Alizee Dufraisse has done Versace (8B) in Brione. The Frenchwoman has been one of the best female climbers in the world since 2003 when she won the Youth World Championship and was Top-9 in both a boulder as well as in a Lead World Cup. She finished her competition career in 2016 and have since done five 8B's and two 9a's. During the last winters, she has spent some 50 sessions projecting La Rambla 9a+.

How was the process taking it down?
The process was pretty long and challenging! After two years of route climbing, I was not sure if my next challenge would be route climbing in Spain or bouldering in Switzerland :) Hard to change when you know that you are in shape for routes. I had no clue what bouldering in Switzerland would be like… How long would it take me to transfer my shape in routes for bouldering? Would I succeed to find my way climbing on granite, which I never really experienced before? Could I handle the cold temps? Will the forecast will be ok in the full wintertime? Will I find some boulders that I get inspired by?

At the last moment, we (Dave and me) decided to go to Swiss. We actually both needed a change from the Spanish scene (even if we love it). As predicted I needed some time to learn how to deal with all the factors I was scared about. The weather was pretty tough when we arrived with a lot of rain/snow/cold. I needed to climb slowly on harder and harder stuff. I needed also to get more and more used to the height, being able to climb without a rope and fall properly. Versace is a boulder in Brione, next to the river. First time I went on it I loved the place and felt good on the moves. I liked the style, the type of rock and features and I could slowly (re)-learn the process of bouldering. It took me 15 days to send the boulder, every day learning something new about climbing and about dealing with my mind :) Now that I start feeling better and better in bouldering, I enjoy more and more every step of the way. I think I will keep bouldering here and maybe Magic Wood afterwards, where I have never been, trying the challenge myself more and more :)

What about the status on La Rambla?
I think a change is good for me. La Rambla has really become mental for me so I think climbing on other stuff, maybe also other routes before coming back is good!! But it's a route and a place I love so I have all the time to come back ❤️. You know I am happy to climb in general and that's the most important for me. Challenging and learning about myself. I try to be a better climber and that goes obviously with trying harder grades. But I don't do that as a competition thing… so I don t really count in this way I meant 😄

Simon Lorenzi reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Big Conviction 8C+ in Fontainebleau, which is a link-up start from Conviction Low into the Big Island 8C. The Belgian has previously done the FA of Soudain Seul 9A (8C+), aka The Big Island Sit, and last month he did the FA of Conviction Low 8B/+. Last year, he made four Would Cups and his Top-3 results were: 5 - 7 - 12. (c) Signarthur

How many moves are added into the Big Island start and could you please describe them?
It starts in the low start of Conviction and then you traverse to the left on the same ramp as the first hold of The Big Island. There are like 5-6 more moves. The first one is the hardest, a very hard move from an undercling with two very bad feet (which make the true difficulty). Then you go far left to a good crimp and it is hard to be precisely in a position with so much tension and you have to keep your feet on the wall when you hit the crimp. If you don't, you will fall. After there it is like 3 or 4 moves to go into the start of The Big Island. Not that hard but it's steep and it makes your hands more sweaty for the end.

What is your next plan and what about comps in 2022?
My next plan is the world cup season 2022 both lead and bouldering and La Révolutionnaire 8C+.

It is natural that climbers focus on power training as you can quickly measure it. Such training is also found everywhere on the internet. Here are some quick thoughts on things that I think are usually trained too little, meaning that such training will give you the fastest progress.

Resting: Training on how to best hang on holds in order to recover.
Technical: Training different styles that you seldom use, your anti-style.
Tactical: Spend some minutes on route reading before and after you climbed a route together with a friend.
Yoga/Stretching: Several moves will be much easier to do if you are flexible.
Mental: Talk to your friends and analyse your strong points in general and when you surprised them.
Falling: Start each session by taking some shortfalls. Make your belayer improve how to belay.
Complimentary: Make some push and pull-ups as well as sit-ups several times a day at home.

The only extra training, outside the gym, that is less beneficial is running. Sure, a few minutes running before and after a session is good practice but jogging a couple of hours every week can be counterproductive. "Long distance running will just build up your capillary bed in your legs learning your blood circulation to redirect it from your forearms. The worst warming up is done, running or cycling, to your gym getting cold fingertips as you instead of opening up your capillaries, you close them learning your blood to avoid the forearms."

You have probably seen that many of the top climbers bring a portable hangboard to the crag. The reason for this is that this is the fastest way to recruit your maximum finger strength at the same time you save your skin. Another dilemma by warming up at the crag is that you get pumped during or even after your warm-up route. As you climb an easy route and as you hold your arms mainly above your head the blood circulation is under control. But once you get to the top, or earlier let go, resting with your arms hanging down, there is a risk that your forearms capillary system can get flooded. The reason for this is that after you have stopped climbing, the artery could pump so much blood into your forearms that the capillary and vein system can not transport back, as they have not been fully open.

At home doing some push- and pull-ups and also using a hang board or hanging under a table, you can recruit and warm up your muscles in 10 - 15 minutes. Doing the same thing climbing routes or boulders at the crag would probably take you at least 30 but up to 60 minutes if it is cold outside. In other words, you will most likely be able to climb more and harder, with less pain and lower risk for injuries, during a cold winter session if you only spend 10 - 15 minutes warming up at home.

Angie Scarth-Johnson, who was just featured in an 8a interview, has done in Margalef. The 17-year-old Austrailian has been living in Margalef during the last year. She did her first 8b at age 9 and last autumn she did her first 9a. (c) Javi Pec

Adam Ondra has repeated Will Bosi's Furia de Jabali in Siurana confirming the 9a+ downgrade by Alex Megos and Jakob Schubert. "Checked the moves once, at the end of the day, next day (after trying King Capellla first) rechecked the crux move again and sent on my second go. Done with Wil's method, for the traverse completely different method and probably easier. Low-end 9a+ with my height and method, for shorter climbers can be a tiny bit harder, but not 9b."

Neighbouring routes La Capella and Kind Capella have also previously been downgraded and here is an old article discussing advanced grading theory, suggesting that Furia de Jabali is a soft 9a+ just like Adam says.

Ondra has also onsighted two 8a+' and giving it a personal 8b+ grade and in fact, he placed the draws and did it at the end of a climbing day. Adam has now done well over 100 onsights 8c and harder but in his scorecard, he has "only" 89 listed. The runner up in the world is Piotr Schab with eleven.

8a almost never publishes free solo climbs as we do not want to encourage youngsters to try their luck. At the same time, free solo climbs sometimes pop up on YouTube etc. However, people apply different ethics regarding what is considered legitimate free soloing. Personally, I do not think you can claim a free solo ascent if the route was equipped by quickdraws, especially if you were wearing a harness. In other cases, you can see somebody doing a highball with a rope next to the climb. Personally, I do not even think you can claim a scary trad ascent if you have a guy at the top ready to throw down a rope with knots pre-done.

Sure, you can bail out and save your life but with a harness and quickdraws in place, it is not the same thing as a clean free solo ascent. I have even heard about a guy who was tied into his harness and his friends were supposed to jump on the rope if he would fall. The only thing I sort of respect, for the guys who are soloing in order to get fame and sponsors etc, is the use of crash pads.

If you do not do it clean like Alex Honnold, do not put free solo and scary trad climbs in your resume. At the same time, you can free solo in any way you want, just do not leave out important details. In any case, 8a will continue our policy to not publish free solo climbs. Play it safe!