David Firnenburg has sent Inferno (9a) in Gimmelwald. The 28-year-old has previously done roughly 20 routes 9a and harder.

“Summer was pretty hot in Switzerland and climbing in Gimmelwald was unpleasant. Now the temperature dropped and holds feel sticky again. Checked out the moves of ‘Inferno’ around 3 weeks ago when it was still hot. Worked on it the past weekend and sent it in my last try after falling at the last two hard moves once. The route is a combination of ‘Jungfraumarathon’ (~9a) and ‘Gimmelexpress’ (~8c+). It links the hardest part of the 9a with the second boulder of the 8c+ with a good rest in between. I actually don’t like combinations so much but this line climbs nicely. Great endurance test piece with amazing view onto white mountains. Gimmelwald is worth a visit if you cross Switzerland one day!”

What is your next plan?
I am about to finish my psychology studies in summer next year and then planning to do a one year climbing road trip with my girlfriend Andrea in Europe. Good times ahead!

Adam Ondra has returned to Vranjača in Croatia. Last month he did the FA of A je to! (9a+), named after his favorite Czech cartoon, and now he sent B je to! (9b). Adam has done 28 routes 9b to 9c, out of which 21 are FAs. (c) Kuba Sobotka

”Start like A je to, but then go straight up via very hard crux, some easier climbing and dropable second crux. Bolted and tried in August, now on my second day.”

Sebastien Bouin reports on Instagram that he has repeated Stefano Ghisolfi's Lapsus (9a+) in Andonno. The 30-year-old has done around 60 routes from 9a to 9c. (c) Clarisse Bompard

"Lapsus is actually the link up of two historical routes at the crag. It starts in "Noia", the first Italian 8c+, and finishes in the hard part of "Anaconda" 8b+. There are some hard moves in between to connect both of these routes. It makes for a really cool endurance route, on this blue and orange rock! I haven’t climbed a lot in Italy, and it's really cool to discover new crags, which are actually not that far from France."

Roxane Durand, who did her first 8c last month, at age 38, has sent Last soul sacrifice (8c) in Gorges du Loup.

”I was working on this route since the begining of September. I spent 9 days and 18 tries. The first pitch is Soul Sacrifice, 8b, which is very resistant. The first boulder of the route is very physical, then you have a good rest with a kneebar. Then, you need to climb a bit fast not be too pumped at the end of L1. You need to breathe at the belay with quite good holds and a bad kneebar which is uncomfortable. Then, the second part of the route is still resistant but the holds are worse and it's more bouldery for me. It's hard to stop climbing to clip the quickdraws, I only clipped 3 in the second part, but some of my friends clipped only one or two 😮The second part (L2) is not too long, about 20 movements I think.”

Michael Piccolruaz, who was #15 in the Tokyo Olympics, has repeated Chris Sharma's Alasha (9a) in Port de soller. The 27-year-old Italian is foremost a boulderer and in 2017, he took second place at a World Cup. He has also done two 8C boulders. ”Best experience of my life climbing these moves high above the Mediterranean Sea! The definition of KINGLINE!!”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Alasha is definitely special. So happy to get the 3rd ascent. I`ve tried it a bit already two years ago when I got to witness Jakob`s impressive ascent. This year then I planned a trip specifically to try Alasha only.

Together with Jernej Kruder we started working on it right away only to find out that the lower part was soaking wet. And this struggle with the conditions continued for almost the entire trip. And as so often it ended up becoming a last day best day kind of situation. A key hold entering the crux just wouldn`t dry up so I had to put tinfoil on it to prevent my fingers from getting wet and like this make it somewhat climbable. The ascent was quite epic then. I had my crew of friends there supporting me and cheering and on my first go of the day I stuck my previous highpoint on the absolute limit saving myself through to the saving right hand jug. The last moves to the lip of the wall were thankfully all in control and I got to fully experience the rollercoaster of emotions hanging on the topjugs of Alasha so high above the sea. Definitely a dream come true. What a Kingline!

What is next?
Next some projects around home in Innsbruck 👍🏻. I have a long term project of climbing all the routes at the Schleierwasserfall. Currently I'm working on Weiße Rose (9a) and I've tried an open project once which is really good as well. So those two routes I definitely wanna climb now this fall.

Keenan Takahashi, who did his first 8C+ in July, has made the FA of Ego Death (8C) at Mt Evans.

”I was shown a photo of this prow project in early July, and thought it looked like one of the best boulders in Colorado. At the time I was close on Insomniac (V16) and so focused on finishing that first before checking it out. After finishing Insomniac, I was feeling pretty exhausted after 2 months of hiking and projecting, so much so that I actually got sick. But I really wanted to go see it, so I went out with my friends Kevin and Ethan to the zone, which I hadn’t been to before, and finally tried the prow.

Immediately upon walking up to it, I knew it was something special if it was possible. It’s the sort of thing I’ve dreamed of since I started climbing, steep compression, at my limit, decently tall but safe, and such fun movement. An amazing combo of technique and power.

I surprised myself by doing all the moves the first session, but I was feeling in for sure my best shape and the style really plays to my strengths. Once I realized it was possible, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and was really fixated.

I had to wait to recover from being sick, which took a longer time than anticipated, but I finally went back with Katie (Lamb) and we tried for a few hours. She was second day on, so only tried a bit, but I seshed for a while and made some key links, doing it in two overlapping parts. For the first time since doing A Little Life, I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about the line too much.

After a lot of rest, I went back again, this time alone as Katie was resting. I found a new mental space I’ve never had before, fully calm and really happy to be there, truly not caring if I did it. I knew I’d try until it would get done. Then, on the wall, I climbed perfectly. The sort of moment I always wish for but have only had one other time, on Kintsugi in 2018. I barely stuck the crux and then had a minor error in the easier upper bit but very fortunately didn’t punt. I deal with ego like everyone else, but the name stems from the flow on the wall, as “I” really ceased to exist, there was just awareness and breath.

All told, for sure one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, in any aspect of my life.

As for the grade: Drew Ruana tried a couple of days, as well as Griffin Whiteside the year before. Drew was trying a different sequence at the top, which sounded really nails, but we both felt it was a big step up from V14s in that style and agreed V15 seemed more than fair. I’m curious what other folks think, but more than anything I’m just so stoked to have had such a fun time trying such an incredible bloc and hope other people like it too!”

Loic Zehani has done the FA of Tsuki no kitsune (9a+) in Chanac. In total, the 21-year-old has logged 70 routes 9a to 9b out of which 38 FAs.

"Nice route, the movements are so nice. The first real route in the ninth degree of the Mende area (the neighbour that I sent 2 days ago [Passing shot (9a)] rather 8c+/9a ). Bolted by Gauthier Leprince (for the first five meters) and my father. In 12 meters there is all: little slopers, shoulders, one and two fingers pockets, compréssion etc."

Jakob Schubert reports on Instagram that B.I.G. aka Project Big in Flatanger, goes at 9c. The Austrian made the FA, of the Adam Ondra bolted route, last week during his 6th live-streaming attempt. (c) Alpsolut pictures - Johannes Mair

"I felt at a point where I had found the most efficient way possible for me, the whole route was worked out perfectly and I didn’t see any room for improvement. So all that it came down to was my physical & mental shape which I think are very good right now. Given the current information that I have and considering Adam’s opinion, it feels right to propose 9c and I’m looking forward to see what time will tell."

Here are the hardest routes in the world including the FAs and the repeaters;
B.I.G. (9c) 2023, FA Jakob Schubert
DNA (9c) 2022, FA Seb Bouin
Silence (9c) 2017, FA Adam Ondra

Excalibur (9b+) 2023, FA Stefano Ghisolfi
Mejorando la samfaina (9b+) 2023, FA Jorge Diaz-Rullo
Sleeping Lion (9b+) 2023, FA Chris Sharma
Suprême Jumbo Love (9b+) 2022, FA Seb Bouin
Zvěřinec (9b+) 2022, FA Adam Ondra
Bibliographie (9b+) 2020, FA Alex Megos, Stefano Ghisolfi, Sean Bailey, Seb Bouin
2018, FA Alex Megos, Stefano Ghisolfi, Jakob Schubert
Vasil Vasil (9b+) 2013, FA Adam Ondra
La Dura dura (9b+) 2013, FA Adam Ondra, Chris Sharma
Change (9b+) 2012, FA Adam Ondra, Stefano Ghisolfi, Seb Bouin


Adam Ondra is listed five times as an FA. Stefano Ghisoli and Seb Bouin are mentioned four times, out of which one respectively two times, as FAs. There are, furthermore, at least seven routes graded 9b/+ out of which Seb Bouin has done four and he is known for his hard grades.

Anna Schliakhova reports from a recent climbing festival in Kniazhi Skeli in Ukraine including an interview with the organizer and bolter Volodymyr Kushka.

”Ukraine is a large and mostly flat country with not so many climbing areas or big potential for new-routing. However, there are a few areas, especially in the west. Despite the full-scale war in the country, people still climb and even establish new climbing areas and hold climbing festivals. Last year it was Kykoshiv Rock Festival held in a brand new area, and this year it was Kniazhi Skeli Festival.

It's been a tradition in the short climbing history in the west of Ukraine to hold a climbing festival on the rocks dedicated to the August 24th Independence Day, with the holiday allowing for travel for the entire country.

It's a little bit strange with the emptiness at the cliffs due to those who have fled, those who are defending the country, those who were killed in this war and those who avoid travelling in order not to get summoned to military service. But, for those who made it to the event, it was a much more rare and precious opportunity to get distracted from the reality of living in the war-torn country and to do our favorite sport.

All that being said, this story is mostly not about the war but about a guy who bolted and prepared several sport climbing and bouldering areas in the past few years. Let me introduce him: Volodymyr Kushnir aka Kushka from Lviv.



How did you start climbing?
Formally, I started climbing in 2000 at the age of 23 or 24, because actually first years five or six... [interruption] oh, cool, air raid sirens sounded all-clear, hooray. Today, by the way, a missile hit a little more than a kilometer away from my house. It was loud.

Yes, I’ve heard there is a huge crater in Lviv’s kindergarten’s yard?
We haven't got accustomed to it here in Lviv as people do in Kharkiv or Kyiv. It was a single attack before, so we all got scared. Okay, let's go. At the beginning it wasn't really like sport climbing. We went to Dovbush rocks, to the only crag and to the only one place there, to be more precise. This cliff and the campsite fell into to a gully, in 2016, and none of the routes survived. So, it isn't there anymore. We climbed Terminator (6b+), at least those who could, but mostly the level of our climbing didn’t allow us to do so. We climbed badly and had actually nothing to climb on, because there were about 5 routes for lead climbing on Dovbush Rocks.

I saw some progress after the first climbing gyms appeared in Lviv. The very first one was Pohulianka opened in 2006. Before we went to comps to Kyiv once a year and it was a great deal for us, we were looking forward to such an event all year long.

Tell us a little bit about establishing new routes and areas?
There are pioneers of bolting in Ukraine who should be mentioned first. They are Serhiy Krasovskyi, Yevhen Grafov, Serhiy Fedirko. The last is serving in the army right now. Those three bolted the majority of the routes on Dovbush Rocks. The first wave of the bolting, if I'm not mistaken, was funded by a presidential grant from (Viktor) Yushenko. At the time I assisted a little Krasovskyi and Fedirko with the bolting.

Out of the bolters who are still in action, I am the one who experienced times before cordless drill bolting. We used just a hammer and a hand-drill. Battery powered drills were like a miracle for us. Later we got a generator and used it with an extension cord. Fedirko use it still sometimes. It was awful [before that] because it took about two hours to place one bolt [hand drilling]. You were hanging on a crag and -- clang-clang-clang -- pinging a hole. It was a breakthrough for us to have a generator.

There are about ten of my routes on Dovbush Rocks. Together with Fedirko we established long routes on Bronia of 20+ bolts. There are also my routes on another crag Tiulpan, including 8a+ (Time to think) which I also managed to [do] the first ascent.

My first major project was Kykoshiv Rock, where I bolted almost all routes except for 5-6 routes established by Pasha Vasylenka and another two by Yura Levitskyi. There 107 routes in total. It turned out to be a "Hero's Wall," because there are not so many easy routes and all of them are pretty fancy. However, there is an excellent set of 6c, 7a, 7b routes. Some eighth grade routes have seen a first ascent already, about 3 or 4 of them. And there are still about 20 open projects starting from 8a and harder.

How do you balance your life to fit also a normal work and a family with three kids?
I used to work in wholesale trade in an outdoor store and for the last five years I sell software for a start-up company. And now I have much more flexible hours which is exactly the thing which has allowed me to start actively bolting. I try to kill many birds with one stone, so to say, still it doesn't work as well as I would like it to.

My family has been in Poland for over a year. It's good that I can go to visit them, which I do every one or two months. They want to come back but here is the war and attacks, so my wife Ira is worrying about our kids and doesn't want to come back yet. Everything is not certain. Climbing and bolting allow me to escape from problems while doing things useful for others.

Note: As a father of three children, Kushka is allowed to travel abroad according to military law, while the majority of conscription age men are banned from doing so.

What motivates you to bolt?
It's interesting for me to do something new. I like climbing even more, but I also like the process of creating some new routes which will be available for climbing for me, as well for others. I like this. I started to realize that for me to establish a route, and then to climb it toprope or just manage to do all the moves to discover that it could be a 7c or 8a in order to announce it to everyone is much more interesting than to do the first ascent itself as it takes too much time. I can say that it's a cool route. I will be sincerely happy for the one who climbs it first.

You are also raising some funds for military needs while bolting, aren't you?
Yes, we send UAH 100 (£2.15) from every printed festive t-shirt, and it's about UAH 5000 (£108), to Vlad Chumachenko who runs a tactical medicine unit. From registration fees we will direct money to our friends who assemble drones by themselves. Yurko and Oksana Kovalchuck order all spare parts from China and assemble drones together with a small team of other volunteers. There will be about UA 20,000 (£430) for their needs. It's like a drop in the sea but still we do something for the military.