Robbie Phillips reports on Insta that he has done the FA of What we can do in the Shadows 8c (E10 7a). "It is hard but safe. If the fall at the top had been dangerous I’d have considered E11, but in the end, it felt like a runout sport climb :) I found the line in summer 2020 and did an easier version of it, then tried the hard line into autumn 2020 then again in autumn 2021 and sent it in October. Comparing with other hard trad lines it seems to stack up, but there are always anomalies where the climbing might not be very hard, but perhaps is very insecure (like Once upon a time)."

Later the same day, Dave MacLeod repeated. In practice, 8c means that it is one of the very hardest trad routes in the world.

Tristan Chouvy, who just did Lacrima 8B, reports with an Insta video that he has done the second repeat of Philippe Le Denmat's Enigma 8B in Fontainebleau. It was put up in 1992 meaning it was possibly the first 8B in the world. Later, one of the crux holds were broken and although many of the locals have tried it the first repeat was not done until 2019 by Christophe Bichet, without commenting on the grade. (c) Pierre-Arnaud

The 144 cm tall comments: "It is a beautiful climb with very intense moves on tiny sharp crimps and small footholds that require finger strength, extreme precision and balance. Each one of the first 4 to 5 moves required a lot of work and at some point, I thought that I could never reach."

His 191 cm tall father with 7C as PB comments that after the send his son started to playing with a potential sit-start of Enigma. "We thought it would be hard to reach and hold the first two crimps but it wasn't (at least for Tristan)."

How much does he climb weekly and where?
He climbs up to three times a week, only outside.

What kind of shoes is he using and size?
He uses La Sportiva Skwama 36.5 that are generously offered by La Sportiva Italia. He's tried different La Sportiva models and has stuck with the Skwama for the time being.

How was the process taking it down?
He started working on Enigma in May for a few short sessions until he had all the moves settled except the slightly dynamic move to the left. Then he stopped trying as it was too hard and seemed impossible to even reach the hold. After Lacrima we went back straight to Enigma (last Saturday) and that impossible move went at the second go. But he had to stop to preserve his skin and yesterday was the day as it was dry and cold and he had enough skin to try again. That one move and the one before still proved difficult as there was no room whatsoever for error or lack of precision. The second half of the climb was reachy but he had worked it so that the risk of falling there was minimal.

Taylor McNeill, who previously has done three 8C's, has done the FA of Moonlight Sonata 8C+ in Joe's Valley (UT). (c) Drew Mercer

"Three and a half years in the making. So much frustration knowing I was capable for so many years and not having it come together. Ultimate satisfaction. Realizing this is not the peak, but just a stepping stone on the path to something greater. It required the perfect harmony of mind, body, and spirit. Now for the sit start..."

In bouldering, you do not get any credit for being close to Top out, i.e. match the Top in control. This can create situations that many do not find fair. A climber barely getting the zone once, could score better than another one that several times climb higher and but falls every time trying to match the Top. Furthermore, in the results, it is not reported that actually, the second climber got much higher on the boulder.

As IFSC plan to switch to a point-based scoring system in Bouldering, it would also be a great opportunity to start giving a bonus point for "Top touch". This will make the comps fairer and the result board will say more for the audience and the media. One alternative could be to give 0.1 points for "touching" the Top hold. If we want to be more conservative and avoid climbers going for crazy dynos, the 0.1 points could only be given for controlling the Top with one hand, i.e. in the same way as you control the zone.

Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, aka the "Wide boyz", report on Insta that they have established The Great Rift, which is a 750 roof crack under a motorway bridge! It took them four days and three nights, sleeping in a portaledge, to make a team ascent of the 7b+ to 8a+ with around 65 pitches. (c) Ray Wood

Pete: "After a summer of training specifically for this route, we made 3 recce trips to the bridge, had one failed attempt which got us to just under halfway, and managed it on our 5th visit."

Bothe Pete and Tom are considered as some of the best trad climbers in the world and they have previously put up several urban roof crack climbs. They run the popular Youtube channel, The Wide boyz with 66 000 subscribers. 8a interview is coming up!

Colin Duffy, #7 in the Olympics, has repeated Joe Kinder's The Activator (9a) in Hurricave. "Super psyched to have gotten the 3rd ascent! Amazing endurance test piece that pushed me to my limit, I surprised myself with the send on my second day working the route. Until next time, Hurricave." (c) Christian Adam

What is your winter plan and what about comps in 2022?
I’m not quite sure yet, but I think my winter plan is to climb as much as I can at my local Colorado crags and hopefully send hard on both routes and boulders. For 2022 I want to go all-in on comps, and see how far I can push myself on the World Cup circuit. I’m especially excited to compete in more lead world cups since I only got to do two of them last year. Hopefully, I can find time for outdoor climbing when I’m not competing, though.

How is your life besides climbing?
Outside of climbing, I mostly focus on my education. I’m in my last year of high school and will be attending university next year. I like to spend my free time watching other sports such as basketball and football, or hanging out with friends.

Your premium source when it comes to route setting, gym management and the world of indoor climbing. Researched by experts, written for enthusiasts.

Inside this issue:

The Olympic debut of sport climbing – It took years to get there. Did it pay off?

The master of moves – An interview with Jacky Godoffe

The rise of indoor climbing in Japan – Why Japanese climbers blow everyone’s mind

When passion becomes profession – The path to professionalizing routesetting

Inspiring initiatives – Making climbing more inclusive and accessible

Fiberglass and wood volumes – A history of climbing holds part II

+ gym spotlights, the winners of the first Route Setter Magazine photo contest, the latest products from top brands and suppliers, and much more!

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Outdoor climbers appreciate nature. Access and environmental issues have possibly made many of us act differently both at the local climbing scene and in the bigger environmental scheme. The fast-growing, educated, climbing community could become ambassadors in regards to both access as well as climate change problems. 8a has always talked about these issues and now we have reached out to get some comments from some role models. First out is Alex Megos, who has made some recent changes in his life. (c) Ken Etzel

"It's funny that we are still calling them environmental issues. It almost sounds like something that's just a bit of an issue, but no real problem. That's how I used to think about the environmental catastrophe we are heading towards when in reality this is probably THE major threat to humanity. Some, maybe even most people do realize how bad it is, but not many seem to actually try and do something about it. Everybody probably just thinks it might not end up being as bad as prognosed. I'm not trying to put any blame on individuals here. I think this can only be solved with politics and individual change together.

It's a fact that we do have all the technology available today to solve this, and yet we need everyone on board, which is not the case at the moment. Policy and individual actions have to go hand in hand. Unfortunately, I feel like humanity constantly gets too distracted with other problems like economic growth, pandemics, climbing, Netflix and so on, instead of focusing on more important issues."

When it comes to your climbing Life. Do you have any examples of how you have or are acting in order to be more environmental friendly?
I stopped flying so much. And that's not because of covid, but because I consciously decided to fly less. Some years ago I had around 40-50 flights a year. Now I have less than 15.

I guess this is, from a climbers perspective, what will have the most impact on the environmental crises?
Actually I think the biggest thing an individual can do is adopt a plant based diet. Flying less only works for people who fly a lot. The majority of people though don't fly as much as we climbers do. So in general the best and easiest thing to do for individuals to minimize their co2 footprint is to go vegan.

So are you vegan or have you reduced eating meat?
I went fully vegan. Beginning of this year I went plant-based. It's healthier and better for the planet.

So what is your favourite vegan meal?
I just love vegetables. All sorts of veggies made in all sorts of ways 😍

Moritz Welt has in Frankenjura done Half-Life (8C), "Never did a boulder this hard, so cannot really grade. Must be quite a soft one tho." and Wrath of the Licking 8C (B+). "Geißel Gottes 8B into Mopedsurfer 8A+, originally graded 8C but we found some good kneebar in between which makes it more like a hard 8B+. First session of the season, feeling fresh. "The 20-year-old has previously done 15 routes 9a and harder and these were his first 8C boulders.

How can you explain having stepped up the bouldering game?
Well I just started the bouldering season two weeks ago, so I'm still a little bit in the lead mode. All of the boulders I've done recently are more like 15+ moves power endurance, which made me feel quite comfortable. For example, Half-Life adds a 7 move 7C/+ into the start of Gordon so you're just more pumped on the hard part. On the other hand, I have been working a lot as a routesetter over the last months and therefore I spent quite some time in the bouldering gym. Maybe that's why I'm feeling that strong right now :)

Do you have any winter plans or projects?
There are still some pretty hard bouldering projects in the Frankenjura, that I've already been trying for some winters, so I'm curious how those will feel now :) Also, I'm planning a trip to Ticino.

What about going for Action Directe?
Honestly, I'm trying it every year for a few sessions and I've actually been close. But it's really hard for me to make steady progress on it.