Jernej Kruder has done the second repeat, after Matty Hong, of Chris Sharma’s Big fish (8c+) in Mallorca. ”Crux starts at about 15m and finishes at 20! 8c+/9a.”.

The 34-year-old is one of the very best multi-discipline climbers out there. In 2018, he captured the Boulder World Cup title, and outdoors he has sent a 9a+ deep-water solo, a 9a+ first ascent, a 9a trad climb, multiple 8C boulders, and multi-pitch routes graded up to 8c. Here is the Slovenian’s full report. (c) Michael Piccolruaz

”After sending Es Pontas (9a+) back in 2016, I set my eyes on Alasha, which at that time was the second hardest psicobloc line in the world. I spent many days and put in a lot of effort, but the route simply wouldn’t let me through. At some point, I gave up. It was a hard decision, but luckily for me, Chris opened another line — Big Fish. It was slightly lower in grade but with the crux nearly 20 meters above the sea. The moves seemed doable, but the place was dark and intimidating.

I returned in 2023 to give it my full effort. After a few days, I got comfortable with the height and even managed to reach the last hard move. Then the weather turned bad, and my head gave in. I left Mallorca empty-handed. Last year, I bought plane tickets again. But just before leaving, I decided to stay home due to poor weather and to prepare better for my upcoming trip to Yosemite.

This year, things were completely different for me. I focused entirely on outdoor climbing. I did some hard multipitch routes and bouldering lines, and I even managed to finish two of my trad projects on the last days of my trips. I was quite happy with my season so far, so the only thing left for the year was to check out Big Fish again. I didn’t have high expectations — I hadn’t trained or climbed hard since my trip to Squamish. Honestly, I just wanted to see if it was worth coming back in December. My first touch after two years felt surprisingly good. I didn’t feel too weak, and I felt very comfortable high above the water. Falling twice from the first hard move on the first day was more of an introduction to falling again than a real attempt to send.

The next day was different. I was there with just two friends — Jairo and Carlos. I felt ready to commit. The sea was calm, and the air was dry. I cruised through the first section. Then time seemed to stop. I was completely in the moment — no sound of my friends cheering, no music from the speaker, no thoughts about the past or the future. Just pure focus on the next move. I climbed through the crux and suddenly found myself standing on top of one of my favorite lines in the world. After the conditions deteriorated, I spent the rest of my trip simply enjoying the island and checking out new projects. On my last day, I sent Face Your Fear (8b) on my second go.”

Janja Garnbret has set a new standard by flashing Puro Dreaming (8c+/9a) in Arco. Amazingly, she just randomly tried it with little beta preparation from Michele Caminati and nothing while she was climbing.

”It was not the best beta for her size and she had to improvise almost everything... Looked more like an onsight than a flash 😅. She just asked for the lower Crux but then she ended up improvising. We didn't give her any beta while climbing. She skipped a big rest on a tufa as well. In the upper Crux she tried a few things and she ended up doing the right thing at the end. She also managed to clip two quickdraws everybody is skipping 😂.”

Photographer Björn Pohl has sent us the full story of the remarkable flash:

After the lows and highs of the Arco Rockmaster competition — a disappointing result in the Duel but a convincing win in the Bouldering KO — it was time for some rock climbing for Janja. The original plan was to head up to Excalibur (9b+), but since conditions weren’t ideal, a Plan B was quickly hatched: “some easy climbing at Terra Promessa.”

Said and done. As soon as Vladek Zumr and I got the message, we headed to the crag. Neither of us had been there before, but it was straightforward enough to find. Or so we thought. We scoped out the crag and figured there were definitely some nice photo opportunities — assuming Janja climbed the right routes. The problem was… she wasn’t there. So we waited. After a while, Vladek got a text: “We couldn’t find it. Going to upper Massone instead.”

Plan C it was. Apparently Terra Promessa wasn’t that easy to find after all. We must have gotten lucky. So, we drove down to Massone, found a parking spot, and walked up to the Il Pueblo sector, where we finally met Janja and Roman. Janja was just about to start warming up on the beautifully named Shaved Beaver, a 7c with a bit of a scary jump start, made famous by a viral video where Julia and Jernej Kruder managed to mess it up royally. Anyway. Janja, of course, didn’t. She cruised to the top effortlessly. Next came Randa (8a+), which she calmly onsighted. Now properly warmed up, it was time for something harder. Nearby, Michele Caminati was working on a steep, striking line. Janja asked him about it, and after a quick chat, learned it was Puro Dreaming, a route graded 9a in the guidebook.

Said and done — again. Janja tied in, and we scrambled to find shooting positions. She climbed smoothly at first, though she hesitated briefly at an undercling sequence about eight meters up. After figuring it out, she continued upward, resting on more or less every single hold. The holds weren’t good, mind you; Janja just made them look that way. It was quite obvious that she by no means had all the beta, or much at all really, so the feeling was that of a semi-onsight, if that’s a thing. I think she was probably on the route for half an hour or so. The route is long and very steep, and near the lip she looked slightly in trouble again — but then she solved the crux and suddenly was through, on easier ground. It started dawning on us: she might actually flash it. Surreal. I desperately tried to find a shooting angle for the final clip, one not blocked by leaves. I wanted that perfect shot of the celebration. Janja approached the chains, pulled up the rope, clipped, turned toward Roman on belay, and said simply: “Ok.”

That was it. No celebration, no scream. Just calm composure. She lowered off, and we all looked at each other, half laughing, half stunned: “What the fuck???” Even Michele was in disbelief. He told Janja that the way she did it — skipping the only good rest — probably made it 9a+. But what about the grade? Was this the first-ever 9a flash by a female climber?

The guidebook said 9a, but after consulting the web, it turned out some sources suggested it had been downgraded to 8c+, because kneepads make the route easier. Janja asked Adam, who made the FA, and he also said he thought it was 8c+ nowadays. However — Janja didn’t use kneepads. Plus, a hold had reportedly broken recently, making the route slightly harder again.

Personally, I think some routes deserve two grades: one for ascents with kneepads, or whichever equipment you want, and one without. Change and Bibliographie are other examples — both first ascended without kneepads, later downgraded after repeats with them. So, in my view, I witnessed the first-ever 9a flash by a woman — even if it might not go down in history as such. Regardless, one thing’s certain: Janja will both flash and onsight 9a soon. And that won’t be her limit — not even close. Redpoints, boulders, and more lie ahead. Interesting times to come!

Lorenzo Bogliacino is peaking by sending Mona lisa integral (9a+) as well as four 9a’s during a two weeks trip to Rodellar. (c) Eduardo Ruano

Can you tell us more about the trip and the hardest sends?
I started dreaming about Mona Lisa Integral — a 60-meter king line on pure roof — along with all the routes in Museo, when I discovered the crag at the beginning of June. I began working on it during the summer holidays, when I climbed La Gioconda (9a), and try Così se Arete (9a) in Piscineta where I always fell in the last 10 meters of its 60-meter length.

Between the end of September and October, I had two weeks of holidays, and a clear project in mind for the trip: Mona Lisa Integral! On the first day, I warmed up on the second part of the route and felt pretty good... so, wanting to take advantage of the good conditions, I decided to give it a go. And totally unexpectedly, on the very first day of the trip and on my first real attempt on the route, I sent it!

Feeling in good shape, I decided to return to Piscineta. After two more days of work, I finally managed to finish Cosi se Arete (9a), an amazing line that crosses the entire overhang of Piscineta. I had started trying it last year, and it had given me a lot of trouble!

I continued climbing in Museo, where I was also able to do Rapahel integral (9a), Persistencia de la gioconda (9a) and El beso de la Gioconda (9a) — all of which share the final endurance section of La Gioconda (9a). I also took the opportunity to climb in other sectors of Rodellar, where I did about 10 routes between 8a and 8b+.

Quinn Mason, with five 8b+’ under her belt and who was 25th in the SLC Boulder World Cup in May, has done Spirit Quest (9a)
in Squamish. ”I love granite. I love tech. This wall is truly paradise for me.” (c) Don Mason

What is your climbing background?
My parents are climbers, so I have been climbing my whole life. I grew up competing and taking climbing trips with my family during school breaks. While I compete, I’ve dedicated more time to climbing outside in the last year and it’s been really great.

How did you come up with the idea going for a 9a?
When trying Spirit Quest, I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I was skipping from 8b+ to 9a. Over the last year, I’ve climbed several 8b+ routes, and they felt like a fun challenge that I could complete relatively fast. I had known for a while that I wanted to try Spirit Quest because the line is stunning, and Squamish is becoming a bit of a home crag for me, so my time on the route wouldn’t be as limited as on previous trips.

How was the process taking it down and how many sessions were needed?
I would guess that I spent maybe 15 or fewer sessions on Spirit Quest. The initial process of trying the route was very peaceful; I spent most sessions just doing the moves and taking breaks between attempts without trying to make any links. I wanted to be patient, and I didn’t have much intention of doing the route this season because I didn’t think I’d have too many days on it. But two weeks before I sent, and a few days before I almost left Squamish, I linked from the fifth bolt to the top, which is all of the hard climbing. Once I realized I could do it, the nerves really set in, but I was able to rearrange plans, and learning how to relax on the route again was really rewarding.

Lucy Drury, who did her first 8A at age 13, has completed Mind Stream (8A+) in Smugglers' Notch. The 18-year-old started out as a competition climber but the last two years her focus has shifted more into outdoors also doing sport routes up to 8b+ and trad up to 8a.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I had projected Mindstream last fall, getting really close. About a year ago, I fell on the heel hook move from the ground. This summer, I was able to refine my beta slightly, which definitely helped me put everything together. On Friday, I was planning to have my first serious session on it in about a year, but I ended up doing it the first go of the day! I think it was fall '23 that I figured out the high foot start beta, which is the only way I can do the shoulder move. I think ever since Maddie's send with the beta I've seen it done this way more frequently.

This climb is infamous for multiple reasons. First, different people start the same boulder in different positions (high foot vs low foot). Also, now the start hold is glued. The glue job is pretty good, and it has no effect. Mindstream is notoriously soft and at the same time hard to grade. I say soft V12 (V8 from Julie Clark is not just stiff, it's a professional sandbag). In all, none of these things detracts from one's personal experience on the boulder, and it still deserves all the stars.

Beckett Hsin, who sent his first 8C in 2023, has repeated Daniel Woods Defying Gravity (8C) in South Platte. The 16-year-old, who is 159 cm tall with an ape index of +8 cm, needed only one session for the send. (c) Samuel Hsin

Can you tell us more about the quick send?
Defying Gravity has been a dream of mine for quite a while. It’s a striking, tall, overhanging face that revolves around a difficult jump move between two crimp rails. Despite it being relatively close to my house and fitting my style I had never tried it until recently. When I first tried it I didn’t have any expectations, I was just psyched to be trying such an amazing line. But after working out my beta, which ended up being a close right heel hook, I was able to stick the crux move pretty fast into the the session, and realized it was much more possible than I thought. But the second “much easier” jump move posed another challenge as I was too short to reach it. At first I tried to find a way to work around the big move, but eventually decided it was best to full commit to the jump. After missing the jump a few more times from the bottom, I managed to stick the move for the first time and take it all the way to the top!

Did you take any bad falls, like from the position in the picture?
Luckily I never took any bad falls. On my send attempt I stuck the second jump one handed and held a crazy swing, which felt super cool but was also pretty scary. I think if I had fallen there I would’ve swung off the landing onto some logs. The top out was spooky too since I’d never tried it before and didn’t have any beta. But I managed to keep my composure and work my way through it.

What is next?
I’m planning a trip to Joe’s Valley next month, I fell off the top of Pegasus (8C) last spring so I’m hoping to finish it off while I’m there. I’d also be interested in trying No One Mourns the Wicked (9A) I played around on the moves after I sent Defying Gravity and would be psyched to try it more later this year!

How does a normal training week look like and how much do you climb outdoors?
On average I climb 3-4 times a week in the gym, most of that time is spent on the Tension Board or spraywall. I like to keep my gym training flexible to allow for as much time on rock as possible. My older brother Sam writes me training plans and workouts which has been a huge help throughout the past few years!

Usually just once or twice on the weekends. I don’t have my drivers license yet so I mostly climb with my brother or when I can catch rides with my friends. My Dad has also been a big help, driving and supporting me on whatever projects I’m trying!

Giorgio Tomatis, with eight 9a’s to his name, has done the first ascent of Salto del Drago (9a) in Finale. ”It’s pretty short, I think it's 20 meters and for sure 15 on the roof. It was such a beautiful experience to do the FA of the first 9a of Finale, the route is really intense and bouldery in an incredible roof, compared with the other 9a I did I think this is its grade! Congrats to Lore Fornaro for see and bolt this incredible line😍”

Can you tell us more putting up the first 9a in Finale?
I started try this amazing route bolted by lorenzo fornaro last year, I wasn’t able to find all the sequence and I found it really hard🥵 This year I come back stronger, in two days I was able to find all the betas and yesterday I send it It’s such a incredible nice route, really steep and boulder! About the grade I thought a lot and I think it can be for sure 9a comparing myself with the ones I’ve already send.

Yanik Chassain, Lead Youth European Champion in August and with 8b+ as his PB, has done Puro Dreaming (9a) in Arco. ”During my school vacation, I finally found some time for outdoor climbing in Arco, Italy, together with my dad. My friend Andrea (Chelleris) inspired and motivated me to try one of the harder routes in Massone.”

How was the process taking down your first 9a?
When I arrived in Massone, I was immediately drawn to the route Pure Dreaming. It looked like a steep endurance climb without any super hard crux — which turned out to be wrong. There was a really hard crux in the steepest roof section, already high up, after many pumpy moves! On my second go, I had a really good attempt, so I stuck with the same beta for a third try that day, but fell again in the same section. After a rest day (spent belaying my dad), I gave the route four more tries using the same beta. Each time I fell at the same point — so close, but I couldn’t hold the pocket after jumping into it and cutting loose with my feet. It was frustrating, and I started to doubt my approach.

During my third session, I decided to give the heel-hook beta another chance — the one I initially thought wouldn’t work for me. This time, I used a shoe with a more sensitive heel and focused on better footwork. Suddenly, it worked! I could stick the heel and link all the moves through the crux. On my ninth go, I gave everything. I stuck the heel, reached the pocket statically, moved on — but fell again, just two moves away from the final jug. I was really angry and disappointed, but I can be stubborn. I wanted one more try.

And that time, it finally worked! Maybe because I felt less pressure, I flowed through the route. I stuck the heel, easily reached the pocket with my left hand, clipped the draw in the steepest part, grabbed the edge hold, and after the last hard move to the jug on the right, I knew I had it. I stayed calm, avoided any mistakes, and finally clipped the chains — after ten goes in total. I’m super happy to have reached the 9a level, and very thankful for Andrea’s beta videos and for my dad’s endless patience belaying me for hours on that route!

Radek Votocek has repeated Christian Bindhammer’s Kreuzigung (9a) in Allgäu. The 24-year old sent his first 9a in March and now he has completed nine.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
A nicely powerful and technical route on small holds with several possible betas in the crux section. On my fourth session, I fell three times on the final hard move before finally sending it. The line was first climbed by C. Bindhammer and has seen only about four ascents so far, even though it’s located on the popular Jesuswandl wall. I chose a beta with fewer holds but longer and more powerful moves — it felt more direct and suited me better.

How can you explain your extreme progress in 2025?
My progress was definitely helped by the Isele method and dry needling technique. It’s important to avoid stress — even though that doesn’t always posible for me 😅

I discovered this Isele method while treating my fingers, as I had often suffered from tendon injuries in previous years. The needling technique helped me by activating the inflammation using a wooden stick, which was pressed directly onto the injured area. It’s a very painful but effective method. In the case of dry needling, the main focus was on releasing tension in the forearm. The procedure is done with a thin needle and is also quite an intense experience 😆. I underwent both treatments at Fyziogym Cooper in Prague and was very satisfied with the results. 😌

Stefano Carnati has completed Adularia (8C) in Ticino. The 27-year-old has the last two weeks done two 9a’s, two 8C’s and two 8B+’. ”Spare sessions over the summer. Never too motivated, as I couldn’t find a consistent method on the first half. Had to use the short-guy beta for the heel hooks, which for me was much harder than the second part (i.e. “Bonjour Finesse”). But eventually it worked out with crispy autumn conditions!”