Pietro Bassotto sets a new standard for 59-year-old's by doing L'Extremacura plus (8c+) at Gravere. He started to climb 35 years ago and in 1989 he was #13 in a Speed World Cup. In 2010, being 47 years old, he did his first 8b+.

Could you say something about the ascent?
After doing in 2019, I stopped spending time at Gravere, dedicating myself to bouldering and routes with a prevalence of strength, which are the ones that suit me best, and for which I train. In spring 2021 I started trying the extension Extrema Cura Plus and I immediately had good sensations, but unfortunately, I had to stop due to an injury that stopped me for a few months. Since this spring I have started to try it again with constancy, falling several times on the last movements. After a break in the summer due to too much heat, the perfect day has finally arrived. When I felt the north wind blowing, I was no longer in my skin, it does not often happen that the physical conditions coincide with the optimal ones of the rock, and with the willingness to be able to climb. I always carry with me an instrument that indicates the temperature and humidity. Conditions were at the top on Saturday. So after two warm-up pitches, I climbed my first 8c +. Despite my age, I still feel room for improvement...

How much and how are you training?
I train twice a week on the wall of my house, or boulder and Moon board in the gym. I only strength never resistance. During the weekends, I normally climb one day outdoors. Next year I will retire so I will have much more time.

How come do you think you are peaking now at age 59?
As a younger man I have always worked a lot and I dedicated a lot of free time to my family, and to my hobbies which are many; tennis, windsurfing, photography, chess, farmer, CNC automation. I always have new ideas that excite me.

The reasons for my improvement are basically three:
1. I climb more in comparison to when had small children.
2. I am always very motivated. I am lucky to have a son "Davide" who climbs on 8c+/9a and 8B/+. He pushes me, especially when we train and climb together.
3. I only train the maximum strength to have the stimulus always high. I do pull-ups, I train on the wall of my house and I boulder outdoors.

Andrea Chelleris, who did Puro Dreaming 8c+/9a last July, has done Martin Krpan (9a) in Osp - Banje in Babna. The 13-year-old is an Italian champion in both slalom and bouldering.

How has your summer been?
On the first days of June, I went skiing for the Blizzard meeting so I took the opportunity to climb for a week in France. I tried San ku kai (8c+) and I liked it very much because it is a technical route with a lot of particular heel hooks. I had a good feeling so after the national championships in Arco I came back and did it. Before the second trip in France I did Intermono (8c) near my home. When I came back I did on my 3rd go in and on my 5th go. After that I did Il sicario sanguinario (8c) in Baratro.

Do you have any plans for the autumn?
In October, I probably will go to to climb onsight. I also want go to Arco to try Reini's Vibes (8c) and to find a new project in Osp - Banje in Babna before I start the ski season.

Jose Agustí, who did his first and only 9a in 2017, has done the FA of Ziga-zaga (8c+) at Sant Miquel del Fai. "After 1 year working on this crazy line I completed the FA of this challenge. Thanks to all my dudes (Eudald, Diegos, Paco, Mateo, Fèlix, Blassi, Fran) and above all thanks to Olga Aniol and Elsa!!! Come on!"

Can you tell us more about this route?
It’s about 50 meter roof line. The name Ziga-zaga comes from its sinuosity when climbing you describe a Z. This line was tried firstly by Diego Marsella and it links the hardest and the best lines of this amazing roof sector situated 5km from Cova de l'ocell.

You start on Penjim penjam, a classical 8c till a rest, and then traverse without clipping any of the next 8 bolts. This second half of the route should be an 8c really physical but also psychological due to the fact of climbing 20 meters off this roof without clipping. Then you get to rest and clip. From there you can do the last part, an easy 8a with an active rest, and a pumpy end where I was close to falling...

Why did you skip eight clips?
In order to avoid rope friction. It is safe but you can fall about 15 meters and it is not possible to get back to the route... A little bit like a Psicobloc route...

IFSC reports that the combined scoring system for the Boulder & Lead World Cup in Moriaka will be modified. In the European Championship, 3 points were given to the first zone and 6 points to the second zone. Now, instead, 5 and 10 points will be given to the first and second zone. In reality, this means that as the Top remains at 25 points, getting six zones = 30 points, can beat a single Top. Furthermore, there is a greater risk for ties in comparison with the previous scoring system. It should be noted 0.1 point is reduced from the score by each attempt.

When it comes to the route, previously you only got points for the highest 30 holds, and for the last fifteen holds 5 points each were added to your score. In other words, making it 15 holds below the Top was equal to only 25 points. In the updated system, 45 points will be awarded for making it 15 holds below the Top.

"The highest 40 holds off the Lead route will grant points to the athletes;
The highest 10 holds of the Lead route will grant a score of 4 points for each hold;
The following 10 holds of the Lead route will grant a score of 3 points for each hold;
The following 10 holds of the Lead route will grant a score of 2 points for each hold;
The following 10 holds of the Lead route will grant a score of 1 points for each hold; and
The remaining number of holds of the Lead route will grant a score of 0 points for each hold."

Anak Verhoeven has done Las Meninas 9a/+ in . It was bolted by Gonzalo Larrocha who made the third ascent after Jorge Diaz-Rullo, who made the FA, followed by Jonatan Flor. ”I prepared for this trip by training in the gym. I had lots of long sessions of climbing hard lead routes. I also had power/strength sessions at home.”

More info and an interview on Fanatic Climbing. Anak was previously a very successful competition climber, and has now done 15 routes 8c+/9a and harder. At just 26 years old, the Belgian is already one of the world's top performing female climbers.

Cathy Wagner has done Ces démons niaquent (8a+) in Précipice de Corbière, giving it a personal 8a grade. "HAPPY! Outstanding route, where many technical kneebars around single tufa allowed me to compensate for my lack of the physical strength. But even with that, it was not at all given, especially when two days of working and reworking the moves were really laborious. Big thanks to perfect conditions today, to my two SEND kneepads and mainly to Seb for his patience when belaying and his encouragements.

Including also her send of Poème rock direct (7c+) from last week, the 57-year-old has done a total of 863 routes 8a and harder, out of which 49 she climbed in the last year. This is almost certainly a world record in female climbing.

Molly Thompson-Smith has done Sideshow (8B) and Fat Lady (8A+), suggesting a personal 8A grade, in The Bowderstone. (c) Sam Pratt

In this year's Lead World Cup, out of six events, she hasn't placed lower than #17 which she did last weekend in Edinburgh. This upcoming weekend she will compete in the Jakarta WC.

"I felt mentally (& physically) drained after the Edinburgh WC, so a short trip to the Lakes with Sam was the perfect solution and break I needed to get myself psyched to go away again for another comp. I’d been told the back of the Bowderstone wouldn’t suit me so well so when I heard about Sideshow I was interested to see if it would be a possible goal for our 2 days there. I tried it for 5 mins when we arrived but realised I was still feeling super tired from the comp so we left. I came back the next day and felt so much better, and the boulder went down 1st try from the ground after working out the beta for the upper section.

After Jakarta I’ll stay in Indonesia for small a holiday with my mum! And after that, I have lead nationals, but my main focus will be getting back on Hubble in the U.K., and a trip to Switzerland for the second half of October!"

Noah Wheeler has done Delirium (8C) at Mount Blue Sky. The 20-year-old started bouldering outdoors only in 2020 as until then focused on competition.

"After doing Wheel of Wolvo in about 4 days the next obvious progression was Delirium. It took me about 2 sessions to send, the first of which I spent dialing the stand moves and the second of which I began giving bottom goes. I sent pretty surprising, as I was tired, after about 5 tries in that day. This send in general was fairly surprising as my fingers were injured for most of the summer and I took quite a lot of time off but I’m glad to be back pulling hard.

Psyched to have finished this off before the road to Lincoln closes. Hard 13 into hard 12 going from a power sequence to a techy and thus finicky top. Really glad to have done something so hard that’s not in my style."

Hamish McArthur has repeated Malcom Smith’s Hunger 9a at The Anvil. Last year, he was the Youth World Champion in both Lead and Boulder. In 2022, he has twice made the final in Lead and in Boulder, and he has placed in the top 20 on three occasions.

“For me, this trip to the Anvil was a marker that the very long competition season was finally coming to an end. I was tired of having to perform and felt the need to disappear into the woods for a few days. Both the place we camped and the route itself were beyond beautiful. The Anvil is this perfect 60-degree overhanging sheet of rock hiding itself in the forest by loch Goil. It's hard not to be inspired when looking up, especially as Hunger follows the perfect line straight up the middle of the overhang.

We arrived late afternoon on day 1, and climbed into the night with head torches. After a questionable night sleep suspended from tree, and a hearty bowl of Scottish oats I was ready to start redpointing. 3 times that morning I climbed through the first crux smoothly, and each time I dropped the 2nd crux by a hair. I unwillingly made myself rest for a good few hours, then in the early afternoon did some star-jumps and prepared for the send.

I set off much more relaxed this time, smiling on the rests and enjoying the anticipation of one again arriving at the 2nd crux. I told myself to squeeze harder, and thankfully I wanted it enough to scream my way through the hardest moves on the 4th redpoint attempt. The route was a joy to climb, and most importantly I feel refreshed and ready to put my head down to get strong over winter.”

How do you manage to combine comp climbing with rock climbing?
With where I'm at in my career, training and competing occupy the overwhelming majority of my time. Despite this, I am absolutely in love with outdoor climbing and definitely hear the rocks calling throughout the year. For the time being I use outdoor climbing as an escape from the intensity of competing. It reminds me there is so much more to climbing than just topping routes.