Marco Zanone, with a dozen routes 9a and beyond under his belt, has repeated Samuel Ometz’ La Mola mola (9a) in Plamproz. ”Top 10 route of all time. Truly amazing in every single way.” (c) Emilia Ferraro Titin

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
An outstanding piece of rock down by the river, close to the small village of Plamproz, Valais 🇨🇭 This type of line really brings out the best in me. I feel confident, motivated, and I can easily put in multiple days of tries in a row. It’s my comfort zone, and I think it’s exactly what I needed after so many years (still) chasing the big dream called Biographie.

I first tried the route about a month ago with Stefano Carnati and we both immediately got hooked. We returned the following weekend— He sent it while I dry-fired on the last move. Came back this weekend feeling solid and finally I topped it out. 🫶🏻 Mega props to Samuel Ometz for freeing this unique line and Dave Graham for the vision many years ago.


A couple of days later Marco did the second ascent of Marcello Bombardi’s El puma (9a) in Chesod. ”Super cool line with a mix of powerful and subtle moves. Starts with a 7b/c intro and then hits you with a ~10-move 8A+/B boulder crux. Felt tough at first, but with the new beta I’d say it sits somewhere between 8c+ and 9a.”

How can you best explain your recent peak?
If I try to explain the level of fitness I’m feeling right now, we need to rewind a few months. End of May 2025, I was back in Céüse battling with Biographie, feeling closer than ever before. Then, on the intro boulder, I slightly tweaked the pulley on my right ring finger. It hit me hard — I was bummed and a bit crushed mentally — but I tried to stay positive and think long-term rather than obsess over the moment.

I took a few weeks off, wrapped up some jobs I was working on, and by early July I started the slow process of rebuilding and toughening up my injured finger. It wasn’t easy: at first the pain was sharp and constant, but with patience, steady effort, and the help of my trusty osteopath, things started to move in the right direction.

Looking back, I think the real game-changer wasn’t just the rehab work, but the fact that for once I could live a stable lifestyle from the very start of the healing process. Normally my job keeps me away from home — sometimes for a week, sometimes just a few days — and that makes it really hard to stay consistent with training. It always feels like I’m just trying to keep up rather than push my fitness to the next level. And whenever I do get a free week, I usually end up on a climbing trip, fired up to try something hard, but sometimes my body isn’t quite ready to match my motivation.

This time, though, I did things the right way. And honestly, I’m a little surprised at how well it worked — but not too surprised. Mostly, I’m just psyched to keep pushing as far as I can, because the list of projects waiting for me is long, and it’s never empty ;)

Lorenzo Bogliacino, with a dozen routes 9a or beyond under his belt, has sent Alone (9a) in Gorges du Loup. The picture was taken after an early morning session when he had broken a foot hold.

Did you end up sending it after your night shift?
Actually, I did most of my climbs after working the night shift! I work on the railway as a station master. My job involves shift work, including weekends and holidays. I just prefer climbing over sleeping! So every time I finish a night shift, I head straight to climb. Of course, I’m always very tired, but when I have a clear goal and focus, everything feels easier.

Matteo Marrocchi has repeated Pietro Vidi’s Flow State (8C) in Val Daone. At age ten he stopped climbing after he had sent two 8a’s and won two Italian Youth Championships.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and also say something about your climbing background?
My climbing journey is quite unique. I first started climbing when I was just six years old, but by the time I turned ten I had already shifted my focus to another sport. For many years I stayed away from climbing, until, at the age of twenty, the spark reignited. From there, my progress was fast—within only three years of returning, I climbed my first 9a lead route and reached several finals in the Italian Cup.

More recently, I’ve begun dedicating myself to outdoor bouldering. A few days days ago I managed to send my first 8C boulder in surprisingly little time. The line is stunning: it consists of two 8B sections separated by a decent rest, with everything hanging on the very last move. All of this is set in the magical, almost fairytale-like atmosphere of Valdaone.

I see you did 8a’s already at age ten. How come you stopped being such a talent?
I was so young. I won the Italian Youth Bouldering Championship for two years, but I felt the pressure and my mind couldn’t take it… It all happened so fast.

What is your next plan?
I would like to climb some easier boulders in Val Daone. Than there is an 8C+ F.A. by Elias Iagnemma near my home💪🏻 I will see if it's possible to me😅

Luke Eberhard has repeated Dave Graham’s Parzival (8C) in Rocklands. The 21-year-old South African has previously sent four 8B+’s. (c) Rocklands Visual Diary

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I always enjoy the weird wizardry involved in many of Dave’s blocs, so it was high on my somewhat optimistic list of boulders to try. This year I dug in with my friend Tony and we made surprisingly consistent progress. The hardest part was understanding the conditions required to stick to the weird slopey dish crimp that is the crux right hand. On one of the last cold days of the season I had a heartbreaking dab after the crux. Thankfully a cold breezy evening appeared the next week to finish it off. Hopefully we will get one more for Tony to follow suit.

Beckett Hsin, who sent his first 8C in 2023, has done Creature From the Black Lagoon (8C+) in Upper Chaos. This summer, the 15-year-old has flashed three 8A+’ and sent three 8B+.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
I started trying Creature back in early August, and pleasently surprised myself by making solid links within the first day. Every session I’d make good progress, wether it was refining my beta on the stand, reaching a new high point, or making a hard link. It was a type of linear progression that was super satisfying.

The day I sent was pretty surreal. The conditions were poor, and I had been dealing with a minor bicep injury from one of my previous sessions, so I didn’t really have any expectations. I just tried hard and enjoyed the moment, one attempt later and I found myself topping out! It was cool because even though I was trying something at my limit I didn’t feel like I had to take myself too seriously. Always had a good time up at the boulder regardless of my performance. The moves are really fun, and I always had some good homies to sesh with. Overall a super fun experience that had me psyched on the first of the grade!

Radek Votocek has done the second ascent of Pumplori (9a) in Allgäu. ”A perfect boulder route in Allgau by C. Bindhammer. Big overhang, power steps, trick passages.”

How can you best explain your great progress in 2025?
This year my sends went really well 🙂. If someone had told me back in March that I would climb 9a seven times this year, I would’ve laughed 😀. What helped my progress was physiotherapy, better nutrition, and some luck in picking the right routes. For a climber, the most important things are staying injury-free, and truly loving climbing.

Erin McNeice has been unstoppable in 2025, opening the Lead World Cup season with back-to-back victories before adding two third-place and two fourth-place finishes to her tally. For the 21-year-old, it marks the peak of a meteoric rise. Just three years ago, she was 13th at the Youth Worlds, and in 2023 she averaged 35th place among seniors. By last season, she had already broken through with three World Cup appearances, finishing as high as fifth and sixth. Chaehyun Seo claimed the runner-up spot this season. The Korean star first burst onto the scene in 2019, winning the overall title in her debut year at just 16. She very nearly added another crown in 2025, but a rule change by the IFSC, requiring all six events to count toward the overall standings, shifted the balance.

Olympic champion Alberto Ginés López is back on top. The Spaniard, who won gold in Tokyo 2021, secured the 2025 Lead World Cup overall title after an extraordinary season, reaching the podium at all six events. It marks a stunning return to form after three quieter years, when he entered only six World Cups in total while focusing on outdoor climbing. Chasing him was Japan’s Sorato Anraku. The 18-year-old sensation, already a three-time Boulder World Cup overall winner, finished runner-up in Lead after having won three events. Without the new rule introduced this season, where every event result counts, Anraku would have claimed the title, as his 14th-place finish in Seoul dragged down his tally.

Stefano Carnati, with 32 routes 9a to 9b under his belt, has had some amazing days in La Stazione where he first flashed an 8c and then a couple days later sent two 9a’s during the same session.

Paranoid (8c) - ”Amazing line! Not the hardest out there, but a perfect way to get back into the flow of endurance routes. Got insanely pumped on the top half but managed to fight it out!”

Vivi si muore (9a+) - ”Great line with a powerful boulder right off the start, then sustained climbing with a decent rest before the final spicy crux of "Paranoid Android". Took around 10 tries in total. Best of the crag in my opinion. Feels like a solid 9a to me. First of the day!”

Prima Classe (9a) - ”Maybe the easiest 9 of the crag, but still super resistant. Just keeps getting harder the higher you go. First tried it last year, then left it until this weekend. Stoked to send it the same day as "Vivi si muore", a perfect way to wrap up an amazing session!”

How can you best explain your recent peak?
Honestly, I’m still a bit confused about this peak. After the Rocklands trip I actually felt pretty rusty, but I quickly got motivated to rebuild some endurance. “La mola mola” turned out to be the perfect transition back to routes. Besides a few solid training days, I think doing juggy circuits on the Kilter board was surprisingly enough to get me going. I had already visited La Stazione last year after Slovenia, when shape was very good, so this year I decided to restart there. I managed to flash the beautiful and very long “Paranoid”, and then I put my focus on “Vivi si muore”. On Saturday I didn’t feel great, but on Sunday conditions improved and so did my climbing. I sent “Vivi si muore” first try of the day, and with some energy left I gave “Prima classe” a try and it went down immediately.

I also fell off the very last hard move on Trainspotting (9a+) which I had tried last year. A nice reminder that gravity was still working that day, haha. Hopefully I’ll get back on it soon and maybe even push my personal best a little further.

Pepa Šindel has repeated Adam Ondra’s Procesor (9a) in Višňové. This was the sixth 9a or beyond the last four months for the 17-year-old.

”The hardest route in my home crag. Endurance connection of the route Proces 9a with a crux of Los Brňos 8c. Incredible fight till the last move and an unforgettable experience of clipping the chain. This one took a lot of effort, because for such a long time I couldn’t stick the super long move in the middle.”