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.

William Bosi has set a new "world record" when it comes to boulder flashes during one day, with an amazing triple; Fénixovy Slzy (8A+), Charizard (8B+) and The Swirl King SS (8A+). Add to that the last one was a FA from a sit start (the stand is 8A) and also that he made a reversed link-up of the first two he flashed, creating the FA of Bulbasaur (8C), we are talking a bouldering day for the records book. Video of Martin Stráník doing the second ascent of the 8C.

How did you prepare for this trip?
I spent the last 3 months completely focused on getting as strong as possible by board climbing and doing campus boulders basically every session. So around 2-3 hours of board climbing followed by about 1-2 hours of campus boulders. Was my main session. Training mostly 2 days on 1 day off. I would mix in climbing at Raven tor some mornings as well to keep the rock try hard.

Jorge Diaz-Rullo has done the FA of Carlota la colombiana (9a+) in Margalef. "Yeah! One more step in my big project and with this, the puzzle is solved. Now for the REAL, the motivation doesn't stop!! About the grade, I don't know, I've climbed a lot here and I don't know anything anymore... 9a+? Maybe a little less 9a/+? Repeaters will say." (c) Zac Moss

The ”REAL” is his big project described as a 9b followed by a 15 moves 8A+/B boulder, which he already has spent 50+ days on.

Christof Rauch has done his third 9a in just eleven days, L'isola che non c'è in Amden. "Amazing hybrid between bouldering and route climbing. It all starts with an awesome roof boulder on amazing holds, leads into a slightly easier middle part and finishes with a short and powerful boulder on the rope, followed by some easier climbing to the top. Really happy to get the third ascent of this amazing Fred Nicole testpiece!"

How hard is the roof boulder and then the rope climbing?
It shares Ragtime 8B+ untill the last ~6 moves (~7A/B) but has another 5-moves 8A crux on the rope instead, followed by some easier climbing to the top.

How many sessions were needed to send?
I did it (Ragtime) in two sessions in 2016. Over the next years, I had two sessions on the route. Last autumn I invested three more sessions and got really close to sending it but then the snow came and it was too cold. Yesterday was my first session this year. I felt stronger than last autumn and surprised myself with a send.

Jonathan Siegrist continues striking in Santa Linya doing his fifth 9a over just three weeks, Fuck The system (9a). "Barely pulled this one off in the final days of my trip with horrible conditions. SO happy. For sure easier than the other 9a I did, but also one of the best for movement."

In total, the 36-year-old has now done 60 routes 9a and harder which makes him #6 on that list. Interesting is that he did his first 9a at age 24 and that his last year is his best year ever after almost twelve years of continuous progress. He is #2 in the 8a ranking game after Adam Ondra. In other words, Jonathan is a great example of a late bloomer.

Below is how he two weeks ago explained his great progress lately. The picture is from last autumn. "I worked really hard for the last 4 years to address some of my weaknesses with training and also with the projects I choose outside which definitely helped me make some progression! Also as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to be more patient, rest more, and take really good care of myself. But ultimately it’s not much about how ‘strong’ I am (actually I am super weak when compared to top climbers!), it’s more about just prioritizing being outside and climbing on rock a muerte as much as possible."

Vályi Gergő has won six of the last nine Euro Youth Cups he has done since 2019. This can be compared to being on average #18 in eight Euro Cups in 2018. With limited outdoor possibilities in Hungary in combination with the travel restriction due to Covid-19, he has not yet had many possibilities pushing hard on the rock. On a short summer trip in 2019, at age 14, he did his first two 8A+.

Could you please say something about your amazing progress since 2018?
2018 was my first year in international comps, so I didn't have a good competition routine as Hungarian national cups do not meet the European standard. I had to start participating in more professional competitions to get used to the higher standards. The 2019 season started relatively well and later I made it to the podium in two Boulder European Youth Cups (two silvers). I was not expecting that and I didn’t think Lead would go well either. My goal was to make it to the finals and since this was the first competition, I wasn't nervous. I think it contributed a lot to the victory. After three Lead European Youth Cups which I won, I was hoping for the best from the Youth European Championship which also was fulfilled. I don't know how I was able to accomplish this, but I think the essence was that I competed for the love of climbing, not for the result.

How do you train and how much do you train outdoors?
I have three boulder and only one lead training session in a week because max power is the weakest link in the chain for me. This needs to be strengthened. In boulder training, I mostly climb on the spray wall. Lead trainings are all about developing endurance, in which case I climb a lot of routes combinations into double or triple climbs. Here in Hungary, I don't train on hard routes, because the hardest is 8a or sometimes 8a+, so I am forced to climb more of the easier ones. I have used a small fingerboard for the last five months because the pulley hurts in my ring finger. I really don't want to get an injury before the season. Unfortunately, I climb less outdoors which I like better than plastic.

I have climbed almost all harder routes in Kis-Gerecse, the best lead climbing crag in Hungary. Here I climbed my hardest routes like Bányarém 8c, Zed is dead 8c/+, and Karnevál 8b+, but I think the latter is the hardest one of the three. Sometimes I climb abroad too and I onsighted some 8a and 8a+ in Osp recently. Fortunately, we usually have outdoor training camps after the competitions.

What are your plans and hope for this year?
In 2022, I’ll try some of the World Cups and do a couple of youth competitions. It is my and my country’s goal to qualify as many people as possible for the European Championship. I want to be the first Hungarian to reach the semi-finals or even the finals of a World Cup and I want to get in my best shape in every competition. In addition, I want to climb my first 9a or even 9a+ still in this year.