Beckett Hsin, who last year sent The Game (8C) , has done Mind to Motion (8B+) in Elkland. ”Amazing boulder, had to find different beta for the beginning and top out sequences. I almost died on the top.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent and about your dying moment?
Mind to motion is around 18 moves in total. The main portion of the boulder is techy compression on crimps, until you reach a flat jug. After that you have to compose yourself for the sketchy top out. I started trying it with my brother Sam, and after a few sessions we were both able to send!

“Almost dying” was a bit of an exaggeration, haha. The top out climbs right over a ledge, if you happened to fall there you’d most likely roll down the hill. When I got there on my send go, there were a few times where I almost fell. Luckily I was able to push through and make it to the top.

Luca Bacer has done Sanjski par extension (9a) in Mišja Peč. "Without kneepads and with the underclings all the way to the top. First 9a!" (c) Stefano Staffetta

Can you tell us more about Sanjski Par?
I started trying the route a couple of seasons ago, without knowing if I'd ever manage to send it one day. I started to put more effort into it only last season and I soon sent the first anchor (8c+), but then some injuries stopped me. This season I felt more prepared and I immediately started making some good links, managing to climb the first pitch 8 times. Last week conditions were good and I finally succeeded in climbing all the way to the top of the extension.

Working this route really taught me to appreciate the way the first climbers had done it and I wanted to respect their style by doing exactly the same line with the same tools of the time. ... Like this, trying and eventually climbing the route proved even more fun and challenging for me.

Adam Ondra has flashed Luftig kö till nålens öga (8B+) at Kjugekull. ”Probably hard 8B? Fit my style perfectly except for the last move. Did it with the left heel and then the cut loose was so much on the limit!”

This was the fourth problem graded 8B+ that Ondra has flashed however, he's downgraded all but one of these flash successes to 8B. (c) Paul-Martin Luc, who shared the beta with Ondra, said that, "He came very prepared and knew basically all boulders from watching videos."

On Instagram Ondra further adds, "Everything flowed really well, I got all technical details [down] perfectly on this compression beast and I found myself at the final cut-loose, where I just tried really really hard (can’t remember when I had to try so hard in the span of just a second) and I was on the top."

Emelie Gearhardt, who the over last two years has done roughly 20 boulders problems graded 8A and harder, reports on Instagram that she has sent Walk The Line (8A+) in Chironico.

Can you tell us more about this boulder problem?
I tried „walk the line“ many years ago for the first time but it felt really hard for me so I didn’t try it again. In January we‘ve been in Ticino for some days and I decided to give it another try after so many years. I was surprised because it felt pretty good and I was able to climb the stand start. So I was psyched to go back to Ticino to finish the sit start, and luckily [this trip] it went well!

Camille Coudert, who climbed Soudain seul (9A) in 2022, has repeated The Story Of 2 Worlds (8C) which he feels is not harder than 8B+. Dave Graham made the first ascent of The Story of 2 Worlds in 2005, and at that time he felt it was the new standard for 8C. Six years after Graham's FA, Paul Robinson made the first repeat and as of today it has been logged 29 times in the VL database, which makes it one of the most climbed 8C boulder problems in the world (if that grade were to stand).

Can you tell us more about why you think The Story is 8B+?
I think I spent 5 sessions on 3 trips, all with complicated weather conditions (rain and heat). Again this weekend I came for 2 days and only had a 3 hour window between the rain to climb.

The main difference [that makes it easier] is the new beta for the stand [The Dagger (8B)]. We could break the boulder down into 7C+ for the sit start part (with a knee pad), 7C+/8A (without knee pad), followed by an 8A+/B [for The Dagger portion] instead of what was originally graded 8B+. All the climbers who did The Dagger seem to agree on that.

Zach Galla has done the second ascent of The Process (8C+) in the Buttermilks. Daniel Woods put it up in 2015, and at that time it was one of few boulder problems graded 8C+. In the ranking game, Zach is #3 after having also done three 8C’s, as well as, Sleepwalker (8C+) over the last three months. The 23-year-old was #8 in the Salt Lake City WC last year but he has said his focus 2024 is outdoors. (c) Brennan Robinsson

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The process was a very special one to me. I saw Daniel do the FA in real rock when I was 14 and the boulder has been in my mind as one of the most mega things out there. Feels crazy that it’s remained unrepeated for 9 years, and my climbing has leveled up enough in that time to climb it for its 2nd. The boulder is definitely scary but not too dangerous. the crux jump to the lip is about 18 feet [5.5 meters] off the ground and feels like it will swing you off and cause a weird fall, but I was lucky to never take a bad one from there. After the lip, the boulder starts to get into a no fall zone as you execute around a V8 [7B+] boulder before making it onto some easy slab terrain. It felt as if there was nothing else around me and I was climbing in a bubble. A unique climbing experience I’ve never experienced before.

How many sessions did it take and how did it all unfold?
It took me three trips and somewhere around 10 sessions. I first flashed the drop off boulder Social Distortion 8A+ (B), then started working the next section off of a ladder and was able to complete that link on my first trip as well. I thought it may go quickly but the boulder is a logistically hard one to try. I needed at least one day of rest after a short session with only a few tries, and often multiple rest days after a sesh due to skin.

Buster Martin has repeated Will Bosi's Furia de Jabali (9a+) in Siurana. ”Six sessions. Final piece of a life come back. Could barely pull on last year but despite climbing having a back seat in my life I kept up the fingerboarding which got me up this thing. Wouldn’t have sniffed at it if it was given 9a.”

Can you elaborate, on what you mean by climbing taking a back seat and not sniffing at 9a?
If the consensus for the grade was 9a then I wouldn’t have complained.

Until a short trip out here a month ago, I hadn’t been climbing as much for the past 10 months or so, with most of that time being spent in Indonesia. However, I never stopped training completely. Classic 20mm pulls and weights as standard then the addition of Front 3 half crimps, micros, high angle work on the fingerboard to work my weaknesses. Whilst I didn’t have the time, motivation or mental energy to climb I found that short fingerboard and weights sessions were manageable and knew they’d pay off.

I also filled the board in Bali with grimmest scew ons I could find, so when I did climb it was an hour of limit moves on there, I was more working a general weakness but it came in useful on this route.

What is coming up next for you?
I didn’t have much luck in my climbing in the first quarter of last year so I’m keen to get some confidence up and get moving again. I thought doing a short route like Furia and trying something longer like Estado would give me a good base and target both ends of the energy systems to later apply more specifically to the endurance required for First Round First Minute (9b) which I got back on today.

More thoiughts from Buster and a video of the start can be found on Instagram.

Marco Müller has posted a great video from his trip to Mallorca last October where his hardest DWS was Animalistic (8c).

How high were the highest falls you took? How dangerous is it?
I'd say around 13-14 meters. You can definitely take some bad falls if you do sketchy high heels or toe hooks and stuff. But then, the art is in knowing you abilities and letting go at the right moment in order to not swing unexpectedly.

Solveig Korherr has done Rêve de poutre (8c) in Saint Léger ”Good one! Felt just like board climbing. Two days.” (c) John Thornton - Les petits chefs du néant (8c)

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I spontaneously decided to try “Rêve de poutre” (8c) on a short trip to St Léger because it was one of the few routes that were dry at the beginning, and it seemed like one that could suit me. It has an easier start into the upper part of ‘Cadafist’ (9a/+), which is quite powerful on small crimps. Four hard quite basic board moves, and then some power-endurance to the top. Very fun!

What is next? Start projecting Cadafist?
Maybe one to try for the future. I will go back home and perhaps do some shorter bouldering trips to Ticino in between some work & training.

Jorge Diaz-Rullo sent Bibliographie (9b+) last October. " Marco Zanone's documentation immortalizes Jorge's epic triumph, a tale of resilience that resonates far beyond the cliffs of Céüse. Jorge's journey was one of sacrifice and dedication, spanning years of relentless training and attempts to conquer this formidable challenge. “Bibliographie” pushed his physical and mental limits, demanding a level of commitment that surpassed mere ambition."