James Pearson has done his first 8C, Junero in Albarracin. The 36-year-old started out as a bold trad climber on the British scene, establishing and repeating cutting edge routes. Later he began doing both hard multi-pitch routes as well as Big Wall ascents, besides ticking 9a sport routes. and hard DWS. In other words, including this 8C boulder, he is one of the best multi-discipline climbers in the world.

“On the day I climbed Juneru Sit, I warmed up in my usual way and began to try the moves. I wanted to try the knee-bar in isolation yet again, to see if today was the day I might finally unlock the enigma, but I couldn’t even pull onto the crux from my ladder, my left middle fingers refusing to take the punishment of the tiny undercling pocket. I began to try the first moves in the hope that I’d find some forgotten courage, but slipped off early on… things were not looking good!

. A few tries later I fought desperately and made it to the knee-bar, I really wanted it and knew time was running out, so took extra care to work on my body position to give me every chance. The knee-bar stuck and I lifted my left hand, it was working, I was doing it, then boom, I hit the crash pads! My knuckles covered in blood, what once was my skin shining red and white still hanging on the first crimp.

I tried a few more times but felt empty and burnt out. When I fell on the first move, not even able to arm the first crimp, I decided that enough was enough, packed up my things, and started to walk back down to the van. I remembered the climbing heroes from the movies of my youth, people like Chris Sharma always sent their project on the last day, last try, when things were looking bleak. It had never worked for me before, but for some reason on this day I decided to go back for one final try." . I don’t think I've ever tried so hard on a boulder problem, and was sure I was going to fall on each and every move, somehow sticking it and moving on to the next. When I got to the knee-bar, it felt so bad that I didn’t even worry about trying to place myself well, instead just throwing for the next hold, totally lost in the moment. When I caught it and realised everything had stuck, I was suddenly transported back to the here and now, instantly aware of what I’d just done, but also how exhausted I was. The next 3 moves, normally much easier than the rest, have never felt so hard, but there was no way I was falling off or at least giving up without the fight of my life. I dragged myself over the top and just stood there looking down at the pads smiling. This one meant a lot!”

Hazel Findlay reports on Insta that she has done Esclatamasters (8c+/9a) in Perles. It was put up by Ramon Julian Puigblanque in 2006 and it has previously been repeated by five females. At one time it was considered as 8c+ but due to a break it is possibly back to 9a again. (c) Ezra Byrne

Hazel is one of the best female trad climbers out there and she has also done several multi-pitches as well as big walls. Previously, she has done a couple of 8c sport routes. Until age 16, her main focus was competitions and she was British junior champion six times.

Manon Hily, #4 in the World Cup 2018, reports on Insta that she has done La Ligne Claire 8c+ in St Léger. (c) Antonin Rhodes

"I had one week off so I decided with a friend to go to Spain but the weather forecast was not so good . We changed our plan in last minute and decided to go to Saint Leger. For the first three days, I just tried some beta in different sections. I had one rest day and then I did the first real attempt. I fell on the top at the crux move and then in the last two days, I fell again twice in the same move. The last go was the good one. It was the last day. The international woman right day ;)"

What is next?
I'm training for the competitions :) In May and June, we will have the french selection. I hope to be in the french team and to do all the world cups in Europe. I hope to be back in the finales :)

Nick Bradley has done The Game (8C) in Boulder Canyon (CO). "Just logging this feels unreal. A dream of mine that I never thought would become a reality. 30+ sessions on the most physically and mentally demanding project I’ve ever had. Just absolutely elated. I don’t think I’ll ever stress about climbing again after this." (c) Alton Richardsson.

Interesting is that the 25-year-old has done all his three 8C’s just the last nine months. His Insta starts with, "As long as I’ve been climbing, I’ve felt the need to prove myself, to myself. Somehow, that eventually developed into some serious imposter syndrome. In my mind, The Game was and always will be the hardest boulder in the world. The boulder to prove yourself on. In reality, that sentiment is no longer widely held. The Game is now far from the hardest in the world, but that hasn’t changed how I feel about it. It’s not the grade, it’s the climb itself and its reputation."

How can you explain being a "late bloomer"?
I’m not really sure how to explain that, to be honest. I train constantly to get better. In the last couple years, I’ve made a few important mental breakthroughs that probably made the difference.

I went through a bit of a plateau because I was only projecting on hard boulders and not sending anything. That would get to my head a lot. I switched gears and decided to do a bunch of boulders that I knew were hard for me but well within my ability. I ended up doing several, and that was the confidence booster I needed to finish up the harder projects. I just needed to be in the mindset of sending.

Another breakthrough for me was letting myself think I’m strong. I’d actively tell myself that before getting on the wall. Something about that used to feel self-centered and insincere, but getting over that made a big difference. I’d get on the wall with the mentality that I know I can do the moves, rather than testing to see if I can.

Michaela Kirsch reports on Insta and Isabelle Faus with an Insta video that they have done Meadow Lark Lemon 8B in Red Rocks. Michaela only needed 3-4 sessions and actually, Isabelle did it even faster.

EPIC TV has published a video with the headline - Why did Ondra downgrade his own route?

Ondra's comments in his scorecard: "I thought it would be 9b+, but unfortunately after only a few days of work it cannot be 9b+."

TCG stands for Time Comparison Grading, which means that a grade is applied mainly based on how much time and effort was invested. In other words, if Ondra had needed another five days to send it, he would have likely suggested 9b+ for it. More details about TCG.

Maël Musson has done Une Arquée pour le criquet (8c) in Rocher des Brumes. In total, it took the 16-year-old three sessions, including some 15 odd tries, to send it.

"It was equipped by the famous local climber Yann Ghesquier. It's a magnificent overhang of about 30m which is divided into 2 parts of about 15m each. The first part is rather intensive (about 8b) and consists of 2 cruxes with very demanding heel hooks. After a short rest, there is a second easier section (about 8a/+) but is still very tough and not to be underestimated."

Could you tell us a little more about your climbing background?
My parents were both climbers, so I started climbing at a very young age. I only really started to climb seriously at around 8/9 years old. I did my first routes in the 8th grade around 11 or 12 years old then my first 8C at 14 years old during the summer of 2020.

Sebastien BOUIN reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Myr 9a+ near Montpellier. He bolted it last year and it finishes in a 9a he did last year. This is the eight 9a+ FA by Seb and non of them have been repeated up until now.

Janja Garnbret reports with an Insta video that she has done the first female ascent of Bügeleisen 8B+. Last year she became the Olympic Champion in superior style and she was also the female athlete of the year in Slovenia. In total, she has won 31 World Cups and 6 World Championships meaning she is the best female competition climber in history, and she's only 22-years-old. Over the years, she has not climbed that much outdoors but whenever she does she sets new female standards.