Adam Ondra is the top global climber suggesting the most personal, i.e. honest grades. His amazing tick list would have been even more impressive if he had skipped the honesty part and just taken the topo grade. Adam onsighted the first two 9a graded routes in the world but downgraded them to 8c+. Last year he also downgraded the third, out of five 9a onsights that he has done, Cabane au Canada.

"Update 2021: seems the consensus is more 8c+. The long-term dream came true when I did not even expect it. I travelled to this incredible area, thinking that the route would be pretty dirty and abandoned after a long winter, but I found it perfectly cleaned with the draws hanging in place. I admit that it is definitely not hard 9a, it's definitely rather lower end, but it fits my style, I felt in very decent shape and I fought hard! For the first time in my life, I onsighted a route which had been suggested 9a and I could honestly believe that it could be in the 9a region. For all the others it was simply not case, even though it is very hard to judge it while you are onsighting. Beautiful moment and experience in the early morning session in one of the most breathtaking sport climbing-wall(s) I have ever seen."

Hans Radetzki, climbing photographer and a very much under the radar 9a climber, has done Dreamtime 8B+/C in Cresciano and there is an Insta video. (c) StefanKuerzi.com

"It’s just awesome to realise what’s doable with a lot of obsession :) I never really saw myself as a boulderer but Dreamtime got me super psyched somehow. I’m just very grateful about the process and the learning opportunities you get with trying something that’s very hard for you personally. Failure and frustration are some of the best teachers to learn how to handle yourself I guess :)"

Sébastien Berthe reports that Soline Kentzel has done the 36 pitches Golden Gate 7c+ in Yosemite ground up. Although the French had done 8b+ before she had only trad climbed once before arriving in Yosemite, some three months ago. During the first days, she struggled to do 5 graded trad climbs. Soline is part of the team that sailed from Europe to America and she is gonna sail back home as well!

"About the ascent, we swapped lead on easier pitches up to 5.11 and we both led pitches from 5.12 and harder. She led the monster offwidth. We took two days to reach the downclimb, pitch 17. She had a few falls on some 5.11 pitches of the first half but always sent them on her second try. Day 3 was a snowy rest day. On day 4, we were at the "move pitch". Day 5, she worked the pitch but could not send. Day 6, rainy rest day. On day 7, she sent the Move pitch in her third try and we quickly moved to Tower to the people. She could even send the Golden desert pitch on her first try that evening. Day 8 was a forced rainy rest day. On day 9, she worked the a5 traverse and then sent it 2tries after in a pumpy battle, we ran to the summit the same afternoon!

We went through some epic snow storms and rain showers which made surviving on this wall a true challenge. During these forced rest days we had to squeeze in the really small ledge we brought constantly trying to avoid being wet first and frozen after... One of our sleeping bags even became totally stiff and icy. But we could keep the motivation really high and got back to climbing as soon as the wall was dry! During the sunnier climbing days, the ice was melting from the top of the wall throwing impressive ice chunks on us. Every 5 min, the lottery was on: we had to stop climbing, stick ourselves against the wall waiting for these pieces of ice to fall all around us. The level of dedication, commitment and perseverance she brought into the whole process of discovering trad and crack climbing is huge and it has been truly inspiring to witness her path."

Kwon Ga-eun from South Korea started climbing systematically in her parents' gym at age six. Last year she did her first 7c and now she has done People 3000 8b in Maisan, setting a new grade record for 8-year-olds. Her father is an 8b+ climber and has been a member of the Ice climbing national team. The plan for the summer is to go to Spain says her father. "She trains in my gym four days a week, about five hours a day. Three hours of endurance training (at her spray wall), one-hour bouldering and she does campus board training and cool-down stretching for an hour. She trains in the indoor gym like this on weekdays and goes rock climbing or on outdoor lead walls on weekend." Interestingly, the record for 9-year-olds, 8b+, is also set by a girl and that goes also for the youngest boulder crusher (Ashima Shiraishi).

Eva Hammelmüller, who last year did her first 8c+/9a, has done The Antwoord (8A+) and Clockwork Orange (8A)
Zillergrund Wald. (c) Felix Mast

"I tried "Clockwork Orange" two years ago but was not able to climb it, so I was really psyched to finish off this boulder. Although I didn’t really remember the moves, I could climb it pretty quickly, so I had plenty of time to try something else. After climbing some easier boulders, we decided to try „Antwoord“. At first, we struggled a lot with the first move and it rained quite a lot, so the top out was completely wet. Yet, after drying the top out and finding a heel for the first move, I could do it in my first send go!"

Pepa Šindel from the Czech Republic has done the first repeat of The end 8c+ in Medveja. The power endurance challenge was bolted by Andrea Polo and Domen Škofic did the FA. Last year, the 14-year-old did an 8c in four different countries; Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Germany. His father Petr comments.

"All members of our family climb and climbing is a our lifestyle, motivation and love for us. Pepa trains on the home bouldering wall in the barn and goes to the rocks as often as possible. Ideally every weekend plus the whole school holiday. Although he does not specifically prepare extra, he trains a lot. At least 3 to 4 times a week, power bouldering - old school wall, ideal conditions :-)."

William Bosi has made a trip to Moravský kras where he the first three weeks did six 8C's and Kostěj nesmrtelný 9a (after a broken hold). Later he was #2 after Adam Ondra in the Czech Nationals and did, Perla východu (9a). "Incredible route and definitely the king line of the crag had a proper battle to get this one done! Even falling on the last move... grade wise it feels far more like 9a+ which is crazy considering Adam climbed this when he was 14!! Time will tell I guess." (c) Band of birds

Moravský Kras is a predominantly limestone area north of Brno which is the home of Adam Ondra, who acted as a guide to Will on parts of this trip. The area is characterised by technical and challenging climbing on often polished limestone and rarely sees visits from the elite climbing circuit despite multiple hard boulders and routes established by the likes of Ondra and Martin Stranik.

“It has been an amazing experience to not only explore the Moravsky Kras area but be welcomed by the local climbing community. Ahead of the trip, I trained probably harder than I ever have in preparation for a climbing trip and so was really happy that I was able to tick so many classics of the area. I am psyched to come back again soon to continue exploring the area and training with the locals!”

Choong Katherine, who last year finished IFSC comps after 16 years on the circuit, has done La Ramirole MP (8b) in Verdon. Previously the 30-year-old has done two 9a's and last year she did the MP, 6.4 sekunden 8b (+), meaning her route track record is one of the most impressive out there. (c) Julia Cassou

"I climbed all the pitches of the multi-pitch route La Ramirole in a perfect no fall ascent! But it wasn't a piece of cake! Each pitch was a long battle of endurance! I had been dreaming of climbing this route since I saw a picture of Nina Caprez many years ago. But it took me a while before I felt ready to tackle this impressive overhanging wall. Jim my partner was also close to sending the route, falling at the top of the 8b! Sharing this adventure with him, sharing the pressure, the fatigue, the difficulties, the disappointment when he fell but also the excitement, the mutual support and the moments of joy after each successful pitch made this climb an incredible experience!

This route is clearly in my style: there are no extreme moves, but it's a sequence of difficult moves on a very overhanging wall. So less difficult than 6.4 Sekunden which was very technical and bouldery. But it's clearly the second hardest multi-pitch route I've done. When I arrived to Verdon I had a lot of doubts about my ability to do it, my form is not the best right now. The first few days I couldn't do more than a few moves in a row and I ended the day completely exhausted. But my body gradually adapted to this environment and then my head, seeing that the end of the trip was approaching, took over to send this monster of endurance. I clearly didn't have the margin to be able to fall on the pitches and try them again, I absolutely had to climb them all without falling in order to be able to do them all on the same day. So it was a big mental battle!"