Katalin Paertan has done Jabberwocky (8A+) in Merkenstein. ”More like 8a without the shoulder beta, awesome moves!” The 20-year-old has previously done two 8A’s.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The crux is the left hand move into the crack and then getting the right hand to the hold above. (The originally beta is going with the right hand first, which requires much more shoulder strenght) So this new beta, which was pioneered by Bernhard Fiedler I think, makes it much easier, but is at the very limit of my reach. When I started trying it this winter, it didn't feel possible at first, but in my second session I managed to stick the move. Then I think I had two more sessions in the winter without much progress where linking the moves felt quite hard. Lately I felt like my strength has improved so I decided to return there and see how it feels.

Last Friday I had my first solo session there and it felt surprisingly possible. I even managed to get past the crux to the pinch once, where I powered out before getting the knee bar in. So yesterday I returned and with adjusting the micro beta, I managed to do it in my first send go.

What is your climbing background?
I started climbing in 2010 and quickly entered the youth competition team at my local climbing gym in Vienna. I regularly competed at national competitions until Covid-19 hit, after that I found more joy in outdoor climbing at the beginning of 2021, and I also progressed more quickly in it. Now I work part time at Boulderbar Vienna as a routesetter and coach and try to get out to the surrounding areas on weekends and do as many climbing trips as possible in the holidays.

Illya Bakhmet-Smolenskyi, who previously has done five 9a’s, has sent Jameson (9a) in Geyikbayırı. The Ukrainian made his first 8a news at age eleven when he did his first three 8c’s as well as his first 8a onsight. Since grade one, he has basically been home schooled and for the last seven years been travelling around Europe with his family. The 18-year-old is currently based in Innsbruck where he studies in the University.

"An awesome and bouldery route! Not exactly sure about the grade, probably pretty easy for 9a, especially if the climber is really strong on pockets... Tried it for around 4-5 days spread over 2 short trips, most of which I spent slipping off the humid pocket at the end. An absolute classic of a line, thanks a lot James for bolting it!"

What’s coming up next?
Well, for the next few months I'm planning to concentrate on finishing the studying semester with some day-long climbing trips around Tirol. Hopefully some local projects will go down💪 About summer, I really hope to go to Turkey for some bolting and exploring and then France.

Michaela Kiersch, who sent La Rambla (9a+) in January, reports with an Insta video that she has done Jack's broken heart (8A+) in Magic Wood. Here is the La Rambla interview with the 28-year-old doctor in hand therapy, who with also multiple 9a's and and boulders up to 8B+, is a contender for having the very best female outdoor ticklist. At the age of 15, she made her debut in the World Cup and was #22. The next year, she was #18 in a Lead World Cup.

Can you tell us more about the ascent of Jack's?
I tried Jack's last year and didn’t have the power to do most of the moves. I’ve been training for this trip since I got back from Spain so I’m excited to see it is working!

How fast did you send it and how have you prepared for the trip?
Climbing on the boards! Less endurance training 😉. One session, maybe 30/45 minutes. I think I did all the moves first or second try.

How long will you stay and what's next?
I will be in MW for a couple of weeks then back home 😁. You’ll have to wait and see!! I have a list, per usual.

Alex Ventajas, who two months ago did his first 9a+, has onsighted Panonoramix (8b+) in St Léger. The 23-year-old has previously done six 8b's onsight and in the 8a ranking game he is #6.

Can you tell us more about the great onsight?
This was my very first 8b+ onsight. I felt close on other occasions, and as training, I often begin to climb a new route with the mindset to try to onsight it. This time I actually wasn’t thinking about that, because my idea was to try the moves of the 8c that shares the first chain with this 8b+. I think the hardest part of the route is the first five quickdraws, where there is a boulder which would be around 7c ish. After that, there is a power-endurance section till the first chain, where the 8b+ ends. Probably the fact that the crux was at the beginning helped me because I could look better at the holds from the ground, imagining how to do those moves. Also, when I managed to do the first hard section, I thought that it could be possible that the heaviest part was done, so I felt even more strong and motivated to do my best! In the end, I reached the 8b+ chain and I kept climbing through the L2, falling as I was getting out of the last crux of the 8c, just two moves before the last easy climbing section to the top!

Amandine Loury has done Kaos (8c) in Öküzini. In the 8a ranking game, the 33-year-old moves to #4. "A very big thanks to Tobias for this amazing route. It’s a very nice powerful endurance route with so beautiful moves on various holds. This route will remain in my memory." (c) Gilles

Keenan Takahashi sent A Little Life (8B+) in Buttermilks, last December. "Simply stunning, perhaps my best moment ever climbing. Stoked for other people's thoughts... seemed pretty heinous albeit definitely morpho. One of the hardest highballs I'd reckon... go on youths, prove it ;)"

04: Etienne Abriat FRA - Lea Kempf AUT 06: Thomas Lemagner FRA - Martina Bursikova SVK
08: Jan Stipek CZE - Imane Ridouani FRA
Complete results
In total, 369 youngsters competed in the European Youth Cup in Graz, which is a new record. This meant that the event had to start Friday evening for the youngest categories. France got three golds in the European Youth Cup in Graz, Austria. Martina Bursikova, Jan Stipek and Lea Kempf won both rounds.

Sergii Topishko has during a four weeks trip to Switzerland done 24 boulders 8A to 8B included seven flashes. In 2021, the Ukrainian was #8 in the Combined World Champion. Since February 2022, he has been living in Europe with Germany as his base on a two-year asylum. Article with Team Ukraine from the Brixen World Cup last year. (c) Leonid Osadchyi

Can you tell us more about the trip?
The trip was really amazing, was not that cold, as when I usually used to go in winter, but almost no rain and cool enough. I was focused just on 2 8C projects this time, was pretty close on one, but I think +13*C was a bit hot. The only way to send something really hard, you had to wake up around 4 AM and climb till 8 AM, but I found this idea not really good, cause there are so many boulders in Ticino I wanted to try. Discovered by myself a new boulder place Val Calanca, that is pretty much nice, especially the Selma area, that looks exactly like Magic Wood. Need to go back there again to finish some unfinished lines. So hopefully Ticino again in Autumn or Fontainebleau, or both.

What kind of beta did you use for the seven 8A flashes?
Every time when I try something new, I am always really focused on my flash go. I just clean everything, put tick marks, and sometimes watch a video before the first try. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

What are your upcoming plans? I am thinking to try in Maltatal this or next weekend. Summer- probably Gotardo, psyched to try finally Hanzel Grace. And Fontainebleau for sure this autumn, one 8C is waiting for a long time, since last February when I almost did it and couldn’t climb after 24.02 till the end of my trip, after the war started.

Leo Bøe 🍄, who did his first 9a in January, has sent his sixth, Esclatamasters (9a) in Perles & Canelles. "MY CRAZIEST SEND EVER! Last possible climbing day for me, and when I was belaying we had thunder and rain… It was a «now or never» moment so I gave it a shot anyways. Although it was humid I managed to hang on to the crimps feeling like I was sliding on every move. I was lucky enough to have my friend Pino at the anchor to cover the last few holds with his hands… Team send." The picture by Jordi Rullo is from La Novena Enmienda (9a)

Can you tell us more about the rain experience?
My friend Josh made a redpoint try as the rain and thunder started. I was strongly demoralized and thought it impossible to climb the top slab while it was being rained on… Still, for the sake of the last-effort mentality, I gave a burn that turned out to be one of my craziest experiences in climbing. I barely clawed my way past the crimps and found myself at the final rest looking up at the slab. The rain was hitting the chalkbag so I rotated it into my lap to keep it dry. Weirdly enough it felt good to climb in the rain temperature-wise, but the longer I rested the wetter the holds got. In the end, I was forced to continue as the jug I was resting in filled with water.

I left the jug with a wet left hand and the slab felt 3 times more unsafe with all the humidity. When I reached the final part I was lucky to have my friend Pino to cover a key hold with his hand. Without his help, I’m not sure it could have gone! Felt like a team send!

How hard is the final slab?
It’s so hard to grade a slab, but I can tell you I fell there several times when practising it when dry. You can then imagine the pressure I felt when it was raining.