Chris Sharma reports on Insta, with a video, that he has onsighted V for Vendetta 8c in Siurana. The last time the 40-year-old legend onsighted an 8c was in 2015 and in total he has onsighted more than a handful. At age 14 he won the US bouldering nationals and the year after he made the FA of an 8c+ in the US. Since then he has been on the cutting edge, first mainly on the comp scene winning a Lead WC in 1997 and later making the podium in another six WCs including four in Boudering. In any case, he is most famous for his FA proficiency, most notably in 2001, he made the FA of Realization 9a+ in Céüse. He has since gone on to make 16 FAs 9a+ and harder, in Spain, and essentially all his FAs are classics and well repeated five-star routes. When looking through the 8a database for the highest star rated and most popular high-end routes in the world, Sharma's FAs stand out in an amazing way! (c) Ricardo Giancola

Lucie Hrozová has done Rustam SD (8A+) in Moravský kras. Video on her Insta where she also says, "almost add Rustam Direct 8B too, felt In last hard move, excited to come back there 👍👍."

How are you dealing with your compartment syndrome?
With the forearms, it depends, like now it hurts a lot and I don't climb since then. It is not always the same, but usually, I can only boulder one short session, like a few tries and then three rest days rest. Some days are a bit better and some are like really bad.


The 33-year-old has won 14 WC medals in Ice Climbing and she has also done one of the hardest mix routes in the world, Saphira M15-. This career came to a halt due to a serious shoulder injury. Then in 2019, she did an 8c but she had to stop due to Compartment syndrome. Instead, in May 2020 she started bouldering and within six months she did her first 8A+. More info on comparment syndrome from an 8a training article in 2010.

Abigail Humber has done the FFA of Trebuchet (8c) in New River Gorge (WV). (c) Karen Lane

”To my surprise, it only took me six days to send Trebuchet! I have been taking climbing seriously and competing for five years, but I didn’t really discover outdoor climbing until all of the gyms closed when Covid hit. I’m so grateful that I was forced to go outside though because climbing outdoors has become one of my favourite parts of my life. This is my second 5.14 since then, and I have no plans on stopping!

Could you tell us about your plans for 2022?
I’m planning on continuing to climb outside while also doing comps, and following the psych! I want to climb more hard routes at the New, and hopefully, I’ll get the chance to explore other areas as well.

Full interview from one of her sponsors. "I had superglued shut a large gash on my finger from slipping while cooking the night before, and had taken some pain medicine to block out the pain. Halfway up, I noticed the cut had reopened and was gushing blood everywhere. At the rest below the roof, I tried as hard as I could to wipe the blood off on my pants, but it just wouldn’t stop bleeding. With the fear of slipping on my own blood in the back of my mind to say the least, I made the decision that I was going to try anyway. I’m so glad I did."

Japan has dominated the boulder competition scene for several years, especially on the men's front. Last year Yoshiyuki Ogata won ahead of Kokoro Fujii. Among the women, Japan had four girls in the Top 10 overall WC ranking. In 2019, Japan had three males in the Top 5 and eight in the Top 18. Typically, all participating Japanese male competitors make the semifinal, and it is quite normal for 50% of the male finalists to be Japanese. As Adam Ondra is not participating and it seems some of the other top male competitors have focused more on outdoor bouldering, my guess is that Japan will dominate more than ever, especially among the males, both in Meiringen and overall. Here is a prediction for Meiringen:

1. Tomoa Narasaki JPN - Janja Garnbret SLO
2. Kokoro Fujii JPN - Natalia Grossman USA
3. Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN - Miho Nonaka JPN
4. Jakob Schubert AUT - Brooke Raboutou USA
5. Sean Bailey USA - Oriane Bertone FRA
6. Keita Dohi JPN - Seo Chaehyun KOR
7. Alex Megos GER - Futaba Ito JPN
8. Nathaniel Coleman USA - Fanny Gibert FRA

Interesting is that Janja two days ago reported on Insta. "Verified Stupid of me to think La Dura Dura is just hard when obviously it’s hard hard 🤔" Meaning she has focused on trying a 9b+ endurance monster just the weeks before the Bouldering WC starts. On the other hand, on Sunday she won the first cup of the Slovenia Championship together with Jernej Kruder.

He has prepared mainly outdoors as usual and is always a dark horse since he won the Euro Championship in 2020. ”I'm just doing my thing...going on a few obligational and selectional trainings, the rest spending outside trying some hard stuff. I wish I can still show the kids that experience count.”

Toru Nakajima reports on Insta that he has repeated Dai Koyamada's Epitaph in Horai. Due to several broken holds, he upgrades it to 8C+. However, it might possibly be 9A now since the crystal of the key hold broke on his send, which happened on his 13th session.

The 29-year-old did his first 8B+ at age 15. In total, he has done more than a handful 8C's and he is well known for his extreme projects. One of them, free-soloing a 500 meter waterfall. He has also made two trips to Finland in order to repeat Nalle Hukkataival's Burden of Dreams 9A. "I chose a strategy of doing short trip at a high frequency and training with replica holds in between. This was rather successful, and I think it was close on the second tour." Then Covid-19 came and four trips were cancelled and then a new missed trip two months ago.

Brooke Raboutou, who was #5 in the Olympics, presents a great video from her Ticino trip earlier this winter when she did Kings of Sonlerto 8A+, La Proue (8B), Heritage 8B (+) and Iur (8B+). On friday she will compete in the Bouldering WC in Meiringen as one of the favorites trying to defend her #4 position overall.

Loose rock is one of the biggest risks for climbers. Especially after the winter season when frozen water has expanded. It's not unheard of for seemingly solid sections that have been climbed on for decades to cut loose. Chances are you've come across a loose hold or feature marked with an X. One of the challenges is very few people take the time to properly mitigate new loose sections.

Due to many new routes being put up last year, and many gym climbers climbing outside for the first time, the risk of rock fall might be higher than ever. A newcomer might go further to the side of an established route or possibly dyno to the X hold. It is important that all experienced climbers spread the word about loose rock in order to avoid bad injuries, and do what they can to mitigate them whenever possible.

Another risk is that more experienced climbers are trying old forgotten routes as they have run out of climbs at their established local crags. Just last week, I fell into this category, as I tried to top rope an old-school mixed route and suddenly a one-kilo pinch cut loose on me. After further inspection, I realized the entire section was dangerously loose, and after 30 minutes of cleaning, we had removed roughly 20 kg of rock. Pictured is a separate, loose 50 kg stone that we had to put a bolt into in order to lower it, as it was found 50 meters off the deck, and just above a trail.

Lucien Martinez has done hist first 9a+, Papichulo in Oliana after some 20 sessions. Previously the editor-in-chief of the French Magazine Grimper has done ten 9a's. (c) Williclimb

Could you please say something about how you took it down?
I tried it on and of for several years (It was my side project of Fight or flight, which I failed once again this year). So quite a lot of sessions! I have done a lot of endurance training at the gym before the trip, with and without a rope. Maybe four sessions a week where I did endurance "a muerte", sometimes 15 routes between 7c and 8a+ in 3-4 hours at the gym. I think it's good training for a route like Papichulo which is more or less all about fitness.

How do you compare it to the other 9a's you have done?
I think it is my hardest. You really need to be in good shape to do it, so very very low end of 9a+, but still 9a+ in my opinion.