Christof Rauch, who already has fourteen 8C’s to his name, has done Foundations Edge (8C) in Fionnay. The 29-year-old is approaching 1 000 boulders 8A and harder but during the last 12 months he has “only” done 61 and this was his first 8C in 18 months.

“This one means a lot to me! I had a few trips over the last years and around 10 sessions on the boulder. This year I finally did it, first day back at it. It feels amazing and somehow surreal to close this chapter and climb one of my dream lines! Syked! Onto the next!

Solid work! You've been a little quiet up until now this year. What else have you been up to?
[It's] Probably due to work, building a house and some small injuries [I've had]. At the moment I also have a small finger injury on my right index finger. I can’t do some things but finally feel in a quite good shape again. Another problem is that I don’t have many cool boulder projects left around my home. I still work full time and also have a week of beeing on call for work every 5 weeks, so I can’t travel on these weekends."

Can you tell us more about Foundation and the challenge it posed?
[Ever] Since I saw the video of the first ascent by Dave Graham I was inspired by the line. A few years later, in 2019, I had my first trip to Fionnay. Back then I wanted to do some easier boulders but couldn’t resist to check out the moves of „Foundations Edge“. To my surprise it went not so bad and I managed to do all the moves and already some small links. The weather was against us that trip and I couldn’t go back for another session. Syke was high and I went back the next year. This time I felt better on the moves and managed to climb it in 2 parts. Sadfully the weather turned bad again and I only had 2 days on the climb.

2022 I decided to go back for another round. The weather was better but still a bit too warm for my taste. I came really close to send it that time but went home empty handed. With the boulder in my mind I just had to go for another trip a few weeks later. This time the conditions were better and I came painfully close, it feels like I should have sent it but my mind played against me. I was nervous, made mistakes and just wanted it too bad.

One year later it was time to go back, I planned some days to get the moves dialed again and even another trip later to have more chances. After a long drive I already realized at the warmup on the fingerboard that I feel pretty strong, then I immediately made some big links. First real try I fell on the last really hard move, mind-games kicked in again and I got really nervous. Then I had some medium good tries were I felt strong but always made some small mistakes. I knew I could do it, I only had to calm down a bit.

So I really focused on that and went for it. I climbed not perfectly but somehow still stayed on the wall. After the crux I almost messed it up due to hesitation and then I almost messed it up going to the jug. Climbing the easier but high topout felt amazing. I finally did it, first day of the season, I couldn’t believe it! Syked!

Samuel Ometz has sent X integral (9a+) in Gottreux, which was put up by Dylan Chuat in July. "It finally worked! Such a great variety of grips and climbing styles. Flat crimps and power endurance at the start, medium rest, hard compression boulder on open grips, bad rest, pinchy boulder, top. Lost count of the number of days, ~20-30 counting the tries in the shocker (9a) and Satire (8c+)."

Can you tell us more about this line?
X Integral is a combination of 'Satire' and 'The schocker'. The shocker is the 1st route I tried and which took 5 days this year. Then I tried and climbed 'les boules à Berty', 'bad reputation' and 'satire' in the next ~10 sessions. Then focused on 'X integral' for the next ~15 sessions. All together this cliff kept me busy most of the summer which was great! I really hope that other strong climbers will come as the routes are really good, is easily accessible and has many days of good conditions even in the summer heat :)

Matty Hong did Biographie (9a+) in Céüse in May and here is the 8a interview.

Siara Fabbri has sent Compass North (8B+) in Fionnay. The 30-year-old, who is working full-time as an antimatter researcher, started climbing at age 21 and did her first 8A just 14 months ago. Since then, Fabbri has sent 19 boulders 8A and harder also including New base line (8B+) which she did last year.

"It got cold and sticky and I crimped hard! First go of the day with Simo [Tenteri], so numbed out and flash pumped on the wet easy top. Psyched to do this one! No more splitting on the tiny crimps." (c) Simone Tenteri

Can you tell us more about Compass North?
The crux of the boulder is super crimpy and really steep, and the entire line is quite long (16 hand movements to the jug before the easy topout). It starts in the bottom of the cave on the same start hold as Fuck the System, then travels out this 50’ish degree board-like roof. I checked the moves last year and started trying this year. The crux for me is 3 moves towards the bottom (I posted a video of these on my insta account), the first of which is a big (for me) cross move off a small right hand crimp to another sharp crimp, then from these two bad crimps cutting feet and moving them, then matching the right hand into a weird small split pocket from bad feet. The hardest move for me was forsure the cutloose, and I struggled to do this move on its own for a few sessions. In August when we had the freak super cold weekend in the Alps regions, and it was 0 at night in Fionnay, I finally did this move like first go and could do it on repeat. The next weekend I came back and it was hot again, and I could barely repeat it. So I realized conditions on this one are a gamechanger for me!

With the moves down and some good links, I felt I could send but needed the right skin and cold temps. A few times I came back and it was still too hot or I split - one time twice on the same finger. Then it got really cold recently, my skin was good, I didn't practice too much in fear of splitting, and first go of the day I did it. The easier top part was soaking wet and mossy, and I was crazy numb and flashpumped so had to shake for so long on a ledge. Damn it feels good to do this one! Forsure the hardest I've had to crimp on a block, and psyched to not split on these sharp holds anymore!

Arief Nagara, who did Lethal Design (8A+) last year, has had a productive month doing five 8A's and at Freaks. In total, the 13-year-old has a very wide grade pyramid which includes 43 boulders 7C+ to 8A+. Last year, his 8a headline was 78 boulder 7B+ to 8A. His father Innosanto comments,

”I mentioned to Arief that you'd inquired. He feels the notable thing that he's done is in relation to his progression on ropes. That he basically went from being pretty much stuck at 5.13a/b to doing a 5.14a in just three months. To me what is notable is that he's good at building a broad base for his pyramid--with a lot of climbs at the grade, of varying styles and types of rock. Often his 'first of the grade' is on the soft side, and he knows that, but it helps with the mental motivation, and once there is a breakthrough it becomes about broadening.”

Ben Moon put up Hubble (8c+) in 1990 and lately, it has also been called the first 9a in the world. In 2015, he made a comeback and sent Rainshadow (9a).

Kim Marschner, who has already done eight 8C’s, has done the first boulder ascent of Unendliche Geschichte 1+2+3 (8C) in Magic Wood. The FA was done in 2009 by Peter Würth, who added four bolts to extend the classic The Never Ending Story (8B+). The bolted route has been repeated around ten times with a rope. Elias Arriagada Krüger

How did you arrange all safety logistics?
I tried to even out the landing with sticks. That saved me like four or five crash pads. In the end, I had around 20 pads. Without those it just would have been too dangerous I think. I only used one pad and a sit-start pad for the first two parts. The landing took me about two hours and every day I added a few more sticks to extend it. I took quite a while to get all the pads there, haha. The first day I had to get pads from everywhere in the forest because my friends had their pads stashed at many boulders. It was a bit of a hike😅. Luckily, [the next day] I got the code of a pad stash with 8 Pads, I had 6 pads and some friends had pads as well.

Jessica Pilz, who sent an 8c+ in an hour this Monday, has done Gambit (8c+) Schleier Wasserfall, in just four tries. ”One of the best routes I’ve climbed so far. 3rd go today (4th in total). thx Misha [Piccolruaz] for the patience and belay :)” The picture is from 2021 on Jessy's first attempt of Wagnis Orange (8c). (c) Paul Lewandovski

How many days have you been climbing outdoors since the picture was taken?
Monday this week was my first day outside in 2023. Since the picture was taken less than 5 days, I think...

Can you tell us more about the Gambit?
I checked out the route on Tuesday, but it was too sunny for the upper part, so I couldn’t do all the moves. Yesterday it was cloudy and much better conditions, I worked the moves one more time and then I did my first attempt from the ground. Surprisingly I made it through the roof and fell on the last hard move. On my next try, the moves felt already so much easier and I came to the crux a bit fresher. I got a bit nervous on the runout, which is not hard but you skip a clip and the footholds are not the best, but it all worked out :)

Any thought of starting projecting a 9a?
No plans for future projects yet, because I will have a week of rest now and then I will see if I am still in shape 😅.


Michael Piccolruaz comments the impressive send. ”Jessy is definitely in great shape. It's great to see that she manages to translate her comp fitness also to the rocks. I got to belay her on Gambit, a route I had previously climbed myself, and it was super impressive to see how easily she climbed through the hardest moves, seemingly not getting pumped at all. She has now done 2 classic 8c+, both solid for the grade, in just a couple tries each. Clearly she can climb a lot harder and I'm excited to see what's possible in the next months.”

Adam Ondra has had yet another day for the record books by onsighting two 8c’s and putting up a 9a+ in Ter. The 30-year-old has now onsighted 95 routes 8c to 9a and redpointed 76 routes 9a+ to 9c. (c) Kuba Sobotka

Fantazija (9a+): ”Just right of Umetnost. Bolted by Rajko Zajc and tried by Jernej Kruder. Easier intro into a very intense power endurance masterpiece. Tried one day with wrong beta and got quite close, next day [did it] first try. Fantastic route, but mostly if your span is at 180cm at minimum. If you are shorter, it might go but much harder.”

Kingslayer (8c): ”Hard to find a route so perfect, anywhere in the world. Not so clear for onsight, had to dig quite deep.”

Inferno do vrha (8c): ”Almost as good as Kingslayer :-D epic fight to end the day.”

Dylan Chuat has repeated Samuel Ometz' La Mola mola (9a) at Plamproz. ”FA'ed by the one and only Sam Ometz. I’d been there the very first time at the start of the covid while Sam was trying it out and it was way too hard for me, so I went back a few weeks ago in training mode to get back into shape because I’d become weak.

And it really took me a while to understand the crux of heel hooking, but once I took a fall all the way at the top I understood that little detail I’d been missing, and it worked! In any case too happy to have made [completed] this jewel! Thanks Sam 😘”