Kerry Scott, who did three 8A+ graded boulder problems last year, has sent The Grinch sds (8B) in Eldorado Canyon. "The boulder definitely suits me very well! It’s hard to comment on the grade. People have opinions that are all over the place. It took me 3 sessions and I felt like I had some luck on my side because I executed all the moves perfectly and felt like I was in flow. For me, there was no margin for error on a climb this hard and technical.”

Leo Bøe, who did three 8c+'s last month in Oliana, has sent Estado critico (9a) in Siurana. (c) Esteban Lahoz

"In 2019 I saw my friend, Lucas Marques, climb Estado Critico as his first 9a. He motivated me to try the moves, but at that time they felt hard and impossible to link. I’ve wanted to revisit the route through the years to check in on my progress and now I finally had the chance. This time, the moves felt far within reach and already on day two I was falling at the end. The final move was the redpoint crux for me and I fell there in the following sessions. The ending is super techy and you’re going from thumb press to thumb press while sitting on a heel. It was incredibly rewarding to finally latch the final pocket/jug and send the route that gave me so much trouble five years ago! Perhaps soft for the grade, but harder than all the 8c+’s I’ve done."

How long have you stayed in the area and what is next on your agenda?
Next, I will sample the moves in La Rambla. My dream for this year is to find a 9a+ project that gets me psyched to fight hard. I have been here for two months and I’ll be staying 2-3 months longer in Spain! Let’s see what comes next!

Manon HILY has redpointed L'idéal chimérique (8c+) and flashed La barre à un million d'année (8b) in St Léger. In total, she has now done 15 routes 8c or 8c+, out of which four this winter.

”I spent five days in the end on L'ideal. This is a long route with a lot of « not natural » holds but very cool to train because there are two parts. In the first part, all the moves are powerful and long on good holds. You have to be fast and after that, you have a good rest with a small jug. Then you have a pumpy section before the crux with eight moves and then there is a very hard shoulder move. I took a little crimp to be closer and cross instead of doing the shoulder movement. I think this is the perfect beta for small people. You can fall so many times to the top!”

The french climber has been an active IFSC competition climber since 2009, winning nine youth medals. In 2022, she earned her first senior podium with a bronze at the European Lead Championship. Last year, the 29-year-old was #3 in the Briancon World Cup and now her goal is to qualify for the Olympics and later the European Championship. After this, her focus will be back on outdoor climbing.

8/4 Boulder WC: Keqiao - China
12/4 Lead WC: Wujiang - China
3/5 Boulder WC: Salt Lake City - USA
16/5 Olympic Qualifier: Shanghai - China
20/6 Olympic Qualifier: Budapest - Hungary
26/6 Boulder & Lead WC: Innsbruck - Austria
12/7 Lead WC: Chamonix - France
17/7 Lead WC: Briancon - France
5/8 Olympic Games: Paris - France
24/8 Euro Championship: Villars - France

6/9 Lead WC: Koper - Slovenia
20/9 Boulder WC: Prague - Czech Republic
2/10 Boulder & Lead WC: Seoul - South Korea

There is currently no info available in regards to the Youth World Championship.

There are over 8.2 million ascents in the 8a database that could assist you in finding the best routes to try. Here's the list of the most popular ones from 7a to 9a.

Estado critico (9a) in Siurana - 41 ascents
La Novena Puerta (8c+) in Santa Linya - 48
Pata negra (8c) in - 119
Geminis (8b+) in - 201
L'ami de tout le monde (8b) in Céüse - 284
La cara que no miente (8a+) in Siurana - 439
Carte Blanche (8a) in Céüse - 808

Makach Walou (7c+) in Céüse - 817 (c) Jill Sompel
Vagabond d'occident (7c) in Céüse - 902
Mandràgora (7b+) in Siurana - 1 108
Lapinerie (7b) in Céüse - 1 356
Crosta pànic R1 (7a+) in Siurana - 1 758
DNA (7a) Kalymnos in - 2 249

Alizee Dufraisse has done Second life (8A+) in Chironico. The 36-year-old is a former competition climber who has sent three 9a's and eight boulders 8B and beyond. In the Lead World Cup, her best result was a podium in 2009. Currently, she is writing her PhD thesis in Sociology regarding changes in professional climbing. (c) Marine Thevenet

Can you tell us more about Second Life?
After Kingda Ka (8B) in October I was very motivated and tried From dirt grows the flower left (8B+) a little but I kind of tweaked my shoulder so [I] had to find a boulder that didn’t bother me. I decided then to try The Crack Line (8B) which I think is a super line as well. It is hard!!! I couldn't send but I made good tries. At the same time, I wanted to have a "side project", especially with the idea of an endurance boulder as I'm returning to routes soon. So I started trying Second Life. It was cool, as I also learned about my abilities to go climbing alone, make it safe, and find motivation and confidence.

I have always been bouldering with someone because I didn't imagine I could do it alone and that it would feel different but as good in a way. So it's weird, how I could have put myself some limits in my climbing practice.

Jenny Buckley, who did her first 8A at age 13, has sent Forever More sit start (8A+) in Brione. In 2023, the 16-year-old did ten IFSC Youth Comps and her worst result was #8.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
All of my friends that I usually go rock climbing with were busy so I took two crashpads with me hopped on a bus and went to Brione alone. I warmed up quickly and remembered Forever More was quite a short boulder and relatively safe with only two pads. So I went straight to it and sent it in about ten minutes. It suited my style and overall I have to say it's a beautiful boulder.

What is your climbing background?
I was born in Slovenia but moved to Ticino 5/6 years ago and am a big fan of rock climbing but don't go outdoors often since training is currently the main focus. I'm mostly a competition climber so this off-season I have been practically only training hard indoors. Yesterday I had a day where I could go for a day to have fun and just enjoy the rock.

Noé Looser, Lead European Youth Champion in September, has done Frank's wild years 8A (+) in Cresciano. The 17-year-old sent her first 8c at age 13. ”Frank's was a really cool project which I had a lot of fun with. I tried Frank's this year three or four days and last year once. I think the first three moves are the hardest. For the hook I needed a lot of body tension.”

BJ Tilden, 43, did the FA of The Ritual (9a) in The Temple last October."Another hard and awesome one in the temple! Not as hard as Pneuma but seems solid in the grade. Different style but just as high quality."

Barbara Zangerl has sent Solitary Souls direct exit (8c) in Arco after trying it a dozen times. The Austrian has the most impressive female multi-discipline ticklist in the world. Last year, she sent the trad line Meltdown (8c+) and she has done five bolted routes graded 8c+/9a or 9a. Her big wall resume is elite and she completed boulders to 8B until she incurred problems with her back.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I had a great time in Arco. Solitary Souls (8c+) is a route from Alfredo Webber and Adam [Ondra] did the onsight of that pumpy steep line. I just did the direct exit which is easier and a bit shorter. I would be psyched to get on the main line which is longer and adds another pumpy crux to the line.

What is your next plan?
In general, my plan in winter is to train mostly in the gym and I work a bit more in the hospital at this time of the year.

How does a normal training week look?
I train 5 times a week, mostly freestyle… lots of time in the bouldering gym.

Any big travel plans for 2024?
In summer we would be psyched to go on an expedition to Pakistan or India…. We are still planning… not sure yet… and in fall back to Yosemite.

Babsi has previously commented on how it is possible to focus on so many disciplines at the same time?
"For me personally this is the best way to stay motivated all the time. I can‘t really imagine focusing just on one style all the time. Maybe I would be stronger then but it would be less fun, I guess. I love all the different styles of climbing. For me, it is not all about climbing hard. I love the mental challenge in trad climbing and the adventures in big wall climbing. Climbing an easier graded route which is hard to protect can be a harder challenge compared to climbing a hard-graded sport climbing route. So it is all relative. I just really like the learning process of trying out something new."