Domen Škofic has been on a four week “solo” trip to , where he did 17 routes 8b to 8c+, including two onsights. (c) Jan Novak

The five hardest, for the overall World Cup winner in 2016, were; L'idéal chimérique (8c+), Le concept intégrale (8c+), Go Green Gringo (8c+), La ligne claire (8c+) and L'enfumette (8c+).

Which route did you like the most and which did cause you most problem?
My favorite route I’ve done on the whole trip was “Le concept integrale”. I’ve spent two tries to equip this monster line with draws and to clean the top part but then I had so much fun on it that I was able to send it the next try after a huge fight. I liked it because I love long routes, it has a unique crux at the top where you have to throw your feet above your head and I think it’s also one of the most natural routes in SL.

Most of the routes I was able to send on my second, third or fourth try only L’ideal Chimerique I came close to my limit because I was underestimating it and I always tried it at the end of the day and I got to pumped.

The only route I came to my limit of 6 tries was Supercrackinette (9a+) and it was very tempting to try it more because it was [looking] very promising to send it quick but at the same time it could take me many more tries because I wasn’t solid enough on the last move and I would need to be quite lucky to get the last micro crimp perfectly…

Can you explain more about what you said on Instagram prior to the trip: “On the road 🇫🇷 solo mission, meet new people and climb great routes.”
Haha, yeah it’s awesome to do solo trips. I started doing this because I’ve always used too much energy getting people pumped up for a certain trip and at one point I realized that people that are actually psyched to climb at the crag I want to go are already there. … and meeting new people is anyway one of the best ways to learn in life not just climbing, I love it :)

I talked to people a little bit in advance of course. Before coming to SL I talked to Jules Marchaland and he recommended me to his friend that climbs a lot in the area. From there on I met new people and so it was never hard to climb with somebody cool every day :)

What are your next plans?
For 2024 plans I can’t really say because I’m really just following my instinct at the moment. The next trip will be to Villanueva del Rosario to finally try Chilam Balam (9b). I’ve been dreaming to try this route since I first saw videos about it.

Andrea Locatelli, who last year onsighted eigth routes 8a or 8a+, has onsighted Cerutti Gino (8a+) in Arco. Andreas father Davide, gives us the background.

The ascent of Andrea's last 8a+ onsight came by chance... The day before in Arco, Andrea took part in a selection meeting of the Italian national team and we decided to stay an extra day to climb outside. We have few opportunities to climb on the rock precisely because of competitive commitments. We spent a few hours at the Bassilandia crag and on the advice of some local climbers, whom I thank, Andrea tried Cerutti Gino, a slab of about 30 meters with two bouldery sections separated by a good rest. It was a good fight especially because of the second boulder problem which was difficult to read on sight and because Andrea was climbing with two annoyed [thin skinned] fingertips, worn out from training the day before.

Andrea replies regarding this year's objectives: “This year I will be very busy with competitive commitments, I would like to join the youth national team but it will be very difficult at my current height [150 cm]. I would also like to climb the first 9a! But first of all have fun.”

Amandine Loury has, in the same day, done La ligne claire (8c+) and Les petits chefs du néant (8c) in . (c) Jean-Luc Jeunet

La ligne she had been trying for several years. After the send she decided to also try Les petits which she worked on one year ago.

”I always have been passionate about the rock, even when I was competing. In 2012 I decided to stop competition and to spend all my free time on the rock. I’m sport teacher close to Saint léger du ventoux and Buoux. I practice rock climbing 3-4 times per week and this is the main training I really do. I’m very lucky to live in this amazing area, surrounded by world-class crags.”

The IFSC has introduced comprehensive regulations related to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). "RED-S is a syndrome that affects health and performance and is caused by a mismatch between the calories eaten and burned during exercise. It can lead to many short- and long-term health and performance issues. "In short, the IFSC REDs Policy will require:

"Athletes to fill out two short questionnaires aimed at accumulating personal parameters for such criteria as height, weight, heart rate and blood pressure;

National Federations are to issue each athlete a health certificate or request more testing before providing “clearance” to the IFSC;

IFSC will initiate random and focussed testing of the following parameters (including BMI, heart rate, and blood pressure) throughout the competition season. The IFSC will also store the information provided by the National Federations;

An External Commission will review the data of suspected cases, comparing collected data with that of the National Federation health certificates."

IFSC President Marco Scolaris comments. “The new system underscores our commitment to the health of our athletes. The policy will not only help us determine which athletes are most at risk, it will also help raise awareness of the issue, provide help to those who need it, and ensure the rights of each athlete are protected.

The National Federations are key to the success of the new policy, as the health and welfare of the athletes fall under their jurisdiction at the national level. We look forward to collaborating with them closely on this matter.”

As an example, here are the scores and measurements that give an idea of who will be allowed to compete or if further testing is required

(ii. BMI: Males 18 years old and older < 18.5; Males 15 – 17 years old: < 18
Females 18 years old and older < 18, Females 15 – 17 years old: < 17.5
iii. Heart Rate: 18 years and older <40bpm; under 18 years old < 50bpm
iv. Blood Pressure: < 90/60 mm Hg)

Here are some examples of BMI:
(Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.)
61 kg / (180 cm * 180 cm) = 18.8
54 kg / (170 cm * 170 cm) = 18.7
46 kg / (160 cm * 160 cm) = 18.0
40 kg / (150 cm * 150 cm) = 17.8

Victor Guillermin, who won the bronze in the Euro Championship last September, has repeated Gerome Pouvreau's Le Cadafist (9a) in . (c) Emile Pino

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I was looking for a side project near Grenoble and saw the Megos video in Le Cadafist. I wanted so badly to try it! I was not disappointed. This route can be divided into 3 parts, a first 8a, then a good rest, where you can sit on a tree. It is so weird to rest on a tree, but it is allowed, and it gave the name to the route. Only the goat Megos didn't take it 🤣. After that comes two 8c's, separated by a good rest. The first one, powerful, didn't feel that hard, but the second one, pumpy on crimps, was way harder, especially the last big dynamic move to a crimp. On my 4th and 5th sessions, I fell on this move. Finally, on my 6th session, with my skin completely destroyed, I managed to send this gem! I am so glad to be able to do such hard routes! Now back to training for Stoking the Fire (9b), the main goal of this year!

What about comps this year?
2024 will be my last youth competition year. So I'll try to get the world title! And I'll try to get in the senior French Team... If it's not this year, it will be the next one. I'm not in a rush.

Stefano Carnati, who has 25 routes 9a to 9b under his belt, has done Martin Krpan (9a) in Mišja Peč. "Martin Krpan is a classic of Mišja Peč and although it might not be as appealing as other routes I was curious to check it out sooner or later. So I first tried it in December and realized it actually climbs way better than it appears! I had some attempts during different days struggling mostly with the cold temps. Yesterday conditions were warmer and pump was all I had to fight against! The decision to climb it without kneebars and the rest out left at the top was mainly dictated by how this route was originally climbed back in the days (I’m not against kneepads at all)." (c) Nicholas Hobley

How hard do you think it would be with kneepads?
Hard to guess but kneepads allow you to rest at three crucial points just before and after the main crux. I suppose 8c\+ max. As I said, it was put up in 2001… it’s a link… rock climbing is just a game it’s good to play… as I said I’m not against kneepads at all. I believe that nowadays routes must be climbed/graded in the best conditions and in the easiest possible way.

Michaela Kiersch, who last week did five boulder problems 8A to 8B in Hueco Tanks (TX), has sent Nagual (8B) in just two sessions. (c) Nic Oklobzija

"My first session was short and I did the moves in two overlapping sections. Paid the price in blood on this one — ripped off basically my whole index pad while giving warm up tries but sometimes you gotta tape it up, pop an ibu, and get it done. The holds are tiny and sharp but I wanted to send so I just taped it up and tried my hardest."

The 29-year-old has now completed eleven boulders 8B and harder, out of which nine she's done in the last 18 months. She has also climbed 15 routes 8c+ to 9a, with most of those ascents taking place over the the last two years, cementing her place among the top elite female climbers globally.

Amity Warme sent Book of Hate (8b) in November. "Amazing route! Some of the hardest stemming I have done. Sent 4th attempt. Ball nuts are useful at the top."