Dylan Chuat did Thor's Hammer (9a/+) in Flatanger, two weeks ago. "Waaaw, what an amazing line!!! The holds are so beautiful, the effort and the line are just amazing! Just a pity that the beginning is always wet." Marco Müller, a 9a+ climber, has made a great film of Dylan's ascent.

Andrea Chelleris, who last year did an 8c+/9a, has done San ku kai (8c+) in Entraygues. "I spent 10 days and maybe 20 tries, I thought to do it before but I had problems with the heel."

The 13-year-old did his first 8b+ at age 9 and he is also a competitive skier who last year won the Italian Championship. Last year he also did his first 8a+ onsight.

How did it go this year in your skiing and climbing competitions?
In skiing, I won a FIS Children Cup in Slovenia called Pokal loka (it's an international competition). In climbing, I won the boulder Italian championship.

Have you been close on an 8b onsight?
Yes, 2 times. I did Albaretto (8b) in 2 tries in Bosco Verde and I did Helikopter v omaki (8b) in 3 tries because I missed a heel.

Sebastien Bouin has the last month done four routes 9a+ or harder in Flatanger, including the 130m long Nordic Marathon and Adam Ondra's Change (9b+) from 2012. Three years ago he repeated Ondra's Move (9b) from 2013. (c) Marco Müller

Seb, who is honest and outspoken about grades, has published more reflections on Insta, giving credits to Adam who did not use knee pads doing the FAs.

"I did the First Ascent (of Nordic Marathon) during this recent trip (before sending Change). I proposed the grade 9b/+. This route is 100% my climbing style. Still, it was hard to give a grade for such a long route. So, to compare these three routes. I will take into consideration, the time, climbing style, and feelings on the process and send."

Interestingly, Seb thinks that Move is the hardest and suggests a personal upgrade to 9b+ at the same time he thinks Change was 9b/+ for him due to the use of knee pads. In other words, it might be that in the history books, La Dura dura (9b+), from 2013, will be considered the first 9b+ in the world as Adam did the FA of it six months before putting up Move.

Killian Chabrier, who one month ago did his first 9a, has been on a 19 days trip to Magic Wood where he did four 8B+.

”The first 13 days I did a lots of classics between 8A and 8B and tried Power of Now (8B+). I send it on my 5th session and then I decided to try other 8B+. I did really quickly Mystic Stylez (8B+) the day after and then 3 days later I sent on my 3rd session.

To finish my trip with I went on The Never Ending Story (8B+) which I tried 7 years ago and did it on my 1st session! Maybe one of my best weeks by doing 4 8B+ in 7 days! Really happy with my trip and psyche to return back in Magic to try harder ones!

Lukas Sager has done Cabane au Canada (9a) in Rawyl. The 17-year-old did it in two tries after first having done La Cabane au Paradis (8c+), that shares the first seven quick draws, after five days of projecting.

”The first part is on an overhanging steep sandstone wall requiring a lot of power in the fingers. The second part is about endurance, you have to cope with it. Then you have to fight with the last crux.

I didn't have any problems with the jump in the final part. But just after this crux, a tricky dyno move to get in a crack resisted me for many attempts. I was trying to get my fingers inside, but it was "mission impossible" for me and my big fingers. I was a little bit disappointed so I searched for a new method. I found a really small crimp just above and l was able to climb the section but it gives me a new crux.”

Jakob Schubert got 80.5 points and was tied #3 in Boulder. The Austrian was the only one to do boulder #2 but then he failed on the next easier problem. Adam Ondra won Boulder scoring 80.7 points, just 0.1 points ahead of Sam Avezou. In Lead, Schubert got 95.1 points as he dynoed to the top but could not hold the swing, giving him a total of 175.6 points. Adam Ondra was last out and it had started to rain. If the Czech would get to the same hold as Schubert controlled he would win by O.1 point. Ondra did, in fact, not need to dyno to the top. However, after a big drama, he fell touching the hold that would have given him the gold, if he had controlled it.

Alberto Gines Lopez, the Olympic champion, got the bronze with 151.7 points. Complete results

Schubert commented to IFSC: ” “I wasn’t so nervous watching Adam [Ondra] as when I fell, I knew I had silver. I was like 99% sure I would have a silver and 100% sure Adam would get really close to me. It came as a bit of a surprise that he didn’t climb the top as well as me and fell before me. It doesn’t happen often.

It definitely feels amazing, not because it’s a medal, but because it’s a gold medal. This whole event has been amazing and so has the crowd. Every round has felt like a final. I was missing a medal though. I was a bit sad with my fourth place in Lead and now I’m happy to have this memory of a medal because it’s what this event deserves.”

It should be noted that Sam Avezou would have goten the bronze of the Olympic multiplication format was used. With the new performance based system he was #6. Furthermore, Ondra would have goten the gold.

Drew Ruana, who previously has done four 8C+', reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Distortion 8C+ in Lincoln Cave. "It’s a low start to the v14 stand start, 20ish moves. The last move is the hardest, I fell there probably 15 times. Only got 1 try a day". (c) Alton Richardson

What is your next plan?
I’m going to the Arcteryx academy in Squamish. Then school starts and it’ll get cold for front range projects.

Are there any harder projects than Distortion?
I put a lot of work into some harder stuff but I’d like to do more v16s (8Cs) now.

Drew is a former successful competition climber who was #8 in the World Championship in 2019. He stopped competing after he failed to qualify for the Olympics. Since then the 22-year-old has been one of the very best boulderers in the world. In total, he has done more than 80 boulders 8B+ and harder. Here is an 8a interview with the full time Chemical engineering University student.

Stefano Carnati, who previously has done four 9a+, has done La moustache qui fâche (9a+) in Entraygues. "Not the best line around but very good powerful climbing and a great project for the summer. Easy intro and a hard section of 15 moves of which the last is the crux. Might be slightly easier with colder temps, but I never experienced."

Janja Garnbret took her third gold in the European Championship by winning the Boulder & Lead event. First, she did all four boulders in five tries meaning she scored 99.9 points. Then the Slovenian and best-ever female competition climber in history, although only 23 years old, topped the Lead route with ease getting a total score of 199.9 points. Runner-up was Mia Krampl, also from Slovenia, who did three boulders and two zones, as well as topping the Lead route, scoring 180.9 points. Jessica Pilz, from Austria, took bronze scoring 180.6 points as she used three more attempts doing the three boulders.

Garnbret commented: "“Being three-times European champion sounds good, but it feels even better. One shelf broke not long ago. The things on it were too heavy. If it’s too small I will buy a bigger one, but when I look at my cabinet and medals I’m like ‘Whoa, when did this happen?’ because time flies as I’m competing so much and sometimes you have to stop and realise what you have achieved because it is incredible.”

IFSC has the full report with more quotes from more athletes and the complete result. Photo: Jan Virt/IFSC