Paige Claassen has done her fourth 9a and the first female ascent of Chris Sharma's classic Dreamcatcher in Squamish. (c) Arjan de Kock

Could you please tell us about the process started already seven years, as you mentioned on Insta?
I first tried seven years ago, for about a month. By the end of the month, I could do all the moves and link a few moves together, but that was about it. I haven't thought about it much for the last seven years, as I've had plenty of other things to focus on. But I'd always wanted to return to Squamish to try again when it fit into my schedule and I felt well prepared. This season felt like the right time, so I made it happen. But I wouldn't say Dreamcatcher was always on my mind over the last seven years.

I've spent the last few years trying routes that are more my "anti style" - steep, physical, dynamic routes. I want to be a well rounded climber, so it's important to me that I focus on my weaknesses in order to do routes that won't come as easily to me. I believe all these routes helped lead me to a place where I was prepared for Dreamcatcher, although that wasn't the intention in choosing those routes. Prior to my Squamish trip, I trained specifically for Dreamcatcher for two months - I set some simulators, made sure my shoulders were strong, and that my body felt fresh and uninjured.

How do you rank the route quality wise?
As for the quality - it’s of course a stunning line, probably one of the most beautiful I’ve had the opportunity to climb. I especially like that there are four distinct styles throughout - slab, campus rail on slopers, pin scar crack, and technical boulder at the top.

What are otherwise the hardest routes and boulders you have done in 2021?
I've tried a few hard routes in 2021, in particular All You Can Eat (9a+) at Mt Potosi and Empath (9a+) in Tahoe but haven't succeeded on them. Since projecting is what I enjoy most, I often spend a lot of time working a route without sending.

What is next?
Next up is spending some time not caring if my fingers get wet - playing in the lakes in Squamish, maybe some easier multi pitches for fun. After I do a big project, I like to spend some time not focusing so strongly on an objective.

It seems everyone agrees that the multiplication format used in the Tokyo Olympics was not ideal. The Olympics did not become a competition in who was best overall but instead benefited those who won any one of the three disciplines. If the same multiplication format will be used in Paris 2024, winning one discipline will almost guarantee a medal. Is this good or bad?

Personally, I think that as the name says "Combination", the format should premiere those who are best overall and not in a single discipline. Being runner-up in two disciplines is better than getting 1 and 4. (The latter multiplication of 4 is better due to countback who got the best individual result). When it comes to the qualification, I think it should be worse to be 2 and 18 compared to being 6 and 6, but the multiplication system will always favour uneven results.

One possible reason why the multiplication system was used in Tokyo is that this system had been in place for many years during the lead qualification. In this case, I like the system as we want the best climbers to advance to the semifinal and even if you are dead last on one route, you can still make it if you are Top-3 or 4 on the other route.

Alex Garriga, who the last week did three 9a's in Ilarduia, has done Santa Celedo 9a and Zelenputza 9a+. The latter he calls, ”The best of the best”. Both routes are link-ups of previous routes he did. During nine days, he did nine routes 8b+ to 9a+ in Ilarduia.

How often do you take rest days, being able to do that many hard routes in so short time?
In other places where the access is easy, I usually climb between 3-7 days in a row. Here the approach is 45 min going uphill in the sun. Much harder than the walk up to Céüse, in my opinion. Being lazy, I had to change my strategy because the access to the wall is very tiring so I did three climbing days followed by a rest day.

Roch Oddo 🦐 has done Unendliche Geschichte 1+2+3 9a in Magic Woods. It is a seven-bolt extension to the boulder Never Ending Story 8B+ and also 8C has been suggested although clipping into a rope. Previously Roch has only done an 8b route as his focus is bouldering, where he has done several 8B's. (c) Samuel Tour

"I started trying this boulder last summer with the intention of only doing part 2, but realising how perfect the line was I immediately started to work on the low start. I did the 8b+ on my second trip (with a really uncommon toe hook beta on the crux). It felt like unfinished business to stop on the rest and the route is the better exit to me. So I started working on endurance and went back once more to finish it. I spent about 6 weeks on it in total and finished it right as my last year of med school is starting, which will represent a huge switch from the climbing focused lifestyle I could live till now. All in all, it just comes as a perfect ending to a really nice chapter of my life"

How was it to tackle the this endurance challenge?
It is really hard to get into it, but once you learn to enjoy the pump it's actually not that bad. I would advice every bouldering specialist to at least give it one serious training cycle, it is an acquired taste for sure. I did have some trouble going back into bouldering mode for the first part again, if I could start again I would have kept a little more max strenght into my regime. The training worked wonders tho, I went to the top the first time I got to the rest (after failing twice 2 moves into the route completly pumped on the previous trip). I think the right balance between burly bouldering strenght and a minimal level of endurance is one of the big challenge on this one.

Gianluca Vighetti, who previously in 2021 has done 12 onsights 8a and harder, has become the first-ever 12-year-old to have done a 9a, TCT in Gravere. Stefano Ghisolfi did the FA in 2014 (at age 21), calling it his hardest route ever. " I want to dedicate this route to Tito Traversa (that's why I called TCT), because I want everybody will remember him forever. The start is in common with his last hard realization Pablo Diretta 8b+, he was impressive on it. Thanks to Valter Vighetti for suggesting to try this route."

Interestingly, Gianluca has previously explained where he learnt to speak English. "Watching climbing videos on YouTube. My favourite climbing Channel is Stefano Ghisolfi, his English is very good."

"TCT is a link of L’extremacura 8c and Base jump 8b+ with a partial rest in between. After I made Extrema cura plus 8c+, I tried Base jump 8b+, the second part of TCT. Immediately I thought that it wasn’t exactly my route because it’s short, bouldery and full of huge moves. When I sent it I immediately tried the 9a by doing two tries, but I fell on the 8c. For around 10 tries I always fell after the rest before the 8b+, because I wasn’t able to rest correctly. Then July came and it was too hot, so I left the project for two months.

I went to Arco and to La Saume on holiday and after all this, I came back to try the route. The first try after I came back, I fell in the last crux, a huge move between a two finger pocket and a good crimp. The day after I fell in the last move to a jug on the edge. After doing two days of rest, today I finally made it."

It should be mentioned that 12-year-old Andrea Chelleris did Puro Dreaming this summer but based on down grading suggestions, it should be considered 8c+/9a now.

"February 5th was the last day we heard from Juan Pablo Mohr and it was exactly that same day, that we knew that as soon as summer arrived, we would be there to fulfil one of his last dreams : Climbing for a Reason in Pakistan.

The fact that Jp did not physically return from the mountain is no excuse for not spiritually realizing the project he had in mind with Chilean climber Lucho Birkner, which they were already planning together from base camp with the help of Pakistani Ali Sadpara and Italian Tamara Lunger, who would later join this tribute and legacy by being the only one to descend the mountain alive.

The mission was clear, to turn Muslim women into climbers of their own rocks. Having the opportunity to give a tool like this to girls who practically live in a culture where women are forbidden or limited to perform a myriad of activities, gave us the strength to give our all.

This is how certain objectives were achieved:
-19 new sport climbing routes and the creation of the first sector in the region.
-1 reclining artificial wall with 500 holds and volumes.
-Safety workshops (girls who already know how to point a route, tie knots and climb safely).
-Basic and technical equipment donated for the next 7 years.
-In the process the creation of the first sport climbing club in the Shigar Valley.

Watching these girls climb for the first time in their lives on their new climbing wall and on their own rocks and seeing them feel like they were punching up a history of repressed women was amazing. They where in love so quick of climbing. It's really amazing when you hear a mother of them say:

"We wait a lifetime for an opportunity like this, where our little girls have a chance to grow up and be free in something that they are passionate about, that they can aspire to something, it's something that sets a new precedent for our girls and more here in Pakistan that after the birth of a baby, the woman in Pakistan has two choices: she makes herself miserable or between all of us we make her strong.“

As an organization, we have seen once again how climbing is a gigantic agent of change for children who live in life situations often lacking opportunities. Remember that Climbing for a Reason is a non-profit organization that at least once a year travels to different destinations around the world in order to turn local people into climbers on their own rocks. You can still keep helping... all proceeds go directly to the project and future of Shigar Valley:" Go Get Funding - Climbing for a reason

Climbing has published an article on how to belay. In the picture, the belayer is connected to the ground which is a good piece of advice when the climber is more than 30% heavier than the belayer. The downside of being anchored to the ground is that the fall will be rather static, which especially should be avoided on trad climbing. Sure there might be some weight difference in the picture but normally grown-up males do not need to anchor themselves to the ground.

Personally, I would have taken my stance two meters to the left and possibly lifted my leg up on the first shelf there. Leaning a bit backwards with one foot against the rock is my best recommendation when it comes to situations with small weight differences. This would also have meant that the risk of getting the rope in between the legs would have been reduced for the climber in the picture, had he taken a fall. A further downside of being anchored to the ground is that you can not move in case of rockfall.

A middle way option is to connect the petit climber to a bag filled with 10 kg of rocks or similar. If you anyhow must attach yourself to the ground you should clip into the anchor with quickdraws so you can easily get rid off it.

I must also mention that in the article it says "the belayer could find somewhere comfortable to sit". This is, I am afraid, totally wrong. A belayer should never be recommended to sit down! It is also strange that in the first picture, the belayer does not use a helmet. If we were to give advice for any gym rat going out, the use of a helmet is much more important than anchoring the belayer to the ground.

1. Stefano Ghisolfi ITA 319 - Janja Garnbret SLO 300
2. Sean Bailay USA 277 - Natalia Grossman USA 296
3. Masahiro Higuchi JPN 266 - Laura Rogora ITA 278
4. Luca Potocar SLO 212 - Vita Lukan SLO 269
5. Sasha Lehmann SUI 204 - Lucka Rakovec SLO 185
6. Martin Stranik CZE 195 - Aleksandra Totkova BUL 169

National Team Ranking
1. Slovenia 1 244
2. Japan 1 041
3. USA 906
4. Italy 797
5. France 594
6. Germany 547
Complete results (c) Sara Grippo

Michaela Kiersch reports on Insta with a great picture by Boone Speed that she has done the first female ascent of Super Tweak 8c in Logan Canyon, Video.

How do you balance your climbing with your OT doctoral studies in hand therapy?
It’s challenging to find the balance. My climbing has definitely suffered since starting my doctorate but I’ve learned to be more patient with myself and make time when I can. The amount of climbing and training I can do every week varies depending on my school work. Some weeks I hardly climb at all, especially during exams. But sometimes I can prioritize climbing in between classes and assignments. I’m on a 2-week break right now, so it’s been nice to climb more often.

When did you start your doctoral studies, when will you finish and does it relate to climbing?
It’s been over 2 years and I’ll graduate at the end of April. Yes, I hope to work with climbers!

Masahiro Higuchi was last out and there were three guys tied on 31+. Actually, Luka Potocar, Sebastian Halenke or Domen Skofic were close to getting to hold 32. The Japanese was in cruise control, easily grabbing hold 32 and continued five more holds. His previous best of his 11 years long World Cup career was #3 in Kranj in 2018. With the victory, he moved to #3 overall after Stefano Ghisolfi and Sean Bailey. Complete results