Jonathan Siegrist has done the FA of The Creeping Unknown (9a) in La Madres. "It's a stunning panel of rock with such improbable movement on it! I climbed it to the half way mark earlier this year for around 8c/+ but really I wanted to come back to clean the finish as it makes the most sense as a full line. I'm so stoked on how it turned out and it was such a great feeling to get it finished before I finally go into some more focused training for winter."

Can you say something about your Euro trip where we can see you have logged five onsights 8b or 8b+?
Before I got back to Vegas 2 weeks ago I was climbing in St Leger. It was a complete joy to discover this area for the first time with good friends. I had some daily onsighting goals which was very different for me and so fun! I think I learned a few things about pacing and planning.

What are your plans and goals for 2024?
Too many goals honestly! Some around here in Vegas, some in France, some in Wyoming. Maybe the most exciting one is to try and finish a mega project of mine at the Fins. Time to start training! I was there already to try it three times. I have been a bit afraid of it, to be honest, but for me, it is the hardest and best line I have ever bolted so I want to try and make it a priority.

How long and steep is it?
40 meters. Maybe overhanging by 5 degrees.

Most of us would have probably guessed you were into steeper terrain?
I like it all! I used to be obsessed with technical climbing and was bad at steep stuff and caves. Back when I bolted this project! But since, and over the last few years I was mostly climbing steeper stuff and trying to improve there. Now time to go back to the tiny holds...

Jorge Diaz-Rullo has been one of the very best climbers in the world for the last five years. Here are some laboratory tests that try to explain his strengths.

Since this morning, 13. Dec 2023, at 9 AM CET, we're doing a 24-hour test phase for our latest feature: one source for all ascents and content in Vertical-Life and 8a, with fully synced logbooks, route lists and ascent feeds, as well as seamless syncing between 8a and the Vertical-Life App.

What's New? If you're a Vertical-Life app user logging outdoor ascents, your 8a logbook will now capture all ascents, regardless of where you recorded them. For those with ascents from both the app and website, a new 'include duplicates' checkbox is available at the top of your logbook for easy identification and management. This feature, combined with alphabetic sorting, allows you to edit or delete any duplicate entries, ensuring a tidy and accurate logbook. Don't worry, we have not deleted any ascents. What isn't synced: past rankings, the gallery images, and the followings. This will follow soon. If you are not using the app yet, the main difference will be more ascents overall on the website. All other improvements will come with the redesigned web version that we are launching beginning of next year.

Your Feedback Matters! Encountering issues? Whether it's duplicate ascents, missing entries, broken link or any other glitches, we want to hear from you. Shoot an email to our product manager, Simon ([email protected]) with a screenshot, a link to the page, and a brief description of the issue. Your input is invaluable, and we'll be gathering feedback for the next 24 hours before reverting to our previous system for tweaks and fixes.

Thank you so much for your help!

Stefano Carnati has sent Sanjski par extension (9a) in Osp/Misja Pec. This was the 24th ascent of a 9a route and beyond including Erebor (9b) which the 25-year-old sent this spring.

Can you tell us more about Sansjki Par and Misja Pec?
As I moved to Slovenia for my studies, Misja Pec is one of the closest winter crags. I climbed there a few times 12 years ago and it was definitely good to come back! This past weekend I had the opportunity to attempt “Sanjski pas extension” with some strong friends. I spent three days in a row on the route, and finally, despite the tiredness, on my 10th try I was able to climb through the middle crux and continue till the top!

Kerry Scott and Maya Madere have done Trebuchet (8c) in New River Gorge (WV). Previously, they have both done several boulders 8A to 8A+, but this was their first 8c route. (c) Karen Lane

Kerry: "I essentially learned how to climb at the New, and it was really awesome to return and put down my hardest sport send to date. My hot take is that the New is the best rock climbing in the world. It has such a hard and unique style that definitely takes some adapting. It was really sick to see Maya adapt to the style quickly and crush too!

Or maybe the New is the most underrated? Haha, I don’t claim to have much worldly experience, but the New is just SO good. I have been to Ceuse though, and I think the New is better 👀 😅"

Can you tell us more about your ascents?
Kerry: It ended up taking me 5 sessions, and I think it took Maya 4. We both had very promising sessions on it early on, but struggled a bit with skin and balancing our energy with different projects we were trying.

Maya: It was really cool to try Trebuchet with Kerry because we climbed it so differently. Although we shared and debated beta extensively, we ended up using completely different beta for almost every section. We also had totally different cruxes; the roof boulder was by far the hardest part for me while Kerry could consistently climb through it from the ground and made it look chill every time. I love climbing with Kerry in part because our styles are so different and I learn so much every time we climb together! It’s awesome to have a partner who complements and challenges my skill set so well.

This was also my first trip to the New, and it was super fun and challenging to start learning the NRG style. The movement there is really unique and the long, but bouldery, routes demand a balance of fitness and power. We stayed there for almost 3 weeks and there’s still a long list of routes I can’t wait to go back for.

Here is an unofficial B & L 2023 female ranking. The Top-48, in yellow, have qualified for the Qualification series, hosted in Shanghai in May and Budapest in June, from which, the Top-10 will secure a spot at the 2024 Olympics. The source, who did not want to be credited, is an Excel found on Reddit which has been modified. Here is the complete results from IFSC.
Red = Already qualified for Olympics
Grey = Not ranked in their country's Top-4

Here is an unofficial B & L 2023 male ranking. The Top-48, in yellow, have qualified for the Qualification series, hosted in Shanghai in May and Budapest in June, from which, the Top-10 will secure a spot at the 2024 Olympics. The source, who did not want to be credited, is an Excel found on Reddit which has been modified. Here is the complete results from IFSC.
Red = Already qualified for Olympics
Brown = Country has filled its quota
Grey = Not ranked in their country's Top-4

Jana Svecova, who did her first 8C boulder this summer, has made the FA of Dune (8B) in Stařechovícký Lom. ”5 days, amazing crimpy boulder with 6 hard moves. 5 moves into the 3mover 7C+ crime busters stand version.”

Lauren Mukheibir and Mel Janse Van Rensburg won the African Olympic Qualifier and the tickets to Paris 2024. From the female and the male result we can see that all 8 + 8 finalists were from South Africa. © The Good Beta/IFSC

Lauren: “I feel fantastic! I have trained in Australia the whole year with an incredible coach called Alan, and he’s taught me so much. In between all the training, I’ve been studying over time, I’ve just finished my degree, and now this! I just feel phenomenal!” she said. I’m going to Paris. I still can’t believe it! I still can’t believe it! My parents were here, my godfather was here, pretty much the whole team from my gym in Johannesburg, they have all had my back since day one. I’m so happy that they were here to witness this. I’m not gonna lie, the boulders felt really hard, but also so cool. I would love to get the chance to try them again! I started getting very nervous just before the Lead, so I’ve locked everything out and climbed my heart out. I had so much fun!”

Mel: “I’m surprised, I guess. This feeling is unreal, I am super happy! I was a little bit nervous before the Boulder round, but I knew I could do it, so I just tried to have fun. The Lead route felt good all the way, I knew that if I had topped, I would have won. I’m currently studying Engineering in Lyon, France, so next year is going to be tough, but I’m going to have to make time to train and maybe do some more World Cups... I haven’t thought that far!”

Tina Johnsen Hafsaas has completed Pure Imagination (8c+) in Red River Gorge (KY). The Norwegian has been an active IFSC competition climber for 15 years straight and her best result was fourth place in, Chamonix, in 2017. (c) Colette McInerney

How did you prepare for the trip?
I prepared for this trip in the gym. Mostly crimpy circuits on spray wall, but I also climbed outdoors on a home project once a week to prep my skin. I was pretty consistent with two days of climbing with every day 1 including hard bouldering too. I would typically do bouldering and short circuits day 1 and longer circuits day 2. If I felt too tired to boulder with quality I would do full session circuits, they are always easier for me to complete with high quality. Coming from competitions I am used to a training schedule with varied style, and a lot of the time is spent working weaknesses, but preparing for this trip I really embraced my strengths and the style I would meet in the Red. It was fun!

How was your progress on the route?
My process on the route was pretty linear, but quite slow. Because it is so sharp I couldn’t climb a lot on it every session, and that’s kind of what you want to do in the beginning while learning moves, sequences and how to rest. But I had to be smart with my skin and focus on building it up rather than tearing down. I did first half of the trip climbing on Pure with fresh skin and power after a rest day, and play around on side projects day 2, but I quickly realized skin was a crucial piece in this puzzle so as soon as I got into send mode I rested more and prioritized to get as many day 1’s as possible. I felt pretty confident on the top and did boulder to top link quite fast, but getting through the bottom boulder took me days.

My tactic was to be in a position to send once I got through the boulder. I didn’t do that, but I got pretty close second time I passed it by sticking the bump which is the red point crux, and falling going into the last rest. After this try I knew I would send, I just needed one more good day. Some bad weather followed, which gave me time to work on some new details and heal a flapper and split.

I would say some of the hardest in the process was to actually try hard. I spent days just playing on the route, finding beta and being happy with small links, and going from this chill attitude to actually try hard took a few more sessions than I thought it would. If I was to do it again I would make sure to try harder as soon as I thought it was possible. After having put in the work it all came down to details, conditions and skin. I did Omaha Beach (8b+) right after. It was a good day.

What is next and what about competitions in 2024?
Next is to continue to explore my limits on rock. I’ve never really had the time, in between competitions and the preparation that requires, but now I will take some time and focus on rock. I have a few exciting trips planned for both sport and bouldering, and also climb more on home turf. I just came back from a long-term injury so I just want to keep the momentum going and do whatever excites me. Right now that is training for rock projects and being out there trying hard.