Erwan Legrand, son of Francois, one of the very best competition climbers in history, has made the FA of the 45 meter long Sans complexe (9a) in Lourmarin. Additionally he has done three 8c+s, including José pine le gardien dans la cave (8c+), which he did last week.

Can you tell us more about your FA?
My dad bolted and tried it 15 years ago and he thought it was a real 9a but he never sent it. I have rated it 8c+/9a but I'm not sure. This route starts with a 7c. Then there is the first anchor where there is a brief bad rest, and then the second part is Perplexe (8b+) which is very hard for its grade. I have spent a lot of time [working towards] sending it. The third part is the shortest but also the most overhanging and intense. There is a 7C boulder problem which is very physical with pockets and also very aleatory. I screamed more than Adam Ondra when he sent Silence 😉😂. I never fall in the last part. When I managed the 8b+++++, I sent the rest of the route and that, I don't understand. I thought I will fall 20 times or more here! (My father fell more than 10 times on the final crux.) It's incredible.

How active is your father these days? (Interview is coming up)
We climb together in crag every other weekend, and sometimes in training during the week like yesterday when we trained in the climbing gym. Lately, he has not climbed a lot but he has bolted some routes in Buoux. Recently he has done the FA of a 7c+ in his style because it’s not too steep and very technical, but also in his anti-style because the route is short with a big dyno in the middle and after it's still really pumpy! 😉

Colin Duffy has made the first repeat of Drew Ruana's 25 move Bookkeeping (8C+) in Clear Creek Canyon (CO), video.

"Climbs Off the Books (8A) into Spidey (8B+), finishing on No Way Home (8A+). Despite being a linkup, the movement is quite nice and it flows well. Did not expect to send this one at all, I just had one of those days where everything was clicking and I was able to execute. As far as the grade, I don't have much input because it is extremely my style and I haven't tried any other hard boulders in this style. A route grade might be equally as appropriate as a boulder grade for this one. Hopefully, this thing can get more repeats in the future!"

The 19-year-old has previously done four 8B+ boulders and two 9a's. In the Olympics, he was #7 but mathematically speaking, if he had not false started by a mere 0.005 seconds in Speed, he would have won the gold. Last year, he won both Lead and Boulder in the Innsbruck World Cup.

Cameron Hörst, who already has six 9a's and one 9a+ to his name, has sent Southern Smoke Direct (9a) in Red River Gorge (KY). "I tried this climb every now and then during weekend trips when I still lived in the east. Never had the time to stay and see the process through. Since I have been feeling fit, I decided to make a return trip to the Red and finally seal the deal. Hit the boulder perfectly and was smooth sailing to the top!"

So, you're currently based in Salt Lake City and climbing mostly around there?
In summer of 2021 I moved from Pennsylvania to Salt Lake City, Utah. Although my home base is now SLC, I am traveling quite a lot as a pro climber (while attending university online).

What’s coming up next?
I have a few more days at the Red. Then going back to Salt Lake to train for a bit! Ceuse this summer and probably for a month. Not sure on specific route yet unfortunately, gonna depend on how I feel entering the trip.

Felipe Camargo has made the FA of Cavalo de Troia (9a) in . The Brazilian has previously sent 9b and boulders up to 8C. (c) Fabio Moreira

”My hardest first ascent in Brazil so far! Incredible route...really steep and physical 8c/+ to a taxing no hands kneebar into a powerful v10 (7C+) boulder problem to the anchor!”

Can you give us a few more details about this route?
It’s an old project that Enzo Oddo and Gabri Moroni bolted in Brazil in 2013. It took me about seven days.

Is there more left for you to do in Brazil?
[Yes] Gonna focus on Brazil this year and try some hard projects here!!

Solveig Korherr has sent Shogun Part I (8c) in Basler Jura. ”Two days. Great finger strength testpiece. It had the perfect length to get back into sport climbing after mainly bouldering this winter. Got inspired by Lucien‘s (Cousin) send of Im Reich des Shogun (9a) last week🔥”

Can you tell us more about your and Lucien's ascents?
Last summer I moved to the Basler Jura for work but I didn’t climb there so much yet. The summer was a bit too hot. Over the winter, I spent a lot of time bouldering in Ticino. There were a few routes on my list that I wanted to try and Shogun was one of them. I got lucky that my friend Lucien who has been trying the historic line Im Reich des Shogun met up with me and could share some of his beta. Both lines share the bottom crux.

It’s a very fingery & sharp route. There is this big lock-off move to a tiny crimp and then an under cross move to a mono. I was quite surprised that I could already do all the moves on my second try and some good links on my third try on it. The best part of the day was that he sent Im Reich des Shogun at the end on his fourth try. It was very impressive to see him fight and witness the 5th ascent of this route.

This week I went back and the first two tries didn’t feel so good on it. That’s why I had no expectations on my third try but somehow fought my way to the anchor. I guess that’s when the magic happens. I’m psyched to check out the second part of „Im Reich des Shogun” in the future but for now I’m enjoying some trad climbing here in Cadarese :-)

Cédric Lachat, who has previously has done nine 9a+ graded routes, has made the FA of At Home Cornus 9a+ in Vercors, which Romain Gendey bolted in 2015. It is a crimpy 10-meter extension to a 30-meter-long 9a (8c+). (c) Jérémy Bernard

"Being close to my house, I often went there. The length of the route reminds me of long efforts [routes] such as, “Pachamama” or “La Rambla “. Nevertheless, I invested more time in “At Home Cornus” than the former. Compared to the previous 9a+ I did, the difficulty is that this one is new: a first ascent, there is no video, nor betas served on a plate." More quotes on Fanatic Climbing.

Cedric won 17 medals in a storied World Cup career. In 2007, he took the bronze at the World Championship in both Lead and Boulder. Seeing as how he has also done some very hard multi-pitches, the 38-year-old should be regarded as one of the best multi-discipline climbers in the world.

Alex Barrows has done Fabela pa la enmienda (9a) in Santa Linya after projecting it for some 12 sessions during three weeks. "When I first went to Santa Linya I thought climbing the whole way out of the steep part of the cave looked like one of the coolest bits of sport climbing going. That was 13 years ago (god I feel old)... Back then there was no chance of me doing it - my hardest route was 8a+ and the easiest way out of the steep part was 8c+.

The last few years I've mostly been psyched for onsighting when we've been at long Euro crags, but this year I thought it would be cool to go back and try Fabela pa la Enmienda, a 9a coming all the way out of the steepness. Maybe by now I'd be strong enough, fit enough, or at least have amassed a large enough collection of kneepads...?" (c) Ella Rusell

A couple of days later, he sent in the big cave. "Brilliant last day pump out. 3rd best line in the cave for me, after Neanderthal and Remeneo-Enmienda."

What is next?
Now we have to go home, unfortunately, so it depends on the weather in the UK! I have two projects at Kilnsey I'd like to try this summer if they're dry, though I think one might be too hard for me and the other needs quite a bit of loose rock removal so it's hard to know how they'll go!

Eva Hammelmüller has done Pungitopo (8c+) in Arco. During the last two months, the Austrian has sent 15 routes 8a and harder out of which half onsight or flash. In the 8a ranking game, the 22-year-old is #2. (c) Felix Mast

Can you tell us more about the quick double send of the route?
So happy I could tick this beautiful route after struggling really much with one move and a nasty cut in my last sessions! After the send, we decided to film the whole route, so I tried it again - and found myself on top of the route a second time! I have never re-climbed a route as hard as this before, especially not within an hour :D

Drew Ruana started making 8a headlines in 2012 when he did his first 8b+ at age 12. Two years later he sent and won the silver in the Youth World Championship. He continued progressing both on rock and in comps, where he was close to making it to the Olympics and was #13 in the Combined World Champion in 2019. After quitting the competition circuit he has since 2020, focused on bouldering and with 27 8C's and nine 8C+, he has one of the most impressive tick lists over the past two years. He's also undertaking a full-time University program . During the first two weeks in February, Drew did two 8Cs and one 8C+.

How can you explain being in such good shape right now?
I don't know, I’m really busy with school and climbing just for fun right now. Takes the pressure off.

How much do you train and climb outside a week?
I don't know, I’m really busy with school and climbing just for fun right now. (That) Takes the pressure off.

How much do you train and climb outside a week?
I don’t train or climb inside too much. I normally have 4-5 outdoor sessions a week.

What drives your desire to climb?
I just like climbing hard boulders outside. V15/16 (8C/8C+) is a lot more fun than it used to be because I can do them in around a couple of days or a week now, especially if I know the beta or have tried them before. I like trying v14 (8B+) and harder stuff because that’s where I usually start feeling challenged. I like pushing myself so I stick to harder grades, but I try to do the climb before the grade.

How many different projects are you working on now?
I have like 20 boulders I’m trying off and on.



How do you deal with failures and working with one or several projects?
You get used to it. It sucks but it’s part of what it takes to get stronger. Learn from failures and figure out how to make them less likely to happen in the future. Trust the process, projecting and progression involves lots of failure and learning.

Any short and or more long-term advice that you would give the youth that are out there pushing hard to make gains?
Not really any great short term but for the long term is to really think long term. Plan your projects and training cycles long-term and keep punching the clock. Just putting in the time. 6 months of consistent training is better than going super hard for a week.