Alex Megos reports on Insta that he has done the FA of The Full Journey 9b in Margalef. The 35m route was bolted by Tom Bolger who did the FA of the first pitch, The Journey 9a in April. Last week, Alex made the second repeat, and then he needed six more days to do the full line. It has been estimated that the 17m extension is 9a in its own right. (c) Meri Mendez

"The first part is pure power-endurance on mostly two finger pockets with a hard mono move in the middle. The second part is a boulder with a rather violent dead point move to a mono and a few more hard moves after. If it wasn't for the good rest between the two parts this route would definitely be next level. With the rest it's still hard though. Both parts fit my style very well I'd say, so I'm curious to hear what repeaters think."

The German has done some 100 odd routes 9a and harder out of which six are 9b, or 9b+, meaning he has the second-best track record in the world after Adam Ondra. He is also well-known for being the first climber to onsight a 9a. When it comes to comps, he has been one of the best since he started to compete in 2008 as a junior. In 2018, he took the bronze in the World Championship, and in 2019, the silver. During the last two years, he has done half of the World Cups and twice made the podium.

Daniel Woods has flashed and made the third ascent of Compass North (8B+) in Fionnay. The super steep crimpy test-piece was put up by Clément Lechaptois and has been repeated by Aidan Roberts. Roughly ten years ago, the 31-year-old flashed Entlinge which was at the time a confirmed 8C, calling it 8B+.

Which one do you think is harder out of these two flashes?
I think this (Compass North) is harder than Entlinge… Entlinge could be more 8B rather than 8B+.

How did you prepare for the flash?
I just felt the holds from the ground and envisioned how I would move in between them. Since the climb has one way of doing it there isn’t much beta prep needed. It’s more about waiting for the right condition and feeling confident that you can execute the moves. This climb fit me perfectly so I had confidence that it could be flashed. I also watched Aidan’s video on Insta and Clem explained the beta to me as well.

How did you warm up for those crimps?
I did this 7C called Drug Addict and then did Scarred For Life stand which is 8A+. Both lines are crimpy so that did the trick.

Was it an epic fight or did you feel like you were in cruise control?
I wouldn’t say an epic fight but def. felt harder than I expect haha.

Have you been close flashing other 8B+ problems?
Ya, I fell on the last move of Mirta (8B+) in Capetown and on the last move of Inferno in Chile. Both these should have been flashed.

When it comes to boulder problems completed, Daniel has the most impressive tick list in the world with some 50 boulders 8C to 9A under his belt. He has also won one Boulder World Cup and completed roughly ten 9a+ graded routes.

Buster Martin has done Action Directe (9a) in Frankenjura after projecting it for only five days. Wolfgang Güllich did the first ascent in 1991 and it is considered the first 9a in the world, although it was originally given the german XI grade which corresponded to 8c+/9a. Since Güllich's ascent better beta has been found and Buster comments. "Wolfgang's sequences look much harder, I didn’t even try.

As of today, Action Directe has been repeated 27 times, but it's only been climbed twice over the last three years. Another contender for the first 9a in the world is Ben Moon's Hubble (8c+) established in 1990, which some have thought merits the 9a grade including Buster who repeated it in 2020. (c) Hannes Huch and Buster's Insta about the actual send.

Can you tell us more about your ascent and the process? Did you use a replica etc?
I ruptured a pulley last year. The first part of my rehab involved lots open-handed grips, later when I was nearly back to full fitness I moved onto monos, to make sure I’d reconditioned myself and was prepared for whatever I might come up against. Then heading out to Cuenca and Margalef (lots of pockets) got me feeling really confident, a previous weakness of mine. I started to think about trying Action.

I headed out in June/July but it was too hot so I ended up climbing in Magic Wood and did my first 8B+, The Never Ending Story (8B+). The temps cooled and I got a couple of sessions in. It felt like it could have gone but I was slipping off a heel hook mid-way up the route. After a trip to Asia, where I traveled and did some training I returned in September and got it done, but only after a heartbreaker last move attempt.

Did you set up and follow any training plan?
(Buster is a training coach who runs online coaching through Kaizenclimbing. Here is and interesting Insta post about weight training on finger board. )
I can’t say I did any campusing on 1 finger! My training wasn't anything complicated, the challenging part is adjusting and making the training fit around rock climbing and the rest of my life. I used the fingerboard to prepare my fingers in a slow, heavy and controlled way. 3-finger drag and half crimp for shorter more intense hangs as well as some slightly less intense hangs on monos and pockets. After all this training I could add 20kg for a Beast maker 1 arm hang on 3 finger drag and 48kg for 2 arms hang on the monos.

The fingerboarding was good but climbing on pockets on the (training) board really tied things together and got me ready. More contact strength and pulling through on holds as well as learning to relax on scary monos. On the board I was doing some limit bouldering as well as some longer boulder problems and intervals for the specific power endurance. For reducing injury risk and body strength, weights were an important part of my training. Deadlifts for tension and the strength in my hips to throw them into the wall for the dyno. Bench press for keeping the shoulders strong for some of the wide and compressing moves.

For power: high velocity pull-ups at bodyweight for power in the arms, jump, and catch exercises for contact strength. This trained the two separately but to put things together and get specific coordination and for history's sake I used the Campus board! Ladders on 2 fingers and some big moves, even building up to 1-6-10.

Which in your opinion is harder Hubble or AD? You marked both as, "soft"?
That’s not something I’ve thought about too much. They are both different routes and I climbed them at different points in my climbing career with different fitness levels. I climbed Action because it’s action and Hubble because it’s hubble, both of them massively significant in their own right and sharing a similar place in history. I love the history, but do we really need to compare the biceps between Ben and the late Wolfgang Gullich? Biographie and la Rambla don't seem to be leveled up or compared so why should these two routes? The consensus for Hubble seems to be 9a, and whilst that may change the history books, I don't think that takes anything away from the iconic Action Direct. The Monos, the line, the beautiful setting and most importantly the legacy of Wolfgang and the way he pushed things forward in sport climbing and training. A true legend and a legendary route, the best I’ve done.

Why do you think this is only the third ascent in the last 3.5 years, while at the same time we have seen possibly 500 ascents of much less famous 9a's?
Frankenjura doesn't seem like the most trendy place anymore, known for a savage and specific style, where you have to work hard for your ascent. I’m sure if Action was somewhere busier with better weather such as Catalunya it would have had many more ascents.

James Webb has repeated Drew Ruana's Insomniac 8C+ at Lincoln Lake. It starts by doing eight moves of The Wheel of Wolvo followed by a good rest and then continuous through We Can Build You (8B). (c) Wes Walker

"Insomniac took me around nine sessions, out of which five were in July when it was quite warm and rainy and then another four in good conditions in early September. Felt super good to be back after the longish recovery with my ankle. The summer was great, I spent another week in the backcountry of Wyoming trying to finish up some projects I tried last season. Now I’m back home in Tahoe and super stoked for the upcoming season here. There are loads of projects to do and we just keep finding more."

What does your typical climbing week look like?
A typical week here at home is mostly just climbing outside, hiking and searching for new boulders. There’s just so much potential here it’s hard to even stick to one project or area. Sometimes it’s hard to stay in the fittest shape because for me I’m more motivated by being outside and discovering new stones. I do spend some time training but that’s usually only when I’m getting ready for a trip somewhere.

What have you learned in 2022 that's made you a better climber and enjoy climbing more?
This past year I feel like I’ve found more balance in my life. Climbing is and always will be a very important part of me but recently I’ve found motivation and happiness in other things too. In my opinion, it’s helped me stay motivated on pushing myself and when I have down periods in my climbing I tend to come back even more psyched and clear-headed. Climbing hard is important for me but these days I’d say it’s taken a big back seat to develop new and amazing lines of all difficulties.

Do you live solely off of sponsorship or do you have a part-time job?
No, I’m lucky enough to be fully supported by my sponsors.

How many projects are you working on currently?
I have too many projects to count haha. Some hard few movers, some long power endurance blocs. Kinda have a good mix going at the moment so I’m not getting too caught up in one single bloc. Certainly helps with the sanity of projecting.

Katie Lamb has done Black Magic (8B) and Shelter 8A+ (B) in Squamish. “ Xtremely fun. Rare squamish board style.”

In total, the 25-year-old has done 41 boulders 8A+ to 8B+, out of which 14 during the last 12 months. Katie has been the #1 in the 8a ranking game for over two years.

For the SS2022 collection, La Sportiva unveils the new TX2 EVO, the lightest approach shoe in the Traverse X range produced by the company from Val di Fiemme. The model, available for both men and women, responds to the needs of grip, protection, minimalism and lightweight required in technical approach and during multi-pitch routes, enriching the offer in the approach category. The footwear uses a 100% resolable outsole which doubles the life cycle and uses recycled materials to ensure a lower environmental impact: in fact, the fabric used for the upper, the laces, the Ortholite® Hybrid Approach footbed and part of the EVA midsole is made with recycled and vegan friendly materials. The Vibram® IdroGrip outsole featuring climbing zone is designed for maximum grip on technical terrain while the upper is free from seams and has an extremely snug fit thanks to the integrated tongue that eliminates gaps and wraps the foot to give maximum comfort and protection during the approach phases.

Lilli Kiesgen has done Pura Vida (8A+) in Magic Wood and in Fontainebleau. The 26-year-old is a former competition climber who was #9 in the World Championship in 2016.

"I had my first session on (Pura Vida) a day when most boulders were wet. I sent Foxy lady just before and wanted to climb more on that day. Some people said Pura Vida is dry so we went there. I did the first moves pretty quickly and struggled a lot with the ending. I wanted to avoid the small pocket and tried a couple of different betas. They felt pretty hard and were tough on the skin. In the end, I figured out, that I have to use the pocket with three fingers and a foothold on the left side. The next days were really rainy. I sneaked in one session in between the rain, but it was more frustrating because the topout was not really dry enough. In the next session, I tried it with Linda Sjödin. I fell a couple of times at the point where you swing the heelhook to the right. I changed the beta a bit and it worked out pretty well. I sent it later on that day ☺️

Partage was on my list a couple of times. On our last trip to Bleau (in March), I had two sessions on it. In those sessions, I felt really close, but I only tried it from the bottom and couldn’t figure out the move to the big hole in the upper part. I always tried to grab two really bad slopers instead of going directly to the hole. On our recent trip, I had bad flu and lay in bed for two days so I thought Partage would be out of my range. But in the last two days, I felt better so I thought I could give it a shot. I had one small activation session and on the last day, I went to Partage. I directly checked out the upper part with a rope and made a fast send it on my second try of the day."

Martin Tekles has done No pain no gain (9a+) in Rodellar. On Insta he says he projected it for three trips and nearly eight weeks at the site. The 31-year-old finished his World Cup career, after ten years, in 2021. His best result was #9.

How did you prepare yourself between the trips and at the site?
Between the trips I trained mostly indoors on the spraywall and at Massone in Arco to get the specific endurance for roof climbing as most walls at home aren't that steep.

In Rodellar, I mostly climbed just this route to get this specific endurance. Training the route in sequences or climbing the first half of the route two times in a row to not get too pumped in the beginning. Before going for send tries I worked myself down from the chain, adding more clips and moves until I was able to link the upper half. Then I did send tries. Every day before doing send tries I bouldered through the route one time to get the feeling for the moves.

When was it you understood that you were about to send it?
It was only two days ago that I had the feeling I could actually do the route. I could do all the moves pretty fast after a few days last year on the first trip. But to link them and also do them when I came from the ground being pumped was something different. I had to change my beta several times.

Why is it only sends from the last three years in your logbook?
Before 2019 I did only compete in worldcups and finishing my psychology masterstudies (so there wasn't too much time beside 🤣). So all my hard routes are from 2019 till now. Before 2019 I climbed a couple 8c-8c+

Daniel Fuertes has done Las Meninas R2 9a+ in Rodellar. Two weeks ago he did the first 9a pitch commenting. "It is a gorgeous line bolted by my friend Gonzalo Larrocha. It took me a long time to manage the first moves. After that, the stamina over a crimp section until the first anchor suited me better. When I managed to redpoint the first pitch I kept going to the second anchor but my foot slipped out in the last movement! I hope to climb the route soon because is a king line!"

The 42-year-old worked the extension three days more and actually the first time he passed the 9a anchor he sent it. During the last years Dani has been climbing harder than ever including doing Ali Hulk sit start extension total (9b).

How can you explain sending harder than ever being 40+?
Now, is more difficult for me to travel for climbing routes onsight and it’s more comfortable climbing hard projects close to home. I think it is because of this, that I have done my hardest routes being 40+.