Emilie Gerhardt reports on Insta that she has done Wrestling with an alligator 8B in Maltatal. In 2013, she got the silver in the Youth World Champion but she stopped competing in 2016. Overall, she has done more than a dozen 8A and harder out of which two 8B's. (c) Julius Westphal

”Due to busy work in our boulder gym “Steil”, rock climbing has been rare the last months. So I was pretty psyched for bouldering in Maltatal for a week ! I’m happy that training paid off and I could climb Klem Loskot’s classic “Wrestling with an alligator”.

Hamish Mcarthur finished the 2021 competition season by first getting two golds in the Youth World Championship and then being #3 and #7, in Boulder and Lead, in the World Championship. Outdoors he has done two 8c+/9a (in just two sessions each) and last year he put in five sessions on La Dura Dura 9b+, in the picture from his Insta.

What is your climbing background?
I started as most kids do; climbing trees, buildings, playground equipment, my parents... To this day nothing brings me as much joy as going adventuring in the vertical plane. I can't step outside without my mind racing at the possibilities of what I can scale. As a result, my parents took me to a gym when I was 5 to redirect my energy. I got hooked quickly. I crave challenge (in any form) and climbing is the perfect symbol of just this.

How can you explain the great progress in 2021?
An amalgamation of many factors so it's hard to unpick the effect to find a single cause. A big factor however was my isolation during the lockdown. For a good few months, my training was exclusively on an 8ft² wooden board in my parents' shed. In this period (with no comps on the horizon) I was forced to change my approach to training from doing it to improve my climbing to doing it to improve my life. This minor shift in perspective has allowed performing so much more freely as suddenly nothing is on the line quite like before. I'm just doing it through love and passion rather than fear.

What is your plan and ambition in 2022?
Simply put, I want to dominate the competition scene then fly to Spain and send la Dura Dura... I know this is incredibly ambitious, but that is how you push the limits. If you don't aim for it there is no chance at all you will do it.

Matteo Gambaro, who did his first 9a, out of six, at age 35, has done Comité d'accueil (9a) in Séranon.

"We discovered the crag of Seranon this winter and the place is really beautiful. It is two and a half hours from our house and we went often in a day or for two days with our van. The routes are very technical and slightly overhanging. The style is varied between small grips and pockets and cracks. I climbed the two really beautiful 8b and then I started trying the 9a which forks from the more aesthetic 8b. The first part is technical up to a small rest. Here begins a very difficult sequence on small tricks often opposed up to a reverse crack. From here it takes a lot of head and arms to get to the top with a very random exit movement.

The first days I spent studying the movements which seemed really difficult and strange. Often the hot sun of this January made it impossible for me to progress. I tried the route one day a week often after work and after the first few days, I managed to do all the difficult parts. Yesterday it was very cold and the sun was hazy. In the beginning, I didn't think I could warm my fingers but after a long warm-up on the route, I decided to give it a try which was successful. Thanks to Elena, in the picture, who always accompanies me and who also struggles with her project."

Noah Wheeler, who previously has done nine 8B+', started off his trip to Joe's Valley (UT) by doing Sound of Violence (8C). "7th try or so on first day at Joe’s. I’m really bad at grading and I additionally used the left hand gaston throw beta which suited my style better (though the whole climb is mostly my style), but 14/15 feels about right. Taking the 15 side of this cause first 15 has to be soft per the norm. Super fun with either betas regardless."

A few hours later he flashed . "Surprise flash after I slightly split my finger on the Sound of Violence. Aside from the first hold this is a perfect boulder in movement and holds. Great first day at Joe’s."

What is your climbing background?
I started competing when I was eight but only started climbing outdoors two years ago due to the pandemic. I’ve fallen in love with outdoor bouldering and it is by far what I’m most passionate about now. I also trained lots of tension boards before I started climbing outside so it definitely translated well and naturally, especially for SOV and Slasher due to their styles.

What are your best comp results?
I’ve gotten second in youth nationals twice. Definitely feel like outdoor bouldering is more my style than comps.

1. Max Milne 44 - Ayala Kerem 34
2. Toby Roberts 34 (4) - Michaela Tracy 33
3. Hamish McArthur 34 (10) - Jenaya Kazbekova 23
4. Alex Megos 34 (11) - Holly Toothill 12

The first suggested 8C+ in the world was Mauri Calibani's Tonino '78 in 2004. Mauro, who was the world champion in bouldering, in 2001, had worked it for a year and thought it was harder than Dreamtime which was 8C at the time. Later on, both Tonino '78 and Dreamtime were downgraded. The next contender for the first 8C+ in the world was, The Wheel of Life, put up by Dai Koyamada, but it was also later downgraded and most climbers liken it to a 9a route. Christian Core's line, Gioia, from 2008, was graded 8C. Adam Ondra thought it was 8C+ but later on, Elias Iagnemma used a kneepad and said 8C/8C+ could be accurate. In 2009 Nalle Hukkataival put up, Livin' Large. Nalle proposed 8C and James Webb confirmed the grade, but more recently, Shawn Raboutou repeated it and suggested 8C+.

As it stands, Daniel Woods' Hyptonized minds from 2010, in the picture, is regarded as the first 8C+ in the world. A few years after climbing it Daniel upgraded it to 8C+, but the first repeat, by Rustan Gelmanov, came after just three days of work, and created some grade uncertainty. However, further repeats by Matt Fultz and David Graham have confirmed the 8C+ grade.

As of today, there exist more than two dozen 8C+ boulders, however, most of them have never been repeated. Daniel Woods has put up four, including the most repeated one, Creature From the Black Lagoon, which has eight ascents. All known repeaters have called it 8C+, although Woods graded it 8C.

When it comes to the first 9A, that title goes to Burden of Dreams by Nalle Hukkataival in 2016. The second 9A proposal was made by Charles Albert who made the barefoot FA of No Kpote in 2018. This line was later repeated by Nico Pelorson and Ryohei Kameyama who both downgraded it. This means that it's possible that the second 9A in the world was put up by Simon Lorenzi, in 2021, with his Soudain Seul (using a book under his kneepad). One repeater, Nico Pelorson, suggested 8C+, whereas another repeater, Camille Coudert, thought the 9A grade was accurate. Later in 2021, Daniel Woods added a sit start to a well established 8c+, thus creating, Return of the Sleepwalker and proposing 9A.

More info on Gripped.com and 99boulders

Tristan Chen, who last week did in just one session, has flashed in Fontainebleau. The beta he got from having watched several videos.

”The climb is totally bodacious, I tried to climb it the day before but it was still wet after a rainstorm so I could only feel the grips and not give rips (tires). Luckily this one also doesn’t require too much micro beta so there are fewer opportunities to mess up the sequence through the bottom. And then I just held to dream and pulled through the mantle.”

Having done Dreamtime last month. How can you explain being in your best shape ever?
I’ve dedicated my entire being to this sport for the last fifteen years, spending all of my free time engrossed in every possible microcosm it has to offer. And I’m glad to see that it’s finally paying some dividends. I also quit my job recently so I’m finally able to travel a bit.

Are you following any specific training regime?
I don’t like to climb in gyms right now since it eats too much precious skin, but I do some daily calisthenics around the house (100 push ups, 100 pulls ups, 100 sit ups).

How long will you stay in Font and when do you plan to start working?Today is my last day in Europe, but I plan on road tripping around the US a bit when I get back (fingers crossed Hueco is cold enough on Monday to finish off Desperanza). And I’ll start working again whenever I run out of money, so in about six-nine months.

Camille Coudert sent Soudain seul (9A) in Fontainebleau, one month ago, after 80+ sessions during two years.

So did you enjoy some nice rest days once you had sent it and what have you been up to the last month?
I went climbing the next day with friends. I have tried some less hard 8C boulders that I'm not far from succeeding; Le pied à coulisse and Le pilier du desert assis. And I've started working on a new very hard project, maybe harder than "Soudain Seul. It is an old project in Fontainebleau, "Imothep assis".

IFSC informs: "The European Championships Munich 2022 (EC2022) Board has agreed to support the decision of the nine participating Federations to not to invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials at their events."

The European Championships Munich 2022, will take place from the 11th to 21st August, and it will also be a test event for the new Olympic Combined format.