Alba Gómez Calatayud, who started climbing four years ago at age 21, has onsighted her first two 8a’s as well as the 60m long Mort Aux Chèvres Ext (8a+) in Kalymnos. (c) Nhoa Noir - Ulises en aixorta

Can you tell us more about your PB onsight?
It took me around 45 minutes to onsight the route. The rope felt quite heavy near the end — it was long and had a few zigzags, so the rope drag was pretty intense 😅. Still, it was an amazing, technical and sustained line, and that day I climbed very smoothly, feeling really connected to the rock. The day before, I had onsighted my first 8a, so I felt confident and motivated. Climbing like that, flowing and enjoying every move, reminded me why I love rock climbing so much: the focus, the calm, and that unique sense of freedom.

What is your climbing background?
I started climbing in 2021 at a climbing gym with friends, and later, when I moved to Elche, I focused first on bouldering and then on rope climbing. In 2024, I sent my first 8b, and in the summer of 2025 I had a great season in Rodellar, sending several 8b in just a few attempts. I compete at the regional and national level, and since September last year I have been training with Manu Esparcia. I currently live in Valencia and train at Alicante Vertical and Natural Climb, where I also work as a routesetter, combining my passion for climbing with route creation and coaching.

Laura Rogora, who was #9 in the world championship last week, has completed Andiamo (8c+) in Allgäu. Overall, the 24-year-old was #3 in the World Cup 2025 and on rock she has done several 9a’s as well as onsighted up to 8c+. (c) Hugo Pilcher

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I am here to visit the EDELRID headquarter and to help on a study about how much PPE equipment can influence the sportive performance. After the test I wanted to climb more and tried this line which went down in my third go.

Eneko Carretero, with there 8c+’ under his belt, has sent Celedon (9a) in Egino, La Leze. The 24-year-old sent his first 8c in 2016 and then he had a big break until this year when he sent his first 8c+.

”I’ve been competing but the main reason of this big break was that I had a mental barrier with this grade, I was afraid of failure with trying something like this.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
So this 9a is a combo of an 8c+ and an 8c. The first day that I went to this crag I did the 8c and with another 2-3 days I did the 8c+. Then in my 3rd go of the combo I could sent it yesterday. After falling in the last quickdraw on my first go from the bottom of the combo🤣

What are your autumn and winter plans?
My plan now is to try some other 9as, to feel the confidence to try something harder. I also have some boulders in mind but now I’m too motivated with the rope hahaha.

Simone Tentori, who earlier this summer has done two 8C’ in Rocklands, finishes up by sending Monkey Wedding (8C). ”Last day best day. Such a special way to conclude a 3-month trip in ZA. Special thanks to Siara and Ben for the support.” (c) Benjamin Malherbe

On Instagram, he gives more details about his very last try on his long term project. ”With September, African spring came and temps started to rise a lot, very quickly. I found myself on the very last day of the trip, luckily on a crazy windy day. Besides the good condies, I was not feeling good at all. After a few bad tries and 2 splits, I started to process the idea of giving up.

But then I thought: 'Fuck it, I'm here, in paradise, with a chance to try hard on a freaking cool hard boulder. Let's enjoy that for a little bit more' I taped my fingers and completely erased any outcome scenario from my head. I pulled on from the start hold and I just climbed it.”

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Matteo Gambaro, who last year sent his seventh 9a, has completed Prima Classe (9a) in La Stazione, after giving it at least 50 tries over more than 20 days. ”Infinity tries🙏”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I started trying this beautiful line this spring. It's a completely natural route, very overhanging and on small, often oblique and awkward holds, requiring a lot of finger strength, technique, and good body tension to stay in position. At first, I struggled even just doing the individual moves, and honestly, I was thinking more about training on the route than about a future ascent.

Little by little, I refined my technique and found my beta by trying the route with friends, and I started training specifically at home on my campus board. I worked the route, trying to link the central section, which is the most intense (about 25 moves). After many days, I succeeded, but trying it from the ground, the first 10 meters, which were easier, were enough to make me fall near the top of the route.

The autumnal conditions helped me a lot, even though this year's early cold was already bothersome for size 50 fingers. After getting very close a week ago, I returned convinced I'd climb it, but it was cloudy and cold, and I couldn't improve. Finally, Monday was the right day with perfect conditions, and everything went perfectly.

At age 50, do you need another strategy working and doing a 9a compared to ten years ago?
Yes… I need to be more organized, climb less, but with more focus. I'm bolting a new big sector, but this summer I bolted less than I wanted to avoid burning myself out. 😉 I still have to work for another 10 years, and sometimes I feel tired… 10 years ago, I had more energy than I do now. I can still improve, but I need to rest more and do shorter, more focused power sessions. At the crag, I should try the route just a few times and focus on finding all the beta to climb it more efficiently.

Leo Bøe, who last year did his first 9a+, has made the first ascent of Hafgúfa (9a+) in Trondheim. The 25-year-old did his first 9a in 2023 and how he is approaching 20. ”So inspired by this rock climb and I can’t wait to see other people on it!”

Can you give us your full story of this first ascent?
The story of Hafgúfa started last year when we explored islands surrounding Flatanger. We found many promising walls, caves, boulders, but this line stood out as the most impressive one. The roof had obvious features shaped for climbing and it looked exactly like the kind of project I had been searching for.

This summer we came back with the drill and it was easy to bolt with a tall latter. On the same day I started trying the moves which felt bouldery and purely physical. It was obvious that the route would turn into something close to my limit. After days of running back and fourth with the small boat I had all the beta sorted for the route that mainly breaks down into 3 hard boulder problems stacked.

Here is the breakdown:
• 7C+ / 8A - Physical on small edges combined with a toe hook and then a small jump at the end
• No rest
• 8A / 8A+ On powerful undercuts into a pogo dyno jump into a one handed jug!
• Good nohands rest in double kneebar
• 7C+ Endurance boulder with lots of body tension.
• Good rest (left kneebars)
• 8a route
• Drop-off on the ledge to finish

After 14 sessions I had fallen a couple times on the dyno. If I stuck the move I would have a high chance of sending. Somehow after taking some days off and travelling to Lofoten with Johanna, the crew had built a massive platform with tonns of rock beneath the first two boulder problems. It was now possible to climb the whole start (crux) as a boulder and so I started trying the route as a mix between two styles.

We had around 12 pads and on my 2nd burn I stuck the dyno for the first time! From there Johanna passed me the rope whilst I was in the double kneebar rest and I clipped it to my harness with a carabiner. I was nervous as it was the first time trying this method, but the practice had payed off and I stuck the final 7C+ boulder. In the last few meters of climbing along the lip of the roof I was in the golden hour light and it felt special. I got a rush of joy, relief and satisfaction as I topped out onto the ledge.

Months of hard work and commitment had paid off and the best part was how it always felt like a fun process because of the unique set of moves. In the end I decided to name the route «Hafgúfa» which is a colossal sea monster from Norse mythology. It was said to be so giant that it would be confused with an island before it gaped swallowing whole ships.

Jorge Diaz-Rullo has, in the same session, onsighted Memento (8b+) and MotivAcción (8c) in Cueva del Arenal. ”Good flow, good fight and good luck.” (c) Saul Martin

The Spaniard has now onsighted 21 routes 8b+ or 8c. A couple days later he sent Secaina (9a) in La Pedriza, meaning he has done more than 80 routes 9a to 9b+.

His big project for almost five years and 220 days now is Café Colombia in Margalef. A recent Instagram post published last weekend ended like this. ”Throughout these years, I have prioritized this project, but that doesn't mean I have set aside other goals. For me, it is essential to maintain balance and variety in my climbing in order to stay motivated and keep looking for those small details that help me improve as a climber.”

Arthur Ternant, who this summer did his first 8C, has done the FA of Titan assis (8C) in Rioupéroux.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I first tried this boulder last year after sending an 8B with the same start. I spent a few sessions finding good beta, then quickly sent the stand (Titan 8B+, FA as well). I was feeling really good on the sit, but I got injured just a few days later and ended up spending most of the year recovering. I got back on this proj after my summer trip and sent it in three sessions. It’s a long powerful boulder, with lots of footwork. Really fun and interesting to climb, with plenty of small tricks that made the send possible for me. Super psyched about this one, my hardest FA!

Jernej Kruder, one of the best multi-discipline climbers out there, has repeated Connor Herson’s The Shark (8c) mix in Squamish. In 2018, the 34-year-old Slovenian won the Boulder World Cup, and his outdoor résumé is extreme: 9a+ DWS, 9a+ FA, 9a trad, and several 8C boulders, in addition to having climbed multi-pitches up to 8c.

”Jet lag, swollen knuckles, and a satisfied mind. That’s how I feel on my first day back home from Canada. Although my eyes were set on a different goal, I made the most of my three weeks there. Cobra Crack had been on my mind since the beginning of the year. I couldn’t train too much specifically for it because of its nature—a finger crack. On top of that, I was busy in the last weeks of August, preparing everything for my festival, Kanjonfest. The event was so intense that, between the festival and my flight to Canada, I ended up in bed with a high fever. Luckily, it lasted only a day. I felt surprisingly good when I arrived in Squamish, but my body wasn’t as strong as I had hoped. Even worse—I couldn’t do most of the moves on Cobra. I split a finger, and my main finger was too big to fit inside the crack. I was disappointed, but also happy that I had an alternative project in mind—The Shark (5.14b, same grade as Cobra).

This line was steeper, and I started to believe it could be a better goal for the trip. It has only seen two ascents so far: Connor Herson and Didier Berthod. Soon I realized that I didn’t have many days left to close the project. The route is hard right from the start: leaving a ledge directly into a chicken-wing dihedral. A bouldery passage into the crack drains a lot of energy and leads into a pumpy, no-rest finger crack. After three bolts, the first gear placement is a blue Totem. The resistant crack gradually opens to a purple size until you finally reach a decent rest. The wall then turns into a roof layback with some good hand jams. Another passage through the roof with more laybacks and fist jams takes away even more energy. From there, an okay rest leads into the final crux: starting with a poor ring-lock that goes into flared hand jams or sloppy underclings. A tired body has to fight through on finger jams before clipping the chains.

The route was so hard that I knew I had to dedicate every day to it if I wanted to finish within the same trip. The start was so complex that I changed my beta almost daily. The upper crux wasn’t too problematic, but I knew it would be brutal to arrive there exhausted. I was slowly progressing on pre-placed gear, but my days were running out. Five days before leaving, I finally had a promising go. I climbed the route with only two hangs on pre-placed gear. But still, I couldn’t get through the start smoothly, and when clipping the anchor, my lungs were screaming for oxygen. I had to take a rest day. I still didn’t really believe I could send it on this trip. On my rest day I decided to go biking in Whistler. That left me with only two more days, plus a potential last morning before my flight. The first day after biking was bad—my shoulders were sore, and I didn’t feel like giving a proper go. I only tried once, ripped a chunk of skin off my finger, and pinned all my hopes on the next day, as I had found a slightly better solution for the start. That gave me motivation again. Now it was time to try the route while placing gear. Twice I almost made it to the first rest. I blamed the still weather with no breeze and made the risky decision to give it one last try on my final day. Giacomo, a friend who was also trying the route, woke up with me again—this time just for me. He was tired, and there wasn’t time for both of us to climb. Luckily, the route is in the shade in the morning, and there was a good breeze. After an hour or so, we were back on the ledge where we had already spent eight days together. I only taped the finger that really needed it, plus the one missing a chunk of skin. I added some superglue to imitate missing skin. I felt good and reached my high point again. But that wasn’t enough. I cleaned the route, taped another finger, and rested properly.

The second try was even better—a strong fight, though I had a moment of insecurity and fell. Time was ticking, and I had only one chance left with a short rest. After about 20 minutes, I taped another bloody finger and started climbing. This time I focused on my breathing and surprised myself by not falling through all the hard opening moves. I reached the same tight hands as in my previous try—but this time I didn’t let go. I took a solid rest and then climbed smoothly to the top, placing only six cams in total. A huge victory scream followed as I clipped the chains. I cleaned the route and ran down to catch my flight. I was almost a little disappointed that I didn’t get to try more of the tempting multipitch routes in Squamish, but I was proud to have kept my focus until the very end. In the end, I still managed to climb over 1,000 meters of easier multipitch routes up to 5.10 in free solo style, while also ticking off two classics like Zombie Roof (5.13a) and Project Grizzly (5.13b), and onsighting Freeway (5.11c, 10 pitches).”