Loic Zehani has done the FA of Mossoul (9b) in Orgon. The 21-year-old has previously put up four 9b's and five 9a+' at the same crag. (c) Lunar Fox

"30 hard moves on a big overhang then an easy wall for the finish. In fact, it's a succession of 4 boulder sections without rest. A large part of Le poisson pilote (9a+) then a new and hard exit into the right. The movements are very varied and the climb is extremely physical. It's hard for me to give a grade to each bouldery sequence but I'll try: 8A/A+ (no rest) 7C+ (very bad rest) 8A hard (no rest) 7B and a 6c for the finish. Nowadays my hardest route and after "mature" reflections I propose 9b/b+ for this route. So happy to climb this stamina power test."

Stefano Carnati, who previously has done five 9a+, has repeated Stefano Ghisolfi's Erebor (9b) in Arco. "Unforgettable moment, good flow!"

The PhD student in environmental sciences at the University of Como, a three hour drive from Arco, comments on Insta, "...sometimes the weekend warrior mode has its pros. In this situation it definitely gave me time to recognize a better approach forward by analyzing every finest detail in such a way that I could work on my weaknesses during my training routine and possibly be gradually more complete. Since the climb was at my very limit, after each session I was always telling myself that every slightest thing I would improve was ok to keep the process on."

When did you start trying it and how many sessions in total?
I started trying it seriously in November during the weekends (1 or two days). I already had a few sessions a few years ago after Ste Ghiso's ascent. Around 20 sessions in total.

Japan had eight females and seven males advancing to the Top-20 semifinal. The only one onsighting all five problems was Anon Matsufuji from Japan and you had to top four boulders among the females and three among the males, to make it to the semi.

From the female and male results we can see several big names did not make the semi:
Stasa Gejo #27, Oriane Bertone #31, Petra Klingler #33 and Fanny Gibert #35.
Tomoaki Tokata #23, Maximillian Milne #25, Colin Duffy #27, Jakob Schubert #27 and Jernej Kruder #41.

SATURDAY, 22 APRIL (UTC+9)
11:00 WOMEN'S BOULDER SEMI-FINAL
17:00 WOMEN'S BOULDER FINAL

SUNDAY, 23 APRIL
11:00 MEN'S BOULDER SEMI-FINAL
17:00 MEN'S BOULDER FINAL

It should be noted that it says in the schedule that all the finals will be found on Youtube!

The Hachioji Boulder World Cup starts on Friday with the qualification and the semi and the finals will be live-streamed on Discovery+. 24h after each round, you will be able to watch a replay on the Olympic channel.. More info at IFSC. (c) Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC

2022 Overall Rankings
1. Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN - Natalia Grossman USA
2. Tomoa Narasaki JPN - Miho Nonaka JPN
3. Kokoro Fujii JPN - Brooke Raboutou USA

Japan has dominated the last ten years and 2022 was possibly their best year ever with eight guys in the Top-19. There just might be ten males from Japan in the semifinal and four in the final. 16-year-old Soratu Anraku won the last cup so he is the new star to look out for.

Among the female, Natalia Grossman won the last five events in 2022 but she is actually not the favourite to win as she has had a harsh winter dealing with unknown stomach issue after food poison. In March she reported on Insta, with a picture laying in a hospital bed. Japan has eleven females competing with Miho Nonaka as the biggest challenger.

Cody Roth has made the FA of Flipping the Bird (9a) in Arco. On Insta he comments, ”The name is inspired by both the crux move that tore a huge hole in my middle finger, and by those far braver than me on the front lines in Ukraine and Iran, as well as the LGBTQ community here in Italy that stands up to Meloni, her goons and her party’s absurd policies and dangerous ideology." (c) Fabian Poels

How does it feel stepping up your game and doing your third 8c+ and harder, at 39, in the last month?
I did my own on research and I read, on the internet, that a segment of the population spontaneously combusts when they turn 40, so I'm anxiously trying to get it all in before October, just in case ;-). Honestly, I'm just trying to take it in stride. If it's all I get this year, I'm more than okay with that. In mid January I took four weeks off due to chronic elbow tendonitis, I didn't think then that I'd be where I'm at now.

What are your strengths and talents making this possible? You work a full-time management position at Vertical-life and climb just three days a week?
Three if I'm lucky! Maybe my talent is not overthinking it and being comfortable not being in control. The night before I did this climb, we had friends over for dinner, I probably had one cocktail more than what would have been ideal, and I went to bed later than I should have. I wasn't even sure we were going to Grottosauro the next day. Growing up, my mom always told me showing up is the most important part. I didn't believe her when I was younger, but now I see what she means. Oftentimes you get something over the line in spite of and not because of, and the less you worry about yourself and every little detail, the more open you are to every possibility. As for my work, I'm really lucky to work with an amazingly talented and kind group. My work keeps me balanced and it feels good to contribute and to be appreciated beyond just climbing. Vertical-Life also allocate some flexibility in my schedule, so I'm lucky in that regard too.

What motivates you in climbing?
I think it's the friendships, curiosity, surprise and discovery that keeps me going.

When is your next vacation and where? Is it about time to raise the bar to 9a+?
I'm going back to the US to see family in May, but I probably won't have much time to climb. I'd love to paddle some rivers in Scotland later this summer and my wife and I have a couple summer concerts on our radar. I wouldn't rule out going back to the Frankenjura and trying Action Directe a little more, but it's a little hard to line up with the weather there. There's plenty of things around Arco and Italy that give me my climbing fix. As for 9a+, I might have already done that with my FA of, M.E. I eat Dust, six years ago. Doing another would be nice, but it's not a must for me. Honestly, if you told me I could either do Action Directe or a 9a+, I'd probably choose Action Directe; and I'd still view that as raising my bar.


You bolted this one ground up? Is there still potential around Arco?
I did. I'm a bolting dilettante, but I enjoy going ground-up whenever feasible, and contributing where I can. The 8mm removable bolts make it a lot easier and safer nowadays, and the hole they leave is nearly invisible in steep terrain. I was hiking with my dog this winter, when I noticed that maybe there could be just enough features to add a line where I did. Around Arco, there's plenty of potential still. It's just a matter of hiking and discovering something completely new, or coming back to known places like this with a fresh set of eyes.

Emilie Gerhardt, who last year completed roughly ten boulders 8A and harder, reports on Insta that she has done Taijutsu (8A+) in Valle Bavona. (c) Julius Westphal

Can you tell us more about the trip and the 8A+ ascent?
Unfortunately, we only had four climbing days in total. Here are so many good-looking lines, so it’s hard to choose which one I‘d like to try first :)“Taijutsu” sums up my style quite well as I like steep boulders with many moves. After checking out all the moves I sent it directly.

Fabrice Landry has done the FA of Le consommateur (9a) in Manjo-Carn. The 32-year-old has previously done four FAs 8c to 9a in the same crag. (c) Arthur Delicque

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Happy to have succeeded in my 9a training path. This is a variation of my main objective, Chicken deluxe (9a+) which Lucien Martinez did the FA of last December. It shares crux two and three but avoids the first pitch estimated at 8c and replaces it with a 7c by starting in a neighbouring route.

I will take the opportunity to communicate the potential of this sector, which with 6 routes in the 9th grade without counting the variants has enough to attract the best and deserves to be better known. Not to mention the latest addition, a new natural 9b project, no reinforcement, no sika, nothing at all for 25 intense movements without rest!

There are 95 male and 76 female competitors registered to compete in the Hachioji Boulder World Cup this weekend. Japan has put 23 athletes forward and France as well as the USA, have 12 athletes competing. A new rule this year stipulates that each country can only have two athletes per gender, besides the countries that have earned extra spots based on the last year's WC results. The big names missing from the starting list are Adam Ondra, Alex Megos and Janja Garnbret, who broke her left toe in February.

The Boulder World Cup in Japan also marks the start of the Olympic qualification process. In 2023, 8 males and 8 females will get their Olympic tickets through the World (6) and the Continental Championships (10). The remaining 20 to 24 spots will be rewarded based on the Olympic qualification series in 2024, where 48 male and female athletes will compete in four Boulder & Lead events. With a max of four spots per nation in the series and the possibility that Japan, France and the USA will have already filled their Olympic quota, it could be that being in top-80 in the Combined World Cup ranking in 2023, is enough to make it to the 2024 Olympic qualification series.

Roman Alexander Hofmann has done Activate the Hyperdrive (9a) in Wedderburn Cave. Video

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The line is located in Sydney & in one of the best roofs in the country. The cave was first established in 2011 with mostly power endurance boulders. Only one hard V11/8A short boulder existed there at the time. I have been climbing at the cave every winter (4-6 months) since 2017. Here I have consistently pushed and developed my climbing.

One of the hardest lines before "Activate the Hyperdrive" was Turbo Deluxe (8B+)4, which I established a few years ago. "Activate the Hyperdrive" adds a long V11/8A intro and has 44+ moves total. This is why it's more of a route at 9a. Boulder grade would be V14/15 (8B+/C). Super crazy power endurance. The line took me 2 more seasons to complete after Turbo Deluxe.

Can you give us more details about the cave?
Wedderburn Cave is located approximately 70km south of Sydney Central. It is still one of the suburbs of Sydney. There are about 20 individual lines from V7-V14 (7B - 8B+). The rest are link-ups, combining some of these lines into Mega Lines. There are no eliminates as all the sections are far enough apart to be able to be climbed completely separately and often also in reverse. A truly unique spot.