Nina Caprez, who became a mother less than one year ago, is known for being one of the best female multi-discipline climbers in the world. The 36-year-old has twice been Top-8 in the Boulder World Cup but she is most famous for all her hard multi-pitch ascents. Last week she did the 300-meter Yeah Man (8b+) in Gastlosen and her partner was her au pair Pauline Maheo. (c) Jeremy Bernard

"To be honest, it took me a bit of courage to go to the Gastlosen. I had done my first multipitch for a year in May with Lynn Hill, and I had a lot of troubles. So I asked myself if it was a good idea to take on this project. But in the end, my partner Jérémy pushed me a bit and I must say that it went extremely well. As soon as we arrived in Jaun I felt that I was in the right place. I loved taking the “lead” for this project, accompanied by my au pair Pauline, and supported by Lia and Jérémy on the ground in the van." Full interview in Fanatic Climbing

Tyler Thompson, who did his first 9a+ in February, did Joe Kinder’s Life of Villains (9a) in Hurricave, two weeks ago. Here is the 8a news article. In the video, we can see him doing a crazy knee drop [6.03 min].

Thomas Salakenos has done Foundations Edge (8C) in Fionnay. This was the first 8C for the 29-year-old who the last two weeks has been in Magic Wood where he did three 8B's and his second 8B+. (c) Samuel Weir

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
On my way home [from Magic Wood] I made a quick stop at Fionnay. So Friday evening, after 6 hours of driving, I had my 1st Sess in Fundation’s Edge, a boulder I had my eyes on for a long 👀 I knew the boulder from videos and with few adjustments, I needed 50 minutes of an intense session to unlock everything. The wall is steep and moves are powerful, so I was done for that day, already empty. I filmed the whole Sess, so I could visualise everything again.

On Saturday, I took a long time to warm-up, touching holds, a few pull-ups and mobilisation on the pads. I did a few moves, not the hardest ones, and immediately felt that I could do it that day. The pressure was on. I knew it would come down to small details, about not wasting energy, keeping my head cool, and also a touch of luck. After a really close call on my 2nd go, it all came together on my 6th go from the ground. The final part of the boulder is high but easy on jugs so I enjoyed every moment of it. All in all, 2 sessions (each around ~ 1 hour) in <24h were enough to climb my hardest boulder yet 😳 Crazy! I was amazed by Fionnay and really look forward to going back.

How can you explain being in peak performance?
I trained more, with higher intensity. For 1.5 months I’ve had a way better life health. But the biggest change is my way to face the problems. I think way more about what matters, the small details, and strategic choices at the boulder. I film every try and try to analyse the betas and movements. More focus etc… Also, I did a big specific preparation, heavy pull-ups, finger lifting etc. A lot of board training lately, Moon, Kilter and a very hard taped project on the spray wall. I’m way more organised than before on my trip, trying to do few lower grades which I really want to do to keep psyched between sessions in harder projects, otherwise, you just fail! Also, I feel in really good shape but not way more than usual, I would just say that this trip has been very successful, so more confidence and a positive circle, confidence boost etc.

Sera Gearhart has done Carnage (8B) in Guanella Pass, after trying it for just two sessions. Since 2022 she has done six 8A+'s and this was her first 8B but she has logged this also as an 8A+.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and why you called it 8A+?
Carnage is a really cool boulder! I don't know much of the history of beta, but based on 8a comments it appears there was a beta break of some sort after the initial ascent. I watched a lot of videos and I'm really not sure that I did anything differently than the folks that have called this 8B. To me, it felt about the same as other 8A+ [boulders] I have climbed. I may reevaluate when I have more experience, but for now 8A+ seems right to me.

The important thing is I had a really fun time climbing it, and I got to take the morning off of work to send!! I got really lucky with windy conditions since it's typically too hot for Guanella this time of year 😊

Could you see yourself working on an 8B+? What do you have your sights set on now?
I still need to do Evil Backwards (8B) and then I'll try some other things! Summer isn't very good here so likely a slow couple of months from here.

Michaela Kiersch sent wovenhand (8B) in May and here is the 8a news report.

Mathieu Bouyoud has done the FA of Bio sharma graphie L1+2 (9a) in Rocher de Beverau after trying it over a dozen sessions. The 33-year-old has done 36 routes 9a and harder, out of which five in the last 12 months. Including also eleven onsights 8b or 8b+, he is having his best year ever and he is #4 in the 8a ranking game.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Bio sharma graphie is a very nice route bolted by David Laurent. My main project this year. Happy to send it! It is a new crag near Chambéry. A big 40° overhanging with nice hard routes and projects.

Camille Pouget, Diego Fourbet, Zelia Avezou and Thomas Lemagner, 17, gave France all four golds in Lead and Boulder in the European Games in Poland. France has had very good results in the IFSC World Cups this year but but did not send any of their top-ranked athletes to this event. Full report on IFSC.

Arne Farestveit, 191 cm tall, has done the 65 meter long Valhalla (9a) at Flatanger which is an extension to Odin's Eye (8c+). Adam Ondra did the FA in 2016 and the Joe Kinder bolted route has previously only been repeated by Edu Marin and Sindre Saether. "In short I could say that I tried Valhalla for 50+ sessions over 5 trips since 2020 (counting days on Odin's). The route suits me really well, and it feels like a huge step above anything else I have done." (c) Henning Wang

What's the backstory on Valhalla, your first 9a?
The hardest part of Valhalla is the first 15 meters after Odin's anchor. First, you have a hard and technical travers on underclings and side-pulls that really drains you, and then comes the meat of the route. A powerful boulder that requires good amounts of biceps and back strength, which is something that is hard to have after climbing 40+ meters. Passing this boulder is the redpoint crux of the route and I fell there many times from the ground. After this boulder it is around 8b, where you shouldn't fall, but anything can happen. On my last day in 2021 I made it up to the boulder from the ground, but I was not strong enough at that point to pull it off.

I returned to Flatanger two times in 2022, both not very successful, and both very mentally exhausting. Trying a route of this length is incredibly hard on the mind. Each attempt requires maximum effort, and perfectly executed climbing in order to save as much energy as possible for the boulder. You want to rest where you can, but at the same time, you don't want to rest too long or else your legs get tired and your body temperature rises. In total, I think i made it up to the boulder 5-6 times in 2022, but I was too tired and did not have the power to pull off the boulder.

When I came back to Flatanger this June, I had quite a different approach than earlier. Usually, I would do crazy amounts of endurance and running before coming here, and while that definitely gives you good endurance on the long routes and a great ability to recover on the kneebars, what it also does is break down your body before coming here, and at the same time you lose a lot of the max power! I found out that resting more, and giving one really good attempt a day was the way to go. That way I ensured maximum effort and high mental energy. Before coming here I did ZERO endurance training after 5 weeks of only bouldering.

Physically and mentally I felt better and stronger than ever before, and my bouldering strength had never been better. I decided not to jump straight on Valhalla, and went to try Sledgehammer (8c+) first, to get a feel for my level. I felt incredibly strong on the wall, and even though my endurance was worse than on previous trips, the moves were so much easier, and I managed to clip the chains off it after just 4 sessions.

It was time to try Valhalla again. After 2 days the quickdraws were put up, and the beta was refreshed. The moves felt good. On my first go from the ground, I repeated Odins, easily, with almost no pump, and I saw that I had gotten a lot stronger and that I actually had the level to do this. Next burn I fell on the boulder, making a tiny highpoint. Only one more move, the hardest move remaining, to get through the boulder.

On the 22nd of June, we had the craziest conditions I have ever seen in the cave. There are two holds that are ALWAYS wet on the route. One on Odins, and one in the extension. They were both dry. The wind was blowing and the temperature was just perfect to not get too cold. I went for my first try of the day and felt amazing. Odins had never felt easier, I was completely fresh. Arriving at the boulder I made a tiny mistake by a foot placement I fell while holding the semi jug, of the last hard move. WOW, I'm so frickin close!!! Need to keep the nerves down now… Wanted to go home as I had only done 1 burn a day up til that point, and thought I would be too tired. Leo convinced me to do one more burn. You can do it, he said. Nerves were building up, but keeping casual conversations with the boys, trying to joke and keep things light made the nerves stay away.

1.5 hours later I hopped on the wall. Conditions are still crazy. I was moving well and relaxed. The eye went smooth, and clipping Odins anchor felt even easier than the previous attempt, and I was feeling really relaxed. My breathing was good and I was climbing efficiently. As I did the travers I arrived at the boulder not destroyed, which was something new. As I went for the boulder Sindre and Leo started screaming like crazy, I started screaming like crazy and somehow, just barely, I stuck the big move and held the cut, with 3 fingers barely on the most outer part of the hold. I couldn't have been closer to falling.

My heart was racing and my breathing went crazy. I need to relax. Sindre and Leo tell me to calm down. I go into the no-hand rest and start relaxing my breath. I still have another 20 meters of 8b to go, and I was always nervous about falling up there. If I did I would mentally collapse, and probably not have the mental fortitude to try again from the ground. As I used the rest I was surprisingly fresh, relaxed and calm. I moved the next 5 meters to the next rest. Felt good. Went for the last hard boulder. It went with ease. Arriving at the rail I was feeling no pump and still so relaxed. A scenario I never expected. I only stayed in the rest for a few minutes before sprinting and breathing like a madman up the last rail. 8 meters of 7c+ endurance on slopers. I was feeling weightless, climbing seamlessly perfectly, and the rail had never felt easier. Clipping the chains of my first 9a was euphoric. That instant moment of relief, fulfilment and happiness is something I truly will never forget. It is a dream come true, and i couldn't be happier. Somehow that was not the end of it. 2 days later the imaginable happened. After staying in Flatanger for 1 week, Leo (on his 7th and last climbing day) managed to climb Thor's hammer, after a HUGE 1.5 hour fight. What we started together back in 2021 as something far beyond ourselves, was suddenly over. I couldn't believe it. Leo belayed me on Valhalla, and I belayed Leo on Thors. What a perfect ending.

Leo Bøe 🍄, who in 2023 has sent his first six 9a's, has done Thor's Hammer (9a+) at Flatanger. "Didn’t expect the send at all !! 7th day on, and I was in Flatanger only for a week to work the moves. I tried the route some seasons back and never got past the bouldery start. On my final try today, however, I did the boulder and never fell afterwards… I only went through the upper part once this trip and mixing up betas got me super pumped! I was fighting into the jug before the sloper rail and needed 35 mins to recover… Never have I suffered this much for a send and 1hr30mins after leaving the ground I clipped the chains! Big thanks to my belay bro Arne! 🤜💥🤛"

Can you tell us more about that marathon ascent?
I was tired from climbing many days in a row, but my friend insisted I give it some tries from the ground as good training. I didn’t have a good rest day for a week since I was so psyched to be in the cave. As a result, the climb turned out way longer as I was forced to rest more between each boulder.

I had to fight my way into this last rest. Knowing the final part and how people usually fall there was scary, especially since I only did the sloper rail once on this trip. My beta was all a mess in my head… If you do a wrong shuffle along the slopers you might get too pumped and slide off. This was not an option for me as I was leaving Flatanger [that day]. Therefore I stayed there for 35 minutes to make sure I was as rested as I could be. You get a pretty good kneebar combined with a heel-toe cam, but it’s painful and tough cause the foot is slopey. The left kneebar is not no-hands, but is very useful to recover the right leg. If I was to fall on the last couple of moves after being on the wall for 1hr25 min I would be heartbroken… Luckily I didn’t!

Clément Lechaptois has sent La force tranquille (8C) in Magic Wood, which was the 30-year-old's seventh 8C and harder since 2019.

Can you tell us more about La force?
I tried ‘La force tranquille’ after having done ‘The Understanding’ in 2020. I was close to send it, I fell after the crux move once because my foot popped. The day after there was 1m of snow.

I came back in the spring but the boulder was almost always wet because of the rain every evening, so I moved to other projects.

I just came back 4 days at the beginning of June this season, and I thought it would be too warm but surprisingly, I felt a way better on each move and I did it the second try from the ground. It was a nice & satisfying feeling to feel the progression.

How can you explain your great progress over the last few years?
Hard question this one. I think it comes from different factors. I am passionate about hardcore bouldering and I like to push myself by trying the hardest ones around where I am. Projects too. So I think I got used to trying hard moves/boulders and knowing faster what works for you and what doesn’t. I also like to train when I am at home, and I am lucky never to get injured. I try to be smart when I train. Even if I don’t follow a very scheduled training, I try to keep an eye on where I am not good at to get better.