Arco has been one of the most popular destinations in Europe since the 80s. In 1987, the first Arco Rock Master took place and some hard routes were bolted in Massone. In 2000 Yuji Hirayama made the FA of the classic Underground 9a (8c+). In the last few years, many new crags with stunning scenery have been developed and when it comes to the hardest routes, Stefano Ghisolfi is the one doing most of the hardest FAs as of late.

When did you move to Arco and why?
We moved to Arco in 2016, I first came to Arco in 2005 for the Rock Junior and the Rock Master and since then I remember it as a dream place to be.

How was the first year?
The rock potential is huge and I spent the first year repeating all the hard routes I hadn't climbed before and climbed some new projects, including the ones in Laghel, which is now closed, and Omen Nomen in Padaro, and several routes in Massone. At that time there were only a few gyms and places to train, one in Rovereto, Trento and in Pietramurata, so we built a wall in our garage After a few years, new gyms opened: Infinity Boulder in Trento and Arco Climbing, plus right now the national training centre is open for the Italian team on the Rockmaster wall, so the training options have improved a lot.

What can you do besides climbing?
Arco is not a big city, it is usually quiet (except for some parts of the season). It is close to the mountains and lakes (Lago di Garda) so there are a lot of sports activities and places to relax. The lifestyle here is beautiful and for me, it is the best place to live.

What is the future potential climbing development around Arco?
It has been developed a lot, but there are some potential new crags. There is also still the potential for hard routes in already established crags, like Terra Promessa, Hotel Olivo and others. It's also still possible to find a lot of new crags, maybe with a longer approach but still under 30'.

Adam Ondra says he plans to do the European Championship and a few Lead World Cups. He is soon becomming a father and they are renting a flat in Arco which will become their second home and some thoughts on grades in the nice Epic TV video.

Jana Švecová, back in business after almost one year with injuries and rehabilitation, has done Prehistorik (8B+) in Labské Údolí. Part of her recovery was a trip in January to establish new boulders in the United Arab Emirates, UAE video and Cleavage Canyon video.

"I get the recommendation for this boulder from strong gal Lucie Hrozová as she said it could be potentially climbable for shorter climbers. The boulder was FAed by Martin Stránik and even though he is incredibly strong he commented that the boulder is good training for biceps so I won't lie. After the first session, I spent two weeks training the power in my biceps to have at least a chance of doing all the moves. This time (2nd visit) we had six days of holiday so I decided to climb one day on one day off. Interestingly enough, I was improving every day, until the last session I was able to send it. I wouldn't say that it wasn't my style at all, as I am more like a powerful climber and shorter boulders suit me better but this was kind of a challenge, so that was even more fun to try hard on it. Somehow it worked and I send it with help of Martin Švec who always cleans the boulder for me, turns on the fan, makes marks on the holds so I know where to go, helps me with micro betas and much more… As I said teamwork make the dream work :D

I have to say that it is so refreshing to be able to climb on my limit again after last year full of disappointment, from almost sending 8B+ to pushing in sessions and training way too much and injuring my shoulder and two fingers, resulting in struggling with one or another for about six months. Yay so happy to be back and already looking for new challenges. :)"

Alex Megos reports on Insta that he has done Chris Sharma's Samfaina in Margalef. Sharma called it 9a as also first repeater Ramon Julian Puigblanque did. Megos comments, "Last year @jorge.diazrullo repeated it and suggested an upgrade to 9a+. I'm with Jorge on that one. Definitely felt harder than the 9a's here." In total, the German has now done close to 100 routes 9a and harder and it is only Adam Ondra that has done more. (c) S. Tymchenko

What are your 2022 plans?
My plans for 2022 are trying to combine a few comps and some outdoor climbing. I'll do a few of the bouldering world cups and also a few of the lead world cups, but not the full season.

Last week, Megos competed in the Bouldering World Cup in Meiringen and was #16 after being #5 in the qualification. After he raised issue with there being photos of the boulder problems in isolation, consensus was reached among competitors and officials and no further photos were displayed.

Solveig Korherr has done La théorie des cordes (8c) in . "Superb line! The day started with low expectations in the morning because of the heat, but ended up to be the perfect sending day with some windy and really dry conditions in the afternoon. So psyched for the big fight I had. 4 days."

The 23-year-old did her first 8c only three years ago and now she has done 20 routes 8c to 9a (video). Until age 18, her focus was competition.

How can you explain your great progress over the last few years?
I always try to maintain a high level of training discipline in between rock climbing trips. Over the last few years, I figured out a training routine that seems to work well for my climbing performance outdoors. I mainly train on the hang- and campusboard for some finger strength and lock-off training. I also use the moonboard a lot which definitely helped me to get better at dynamic moves because I always used to be a very static climber. I like using the spray wall for some intervall training to improve some power-endurance/ basic endurance especially three/ two weeks before a trip.

For me, a good balance between indoor and outdoor climbing is also important to always keep the psych high. Climbing in a lot of different places with completely different styles helped me to become a better and more varied climber as well.

Martina De Preto has, in just two sessions, done in Val di Mello. "It is a classic crimpy boulder of Val di Mello. A perfectly beautiful and exciting line that mixes finger strength, resistance and power. It was time, I wanted and dreamed to test myself with this grade, and I knew I had the skills to do it, but there was never an opportunity. One week ago my time finally came. Just saying that I am happy is not enough, because behind it there is so much more, work, training, sacrifices, motivation, perseverance, and desire to achieve a goal. The right sentence is to never give up.

What are your 2022 plans and ambition?
I'm both an indoor and outdoor climber, but because of university (I am studying Energetic Engineering at Politecnico of Milano) mostly indoor. So my goals for 2022 are: make a good job in Lead European Cup and maybe take part in a Lead World Cup, never say never; also, outdoor, I want to send an 8b Lead, I have never tried one and do other 8A Boulder. That's it."

Loic Zehani has done the FA of Chikane (9b) in Avignon. Previously the 20-year-old has done 42 routes 9a to 9b, out of which 22 FAs. (c) Guillermin

"Chikane is a 30 moves route that can be divided into three parts with no rest. The first part is a ten moves 8b, followed by a magnificent boulder section, very varied with crimps, verticals and a heel hook. This sequence of ten moves must be around an 8A+ boulder. Then comes the last section with two dynamics around 7C+/8A boulder. The whole route is very hard and resistant. It took me about fifteen sessions over two months. I propose 9b while waiting for future repeaters. I'll post a video this week. Note that there are two projects left around 9b+."

In the 8a scorecard set up, an onsight adds three grades more points compared to a redpoint, i.e. a 7a OS = 7B+ RP, more or less.

As a general guideline and example, someone who can consistently onsight tricky, vertical 7a granite routes, can likely redpoint an 8a after multiple sessions (let's say 15 give or take). On the other hand, someone who onsights some chalked, straight-forward, well-travelled 7a’s on Kalymnos, might still have a hard time quickly redpointing 7b’s on the island.

If we look at Adam Ondra, who is the best onsight climber in the world, he still has a four grade discrepancy, i.e. 9a OS vs 9c RP. The reason for this big difference is that Ondra projected his hardest climb for a couple of years including specific replica training. For the average climber who does not spend more than five sessions on a project, it is common that the grade discrepancy, OS vs RP, is 3 grades. The 3 grade separation can also be used to measure your grade pyramid. In Ondra's case (seen in the picture), he has a very broad and high volume of onsight climbing recorded, especially from 8a to 8c.

Katie Lamb has done Lost and Found (8B) in Yosemite (CA), (c) David Fitzgerald, and The Penrose Step (8B+) in Leavenworth (WA). The latter, a Carlo Traversi FA from 2013, has ten ascents in the data base, all of them marked with five stars and Katie did it in just two sessions."Mini trip up to visit the fam - rained out for all but two days. Got it done in the eleventh hour w some try hard and stamina I didn't know I had. Incredible line and special moment with keen and andy."

The 24-year-old did her first, out of ten 8B's, less than two years ago and her first, out of four, 8B+ nine months ago. For almost one year, she has been the #1 in the female ranking game.

How has this dramatic progress been possible?
My progression is primarily because I focused on being a smart scaler, not just a strong scaler. Be smart about your temps and your rest during your sesh.