puts you in your place. I have enjoyed it a lot, and I can say that it is one of the best routes I have climbed. I would like to thank Iker Pou for equipping this jewel, and also all those who have accompanied me in this process.

What is your climbing background?
I started climbing 10 years ago and combined it with other sports. At the same time as I dedicated more time to climbing, I started to get interested in training. When I finished my studies, I started to train different climbers, both men and women, under my training brand "OBsesion Climbing Training". I have been lucky enough to meet many people from whom I have learned a lot and evolved as a climber. In 2021 I did my first 8c, and since then I began to believe that it could be possible to do 9a one day. I have always been very motivated to improve myself... Now I dream of much more... hehehe Who knows!