Anak Verhoeven reports on Insta that she has repeated Dani Fuerte's No pain no gain (9a+) in . (c) Leoni von Ristok

"I was focused, but not as nervous as during my first try a few days before. Lots of things could make me fall, but I tried to climb in a relaxed way nevertheless. When I reached the end of the last crux, I fought to stay on and managed to keep going. A big rest brought relief and gave me the energy for the last tricky boulder. And then I clipped the chains. :)"

How many days of projecting did it take?
Some 8 climbing days before sending.

What about going for 9b or even 9b+? It seems you have the level.
Maybe ;)

Anak was previously a very successful competition climber. She has won three World Cups and was runner-up eight times, almost always behind Janja Garnbret. The 26-year-old Belgian stopped competing in 2019 due to an elbow injury she first sustained in 2017. In 2020 she ruptured a pulley and had to undergo surgery. In total, she has now done 16 routes 8c+/9a and harder putting her #2 and just behind Laura Rogora on the leaderboard of hard redpointing.

Camilla Moroni has done her fourth 8A+ during the last three weeks, Primitivo Stand 8A, which originally was 8B, in Valle Bavona. The 21-year-old Italian was #9 in the World Cup this year and in the 8a ranking game, she is #5.


What's next?
At the beginning of November I will start training again so I will only be able to climb on rock on the weekends. I would like to send some 8A+ (lines) in Ticino (like Second Life and King of Sonlerto) and start trying Heritage (8B+).

Alex Johnson has done Blackout (8B) in Joe's Valley (UT) and here is the video. (c) Melina Costanza

”My thoughts have been absorbed by this thing for months, waiting for temps to drop in Utah. Getting on Colorado crimp lines this summer only made me obsess over this one more. I tried it once last year with Allison Vest when she sent, and it was one of those climbs that just sunk its hooks into me. Quintessential crimp pulling test piece; the epitome of my climbing style. After dropping the end last weekend in maybe the biggest punt of my life, I’m real content with putting it away, and where I’m at with my climbing and fitness right now. What’s next? Unsure, but I know without a doubt this isn’t my limit.”

The 33-year-old first made headlines on 8a in 2008, when we followed up on her victory at the Vail World Cup 2008 in an article. The same year she did her first 8A+ and was also #1 in the 8a ranking game. In 2010, she was overall #4 in the Boulder World Cup including winning one event. She stopped competing in 2015 and took it up again in 2019, trying to qualify for the Olympics. Outdoors, she is having her best year ever in 2022 with two 8B’s and five 8A+’.

Karoline Sinnhuber has done Smeagol (8B) in Zillertal. "How much struggle did I have on the last 3 moves? - YES! Sososososo happy I could finally keep my shit together and top it out 😍"

In total, the former competition climber has done 46 boulders 8A+ and 8B. Last week, 8a reported that she had done her first 8A+ in eight months. The Austrian explained that she in June partly ruptured her pulley and later in July/August suffered from further inflammation.

Solène Amoros, a french multi-pitch specialist, has set a new PB by doing La flûte en chantier (8c+) in Verdon. (c) Theo Cartier

"I’ve been trying the route a little bit for the last two seasons, and this year I trained specifically for this. It is an incredibly beautiful line, with two (very bad) parallel tufas. One of the first lines you see when you arrive in the cave. It is composed of 3 sections: a physical 8b, a powerful 8b+ on bad holds (the crux) and an 8a+. The first 8b is composed of big moves in a 45° steep wall for about 15 m, it's not that hard but difficult enough to consume a consequent part of your energy balance. Then it’s less steep, and a good but really painful rest allows you to breathe a bit before the crux section: 15 intense movements without any possibility to shake or chalk. It is super hard to pinch and to be precise enough on the holds of this single tufa during a few meters. The feet are really bad and you need to rush forward until the moment you have to traverse to another tufa.

It’s a big traverse move and I sent the route the first time I stuck it. A 5 stars drop knee section leads you to another big rest. And then you're only left with a final 8a+, 20 m long and very stressful during the send! When I sent it, a little breeze was cheering me on, it was perfect. This year, it took me 10 days to send, divided between 3 trips. I was working and training in between and could go every two weekends only. In the end, I don’t really remember the send go but more so all the other tries and high points. Maybe because it obsessed me until the next one? I really enjoyed the process, the training and the good stress of giving everything for a route. Especially when the route is in a place as beautiful as La Ramirole. The Verdon gorges are a peaceful and quiet area that I really love, and I can’t wait to spend more time there in the next years."

What are the hardest MPs you have done the last two years?
Alibaba (8a+ - 240 m) in September
La Ramirole (8b max -150 m) in May
Hôtel Supramonte (8b max - 400 m except for the last easy pitches that were wet at the tile) last November
Lignes de vie (8a+ max - 150 m) in Grenoble last summer
Asproman (8a max - 200m) in Ailefroide 2 years ago 🙂.

What is your next plan and what about this winter?
I'm going to climb and bolt new routes in Albania for the next two weeks and then start training again to climb 9a on day 🙃

Ai Mori won all three rounds in the Boulder and Lead World Cup in Morioka. In the final, she got 98.8 points in Boulder and was runner-up behind Natalia Grossman at 99.1. Then in Lead, Mori was superior, as she had been also in the previous rounds, getting five holds and 20 points above Natalia, who was #2 in the Lead event.


“I am very happy of winning a medal in my own country,” the Japanese 19-year-old commented to IFSC “Today it was fun, even though it was pretty tough to compete in both disciplines.” (c) Lena Drapella/IFSC

1. Ai More JPN 190.9
2. Natalia Grossman USA 171.2
3. Cheahyun Seo KOR 131.8
4. Brooke Raboutou USA 126
5. Miho Nonaka JPN 104.0
Complete results

Taylor McNeill has done in Neverland, after projecting it for 8 days. "Perfect line... Best of the best." James Webb put it up in 2014 as an 8B+ and commenting, "Absolutely one of the best lines I've done. So glad to make the FA. Maybe the low now? Hope it's possible!" Then in 2019 a video was presented calling it 8C.

Do you know why it was 8B+ originally?
If I remember correctly, Jimmy had never done an established 8C at that time and didn’t feel comfortable calling it harder. The boulder is in the middle of nowhere, about an hour of driving on dirt roads. Also is quite hard. Daniel came really close in the spring, I bet it will see another ascent soon.

Elnaz Rekabi has posted on her Insta.

"I am endlessly grateful for the support of you, all the people of Iran, the most decent people of the planet, athletes and non athletes, and all your supports in international community: What I have gained till today was regarding the caring of you beautiful souls; and the future would not be a road without obstacles if you are not coming along.

I sincerely thank all those who came to the airport for welcoming me, I love you. With respect Me; the people, Iran"

When she competed without a hijab in the Asian Championship, she had 80 000 followers on her Insta. Now she has 442 000 and out of them, until now, 195 000 have liked her message.

Gonzalo Larrocha, who in the last month has done three 8c+ and one 9a, has done Patanics (9a+) in . All in all, the 38-year-old is peaking, and only in 2022, he has done 120+ routes 8a and harder.

How many sessions did you project it?
This autumn seven days but I tried it many other sessions in other seasons.

I don't know what to say about this route. The process was perfect during this season. Every try I fell higher, only in the last two days had some regression tries. The problem is more or less the same as in No pain no gain. The main difference is that a crimp broke off which made the boulder section harder.