"I bolted the route in 2014. Started trying it seriously in 2017. Then spent 2018 and 2019 fully dedicated to it. 2020 was injury and Olympics prep. 2021 Olympics. 2022 it didn’t dry out due to epic amounts of rain. Then sent after 9 days this year. I think it’s around 60-70 days total. Many days finding beta. Many days with not the best weather or tactics or whatever else. But also many days giving it everything I have and leaving empty handed. Happy to have it over with and thinking about new projects. There are many which have had to be put aside while I tried this project."

Invented in 2000, this year saw the ninth edition of the No Foot Contest. Organized in Strasbourg, the European capital, in the Roc en Stock climbing gym, in collaboration with the Escalade Alsace association.

The big names were present, including Micka Mawem, 2023 bouldering world champion, Camille Pouget, world cup finalist, as well as Ninja Warrior stars such as 2023 French winner Clément Gravier, and Germany's Rita Benker. This year's competitors were at an all-time high. Micka Mawem broke the pull-up record in 40 seconds with a score of 43. As for the one-arm pull-ups, the previous record was 14; Benoit Corby beat it by one with 15, but Micka Mawem pulverized it a few minutes later with a total of 20. Camille Pouget, who made the longest hang-time on a small 10mm crimp (71 seconds) took home the first female workshop vicotory in this comp's history.

The campus board (W.Güllich) record was equalled by Micka Mawem and Benoit Corby (6-15-22 on small edges).

In the final, Micka Mawem and Camille Pouget triumphed in a thrilling atmosphere in front of over 300 spectators. A cash purse of €10,000 was awarded to the 5 best women and 5 best men.

No Foot Contest 9 from EA vidéos on Vimeo.

Minyoung Lee, who was #12 in the Boulder World Champions in 2021, has made the first repeat of Sachi Amma’s Soulmate (9b). The 24-year-old Korean did his first 9a+ one year ago and last summer he did his second.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Ever since I was young I have had respect to Sachi. When he sent Soul Mate I was interested so I contacted him and visited first time this crag. I really like this place and it took me a 3days to send it.

The first day I felt that’s a really hard route but I solved each move but I didn’t link the crux part and the not either on the second day. On the third day it just happened during the first attempt of the day. Suddenly everything became possible and it was a magical moment. I still can’t believe it.

I think 9b is a possible grade because I’ve done similar styles before, Furia de Jabali 9a+, so it was easy to compare. The main crux part have a similar grade I think both will be around v14 [8B+] but the other part of Soul mate is harder than Furia so I think it has a 9b potential.

Maya Ene, 13, and Anastasia Sanders, 16, have done Lucifer (8c+) in Red River Gorge (KY). Maya is the defending US Youth National Champion and Anastasia was #8 in the B & L World Championship in 2023. Maya’s father John, 49, who finished his World Cup career in 1999 by being #19 in Speed and #43 in Lead in the World Championship, has sent his first 8c+, Southern Smoke.

Maya: “Over the Thanksgiving week, I spent couple of wonderful days climbing with my friends. This was a great opportunity for me to try Lucifer (8c+) with Annie Sanders and Natalia Grossman. We all worked so hard on the route despite the numbness in our fingers due to the low temperatures. Sadly, at the end of the week my family had to go back home but later decided to return once the weather was warmer and more stable. Almost a week later, I got the exciting news that Annie Sanders sent Lucifer. I was so ready to go back and the weather was slowly showing signs of improvement.

Monday, December 4th I am back on Lucifer working it with Natalia – none of us sent. Tuesday (40 degrees) – Natalia sends (big applauses to her, especially because her fingers were frozen for the entire climb). Friday, our last day at Red, had the perfect conditions (60 degrees).

I warmed up a little on the hangboard and went for the send. I felt so solid on it, controlling all the moves, and before I know it, I am clipping the chains. SUPER EXCITED!!!! But wait a second.. the day is not yet over. Now, my father, John Ene, wants to take advantage of this gorgeous day (and possibly catch up to me😊). So, we run to his project, Southern Smoke (8c+) which he has been working on for the last couple of weeks. He is able to execute all the moves so precisely, so efficiently, so confidently and there he is clipping the chains. Double HURRAY!!! Now we can return home…. and start talking about our next projects.

Karoline Sinnhuber has repeated Hungry Hungry Hippos (8A+) and For the Children (8A+) in Unknown Crag. In total, the 28-year-old former competitive climber has done 54 boulders 8A+ or 8B. (c) Leonard Moser

What's Hungry Hippos like?
The boulder consists of a 7C stand start which climbs super nicely, and the 8A+ sit. The sit adds 3 interesting moves into the standstart. Interesting, because it‘s super dependent on your body position and how you grab the shouldery hold with your left hand. For me personally it was super hard to find my beta for these moves… also I‘m super bad on underclings - which makes me even more proud I managed to do it :)

Mary Eden and Mari Salvesen have sent the 50 m roof crack Black Mamba in Canyonlands, which starts with almost 40 m of bouldering, inside an old mining tunnel with a head torch. It was established by Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker as an 8c in 2019, however, Salvesen, who only placed four pieces, feels 8b+ is a more accurate grade after having sent in just over five sessions. Salvesen's previous personal best was an 8b FA trad route back in Norway.

Eden: "It’s such a unique style, I’d like to climb a couple more before I’d feel comfortable down grading something Tom and Pete did. I’d say on the grade, I’ve never climbed that level before and don’t feel super comfortable having an opinion. I know it’s miles harder (to me) than Necronomicon. Mari’s super power is doing things fast, mine is just doing things. She is particularly good at crack bouldering. I think Black Mamba played into her strengths really really well. I think that’s why she’s self doubting. I’m more realistic after watching good climbers flail on it 😂.” (c) Spencer McKay

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Salvesen: It’s 50 meters with three thin/finger cruxes and an invert to arm/bar offwidth finish. It takes a full set of skills in order to put together. It took me two weeks to clean the route, work the boulder problems, stop thrashing around on the offwidth, and put it all together. I sent it on November 7th and was super happy seeing Mari get stoked on it. The crack is normally extremely dirty and I was hoping she’d take advantage of all my scrubbing.

The morning I sent The Black Mamba was super magical. Waking up at sunrise, I witnessed a herd of bighorn sheep frolicking around our camp. After a light warm-up I joked around with friends before the climb. Throughout the climb, my mantra was “climb smart” - conserving energy for the demanding finish. Climbing the Mamba that morning felt like pure fun, without my usual ‘try-hard’ mindset. Instead I embraced the flow state, feeling like I was playing the entire time.

I think that’s the awesome thing about Black Mamba. It’s a mixed route. Boulder problem to trad line. It’s so much fun to climb the boulder problem and then to tie in for the offwidth feels crazy. It took me two weeks to send it. I had trained specifically for it beforehand with lattice though.

Instagram Reel from Mari, who comments about the grade. “ I’ve never tried an 8c, so I wouldn’t know. But taking into consideration the effort, sessions, my current fitness, difficulty of the cruxes and rests in between, it does not add up to be the hardest grade I have ever climbed. Although comparing it to similar climbs in the area, like the Crackhouse (8a), an 8b+ seems fair in comparison. Which would still be the hardest grade I’ve climbed. I think the main thing that makes or breaks on this climb is if you are able to rest in good jams, because then you can recover in between harder sections and the length of the climb (which is what stands out here) does not actually add that much to the difficulty.”

Can you tell us more about your final 20 minute fight, sending it?
The send felt pretty solid the whole way, but not fully without some exciting moments. My taped crack glove was disintegrating, so i had to bite off as much of it as I could in the middle of the route. And I hadnt worked the Angry Pirate Finish since I did it, so i wasnt sure how that would feel after so many meters of climbing and without a taped hand. To my pleasant surprise it felt so much better than last time Id done it, my chickenwings were in there so deep that i didnt feel like i could fall out at any point. Pete with a supportive belay. It felt good.

Natalia Grossman, who will be competing in the Paris Olympics, reports on Instagram that she has done Southern Smoke (8c+) and Lucifer (8c+) in Red River Gorge (KY), after just three climbing days. "Although the weather was not ideal, we made the most of it, and by the end, I had learned how to climb with numb fingers."

What is coming up next?
I am currently just spending time with family and taking a break from training. A few weeks/months of no training and just climbing with friends for fun. I started doing this 3 years ago after my first IFSC season.

Natalia is mostly regarded as excelling at bouldering, has over the last three years won the World Cup and in 2021, she became the World Champion. Outdoors, she has sent well over 20 boulders 8A+ and beyond.

Jesse Grupper reports on Instagram that he has repeated Jonathan Siegrist's Full Metal Brisket (9a+) in New River Gorge (WV). The redpoint took five sessions and after day four Grupper felt he needed to take a step back, so he took a quick trip to Red River Gorge where he flashed Pure Imagination (8c+) and onsighted Thanatopsis 8b+ (c).

"That night I felt frustrated. I felt the weight of months of high performance comp climbing weighing on me. I had convinced myself that I was here to perform and send. I was honestly a bit over it. I was supposed to be outdoors doing the thing I loved, but that love felt fake. I wanted to leave. That night I decided to do just that." (c) Karen Lane

What do you do for mental training and can you elaborate a bit on that feeling of ”fake love” that you mentioned?
I do yoga, and meditate when I have the time. Rock climbings been my bread and butter in the sport, but taking a pause from it for the comp scene left me feeling a little lost in it, and coming back to it it was hard to find that same enjoyment that I knew I had towards it, that wasn't overly influenced by my feelings from the comp season.

What are your winter plans?
I'm planning on focusing on building a base for the upcoming WC season/Olympics.

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.