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Daniel Woods reports on Insta that he has done the third ascent of Nathaniel Coleman's Grand Illusion 8C+ at Little Cottonwood Canyon. Sean Bailey, who won the last WC in SLC, did the second ascent calling it 9a+/b. Daniel, who has won one WC and twice been runner-up, has done 30+ boulders 8C to 9A, meaning he is #1 with a big margin measuring tick lists.

How was the process taking it down and how many sessions were needed?
Mmm, think I put in around 22 sessions on this thing. I first tried it last year with Jimmy and Sean Bailey. Sean cruised it on his 3rd day (kids got mad resistance). I kept falling on the last move then the snow came.

This year I came back for 5 days in April but it was too cold to link it (hands would numb out). I returned back middle of may with warmer temps and continued to fall on the last move. Finally, was able to stick it and send. The climb is borderline a route. 21 moves to the final jug. There is no rest. Some of the coolest granite features that I have climbed on.

Tom O'Halloran, the Oceania Olympic representative, who last week made a 9a FA in Nowra (interview), has done one more, Little Baby Cheeses. Last year he projected it for ten days and this year it went down after just two days. On Insta he comments, "This one felt insanely good! An absolutely mega pitch of climbing straight through the guts of the cave to the very top."

It seems you are in the best shape of your life :)?
It would seem that way. I spent a lot of days in this last year and kept falling at the tough bouldery crux.

Is this an independent line of the other FA you just did?
The line is completely independent of Cheesecake, though you can climb Cheesecake into the main hard middle 15m of this to get something even harder. I’m psyched to try linking the two together! But there are a few other things I’m psyched on too.

Anak Verhoeven, one of the best female Lead competition climbers from 2013 - 2018, says on Insta that she will stop competing. The Belgian did win three World Cups and was runner-up seven times, mainly behind Janja Garnbret. In 2017, she did her first 9a and in total, she has done 10 routes 8c+/9a and harder which is second-most in the world.

How do you plan the next year and what are your goals?
I want to try to be a full-time professional climber. My goals for the coming years are to push my limits in sport climbing and discover other types of outdoor climbing as well. This year I want to be able to climb hard again in the fall. And in the meantime, I’ll be expanding my skills on rock and keep training.

Any specific plans or routes you want to try?
I don’t have any specific plans at the moment as far as destinations and routes. I’m on the lookout for projects, but the current travel restrictions definitely make it difficult to go anywhere anytime. I guess I’ll be mostly trying routes in France since that’s not too far away. I’m excited about that!

Chris Sharma made the FA of Biographie in Céüse in 2001 as one of the very first 9a+ in the world. It has been repeated 20+ times and in 2017, Margo Hayes at age 19, did the first and only female ascent.

Naoki Shimatani signs up to 8a with three 8C's including Babel in Shiobara, which he did last week. It is a 30 move link-up which Dai Koyama set up in 2007 and combines, Catharsis (8B+), to Hydra (8B) via Uma (8B+). The 24-year-old won a Youth World Championship in 2013 and later he has been #7 in both a Lead as well as a Boulder World Cup.

Pablo Hammack, who did his first 8B (+) at age 15, has stayed under the radar ever since lately posting sends on Hotfirerigs Insta. In February, he did Sleepwalker 8C+ and earlier in December he sent The Nest 8C. This video, recorded by Ethan Pringle puts him in the spotlight sending the first 8C in Yosemite.

Dinara Fakhritdinova, European Champion in 2013, has done her first 9a, Max Factor in Bahchisaraj which was set up by Vladislav Shevchenko in 2019. Previously, this 151 cm tall climber has done some 8c's but she has never tried any harder routes. The Russian tried the route for the first time last fall and did all moves within three days. Then in May, she needed 4 more days on the route to send it, at her 7th attempt. Interestingly, Dinara took a one year break from climbing which finished less than 12 months ago. (c) Anton Malkolv

Why did you stop climbing and for how long did you not train?
I didn’t train for about a year, I didn’t stay in the gym, I didn’t watch the news about climbing, I didn’t communicate with climbers, I had psychological problems I was burned out and could not cope with the daily activities. I hated climbing and I left.

What made you start climbing again?
Climbing is my soul, I love it. I got confused and needed a rest. The difference is that I have a different attitude to everything. There is no secret, this is a big inner work on myself. It is not possible to describe what exactly has changed, I have changed.
Also Dmitry Fakiryanov, #3 in the last Euro Championship, has done this route, as reported on his Insta. The Russian needed only two days of projecting but says he confirms the 9a grade.

Hernan Garcia, who has done two 8c+'s in Sant Llorenç del Munt this spring, has made the first repeat of Ramon Julian Puigblanque's Necros, giving it a personal 9a grade compared to 8c by the FA in 2008. Ramonet, one of the best competition climbers in history, is equally known for his hard grading, and numerous of his FAs from back then have already been upgraded one or two grades.

"About the route I think it never was an 8c as Ramón said. I did the others three hard routes in the Siberia sector; Peti, Inüit, and Snuff Movies, each one Ramón said 8c, but in my opinion, Snuff Movies seems to me an 8c the other two 8c+. Then I start to try Necros, the last hard one for me and was really hard to do the crux because it is reachy for me. But last year, I finally did the crux. Then again, close down here in Catalonia, and I had to wait until this season and finally, I sent the entire route. I think 9a could be better for this route but that is only my opinion, waiting for what other climbers will say."

In the picture, the Mexican, who has been living in Spain for several years, is working on El Bon Combat 9b. After five days, he has done all moves and some good links. "For me is a very hard project I only have one day per week to try cause of my job and my family situation. But I'm super psyched and that's important."