Alex Megos, one of the best climbers in the world the last 15 years, has added all his hardest ascents to his logbook. The 32-year-old won six consecutive European Lead Youth Cups in 2009, and in 2017 he was runner-up in the European Boulder Championships, his first IFSC competition in five years. The following year, the German won a Lead World Cup and earned a bronze medal at the World Championships. In 2023, he had his best senior competition year ever, being runner-up in the Lead World Cup and getting the bronze in the World Championship.

Outdoors, he became the first ever to onsight a 9a in 2013 with Estado critico (9a) and he has completed three 9b+’.

Can you tell us more about Frei am Fels?
I’ve been contacted my an agency regarding the book back in 2020, but I told them I’m too young for a biography. I told them to contact me again in a few years. They did! After listening to what the process would look like I thought it could actually be quite interesting and I agreed. It’s mostly a biography about my climbing life, how I started climbing, my big achievements, but also the ups and downs of my life as well as the struggles.

What is your driving force and how has this changed over time?
My driving force still is the love for climbing. That has never changed. But was has changed is my willingness to try routes regardless of the outcome.

How have your 2025 season been and what are your plans for 2026?
2025 was not what great on the competition side of things. The two world cups I did both went terrible [17 & 21]. Outdoors it was a bit of a different game. It was not great, but also not too bad. The FA of El Taureg Blanco (9b) and Le Grand saccage (9a+) were probably two of the biggest achievements this year, but I also found a bunch of new projects I’m psyched for!

Ah yeah! Plans for 2026 are focus on outdoors. Try a couple of projects in the Frankenjura, probably also get back on B.I.G and maybe explore some other areas with projects.

What are the three best advices you can give to the youngsters pushing hard?
1. Don’t get injured. That it always a big setback in training
2. (unfortunately) rest is often more useful than harmful.
3. Fun is the core.

Rebecca Stephens, with eight 8A’s under her belt, has done Disney production (8A+) in Brione.

Can you tell us more about doing your first 8A+?
I was introduced to Disney Productions last year during my first trip to Switzerland, recommended by a friend due to it's crimpy style. Over 3 sessions I came close but couldn't quite finish it off, as I found the last move to the slot very low percentage.

Returning to Switzerland this year, we based ourselves around Chironico. With bad weather plaguing the start of the trip, and a whole new area of boulders to climb, we limited ourselves to one day over in Brione. The primary goal of this year's session was getting the last move dialled. I repeated that move more times during the warm up than during the whole of last year's trip. A good start. After that it was just a matter of time. Very happy to finish this one off this year and psyched to tick my first 8a+, hopefully the first of many!

Cy McIntosh, with four 9a’s under his belt, has done the first ascent of World Without End (9a) in Beaver Creek. ”Ahhhh yesss!! I’m so happy. My hardest for sure. Put so much time, money, and effort into this thing. Feels gooood to finally see it pay off!!”

Can you tell us more about your first ascent?
I bolted the route, which is an über super low percentage 8c+ direct start to Pillars of the Earth (8c). But you get a kneebar afterwards. Then I was out of town for a couple months but as soon as I got back I was sieging the route every weekend until I finally got it done yesterday.

Michaela Kiersch, who last week sent seven 8A and harder boulders including a flash of Hineruage / Deep Red (8A), has visited Murgtal for the first time. During her solo trip she sent Netsuke (8B), Broken bottles sit (7C+) and Starlink (8A)
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Can you tell us more about your solo mission and your crash pad logistics?
I was driving through the area and knew of a few boulders that I wanted to try. I shuffled my two big and one small organic pads myself from the parking and had a really fun solo day out!

Can you tell us more about Netsuke and how quickly you sent it?
The 8B suits me really well. None of the moves are too big and I use a lot of technical footwork in order to optimize my body position on the small crimps.

I had to work the moves one at a time because it was in the sun when I started. Maybe 5 real tries from the bottom. It took maybe like 1.5 hours.

Rebolt Kalymnos has been very active in the last months, equipping almost all routes in Secret Garden with titanium glue-ins, alongside almost daily maintenance: replacing old anchors and bolts, removing or gluing loose rock, and simply adding bolts on runout easier routes. All the daily work is done by volunteers, mainly based on safety concerns reported by climbers on the designated online form. You can follow the team's rebolting activity through regular “Rebolt Report” updates on their Instagram feed.

Their next big project is to rebolt all 34 routes at sector Kasteli (not including two routes that were already recently rebolted). Rebolt Kalymnos is a registered Greek non-profit. Funding for all the work comes from donations, sales of the Rebolt Kalymnos T-shirt, and some bolt donations from hardware manufacturers. In practice, there are a handful of volunteers, who spend most of the year on the island, doing most of the work. They also run board meetings to decide important issues. Throughout the year, they have tried to get in contact with the local municipality regarding a government-funded rebolting project, without success. Recently, they publicly called for the release of more details about the project:

“Since April, we’ve repeatedly asked for basic details: which routes are included, who manages the work, what materials are being used, and the project timeline. None of these questions have been answered. The Rebolt Kalymnos team is at the crags every day, maintaining routes to the highest international standards and addressing safety issues in real time. That daily presence gives us both the insight and responsibility to seek clarity when public work affects the same routes we care for. We believe that transparency and collaboration are essential for climber safety, for the island, and for the future of climbing on Kalymnos.”

At the time of this writing, Rebolt Kalymnos is still waiting for answers.

Rebolt Kalymnos has been very active the last months equipping all routes in Secret Garden with Titanium glue-in's beside almost daily maintenance replacing old anchors and bolts, removing or gluing loose rock and simply adding bolts on run-out easier routes. All the daily job are done by volunteers mainly based on safety problems reported on https://reboltkalymnos.org/. You can follow their job on their weekly report on Instagram. Their next big project is to rebolt all 42 routes on Kasteli.

The funding for all the work comes from selling the Rebolt Kalymnos T-shirt, donations and hardware sponsors. In practice there are a handfull volunteers, who spend most of the year on the island, who do most of the job. They also run board meetings to decide important issues.

Throughout the year, they have tried to get in contact with the local municipality in regards their government funded rebolting project without success.

”Since April, we’ve repeatedly asked for basic details: which routes are included, who manages the work, what materials are being used, and the project timeline. None of these questions have been answered.

The Rebolt Kalymnos team is at the crags every day, maintaining routes to the highest international standards and addressing safety issues in real time. That daily presence gives us both the insight and responsibility to seek clarity when public work affects the same routes we care for.

We believe that transparency and collaboration are essential for climber safety, for the island, and for the future of climbing on Kalymnos.”

Rebolt Kalymnos has been very active in the last months, equipping almost all routes in Secret Garden with titanium glue-ins, alongside almost daily maintenance: replacing old anchors and bolts, removing or gluing loose rock, and simply adding bolts on runout easier routes. All the daily work is done by volunteers, mainly based on safety concerns reported by climbers on the designated online form. You can follow the team's rebolting activity through regular “Rebolt Report” updates on their Instagram feed.

Their next big project is to rebolt all 34 routes at sector Kasteli (not including two routes that were already recently rebolted). Rebolt Kalymnos is a registered Greek non-profit. Funding for all the work comes from donations, sales of the Rebolt Kalymnos T-shirt, and some bolt donations from hardware manufacturers. In practice, there are a handful of volunteers, who spend most of the year on the island, doing most of the work. They also run board meetings to decide important issues. Throughout the year, they have tried to get in contact with the local municipality regarding a government-funded rebolting project, without success. Recently, they publicly called for the release of more details about the project:

“Since April, we’ve repeatedly asked for basic details: which routes are included, who manages the work, what materials are being used, and the project timeline. None of these questions have been answered. The Rebolt Kalymnos team is at the crags every day, maintaining routes to the highest international standards and addressing safety issues in real time. That daily presence gives us both the insight and responsibility to seek clarity when public work affects the same routes we care for. We believe that transparency and collaboration are essential for climber safety, for the island, and for the future of climbing on Kalymnos.”

At the time of this writing, Rebolt Kalymnos is still waiting for answers.

Laura Rogora has had an amazing day in Lourmarin, onsighting Pâques express (8c), Freefight intégral (8c) and Vous êtes des animaux (8b). More info to come. (c) Jan Novak

Only in 2025, the 24-year-old Italian has onsighted seven routes 8c or 8c+. In the historical record books of onsight, only Adam Ondra has had a stronger annual onsight ticklist.

Janja Garnbret, who two weeks ago flashed Puro Dreaming (8c+), reports with an Instagram video that has she has done Dreamtime (8C) in Cresciano. The double Olympic champion does the Fred Nicole ten-meters diagonal classic in 100 seconds in full control without a chalkbag and already after some 40 seconds she starts drying off her hands on her trousers.

”Dream first day in Ticino started with the send of Dreamtime 8C, continued with The Dagger 8B and ended with La Proue 8B 🤩”

Dreamtime has been logged 59 times and most give it five stars. Checking videos, a normal ascent takes 70 to 90 seconds and almost everyone is using a chalkbag. The Dagger, which is located on the other side of the Dreamtime Boulder bloc, was originally 8B+ but with better beta it is often considered a hard 8B.

Martin Tekles, with two 9a+’ under his belt, has sent La Planta de Shiva (9b) in Villanueva del Rosario, which Adam Ondra did the FA of in 2011. ”Finally it is done. Such an amazing route, so long, hard and difficult to get every move right. The process was very hard but I don't regret it. It was worth every day and every try.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
It all started in December '23 with my first visit to Villanueva. Many people had recommended going there, saying the routes were amazing. It really is an inspiring place with an incredible community and some of the best routes I’ve ever seen.

I climbed the first pitch of La Planta (8c) and tried the extension two or three times, but it was too cold and I couldn’t hold onto the tiny crimps. Still, I immediately knew it was an awesome route and that I wanted to seriously try it.

So I returned in March '24, but it rained a lot and the route got wet. I came back two months later, in May/June, and it was too hot. Then I decided to train harder than ever—especially focusing on crimpy endurance.

This year, in March, I made good progress but ran out of time, so I had to return again now. The last four weeks here have been a rollercoaster. I kept falling around the same moves, and sometimes couldn’t even match my previous high point. It was a total mental battle—and such an endurance beast. But in the end, it became an obsession. You know you can do it, even when it doesn’t look that way most of the time, and you just can’t stop. I’m glad I didn’t stop and stayed focused. Countless sessions and tries—but it was all worth it in the end.