Silvio Reffo, who previously has done 15 routes 9a and harder, has made the FA of Musa (9a) in Covolo. (c) Giovanni Basso

"I bolted the route last year after the first lockdown. I didn't know if the route was possible because there were some moves almost impossible for me. I came back on the route last spring and I felt very fit (thanks to winter strength training) but not enough to send the route. Some days ago finally I did the F.A. of the route!"

What are your next plan?
I have tried Begining in Arco (Ghisolfi’s 9a/+ route), so it will be a good goal.

Over the years, I have received plenty of emails where climbers inform about high profile climbers cheating. The most common way to cheat seems to be using tight belay, i.e. rope drag stopping the pendulum swing while doing dynamic moves in an overhang. Personally, I have also witnessed it but then the climber just responded, "It was not my fault!" In the end, my friend did the route again but according to the emails I am receiving, tight belay might be used also by the top climbers.

Other cheating comments I have received during the years are giving beta during onsights, belaying friends trying to redpoint a route as well as asking for tickmarks before his onsight attempt, pre-clipping carabiners or commenting that the logged ascents were a complete lie. When it comes to bouldering, sometimes climbers seem to misunderstand where the boulder starts, stacking crash pads or dabbing the pad or the spotter.

It should be mentioned that we have only twice received such cheating complaints about top-level or famous ascents. In both cases, I talked to the climbers and was pleased with the answers. However, as climbing is growing and there is more money and lucrative sponsor contracts out there, the cheating and crossing the ethical border will most probably increase. There are many classical examples of cheating in other sports and possibly there is no other sport where it is so easy to cheat like in climbing.

I do remember when a climber told my local community that he had done a 7a onsight. We met him at the crag and asked him if he could show us his sequence. After some five minutes working the crux with no success, he said, "It is strange but it seems I am much better onsighting!" He hang-dogged to the third bolt but also there he could not solve the second crux. My point here is that mythomaniacs are part of society and surely also found among the climbing community.

As it stands, crossing the ethical borders and cheating in climbing has not been a big problem but actually, this year I have received several emails on the subject. However, it has not have had an impact on the reported news. In the future, I could possibly send out a message to the climber involved if I get two independent emails? What do you think?

Adam Ondra comes clean in Beyond focus talking about that he is most of all a lifestyle rock climber at the same time he loves competitions. There he learns about his person and possibly it is also about the ego, showing that you are the best during the day. The preparation is like ways also something he loves. Out of all great Ondra video's, this is one of the best and there are three more episodes describing his inner journey to look forward to.

Jorge Diaz-Rullo has made the third ascent of Samfaina 9a (+) in Margalef. Both Sharma and Ramon Julian Puigblanque, who did the second ascent in 2010, called it 9a but Jorge says it feels more like 9a+ in comparison to the other 9a's in the sector. At the same time, he says on Insta. "A route with a little endurance but with two really hard moves, my antistyle 👊" (c) Adri Martinez

The 22-year-old Spaniard has now done 45 routes 9a to 9b, meaning he is #8 on that list. If we only count the last three years, he is probably #3 after Adam Ondra and Alex Megos.

Stefan Scherz, who previously has done two 9a's, has done Papichulo (9a+) in Oliana. Amazingly the 20-year-old broke his foot in September and did wear a cast until like three before he started projected it and then sent it within a week. (c) Toni Mas Buchaca

How was this fast recovery possible?
I had to wear a cast for like five weeks but it didn’t matter that much because I did lots of one foot climbing to gain fitness for the route which turned out to be a good method of training for me. I did lots of exercises to strengthen my foot again so that it works normally. As my foot got better and better, I started to climb with two feet again. Four weeks of climbing with two feet I sent Papichulo, my very first 9a+, and hopefully not the last ;)

What type of accident did you have?
I had a bike accident, where I fell unfortunately and broke my right metatarsal bone.

What is your next plan and what about comps in 2022?
I'm going back to Innsbruck to train for the upcoming World Cup season.

In 2019, the Austrian won four European Youth Cups/Championships in three disciplines.

Solveig Korherr has done Fifty Words for Pump 8c (+) in Red River Gorge (KY). "Hard boulder problem at the beginning into kneebar heaven. Big fight at the end of the day. I can‘t believe I stayed on the wall after feeling so tired already :D A Muerte!"

The picture by Jon Shen is from Zookeeper (8b+) which she did three days later. The 23-year-old german is #1 in the 8a ranking game.

Alex Megos reports on Insta that he has done the first repeat of Will Bosi's Furia de Jabali (9b) in Siurana. In total, the German has now done some 100 routes 9a and harder including six 9b or 9b+. Last week he did the first repeat of Bosi's King Capella 9b+. No grade comment by Megos of none of the two recent Bosi routes.(c) Jenya Kazbekova

So which one do you personally think is the hardest?
I'd say King Capella is harder. It took me longer despite me being more focused to climb King Capella.

Last week, Alex also gave us some insights in regards to the environmental "catastrophe" and some recent changes he has done in his life.