Sungsu Lee, who did Burden of Dreams (9A) in May, has done Grand Illusion (8C+) in Little Cottonwood. The 26-year-old sent his first 8C less than 17 months ago and now he has done eleven boulders 8C to 9A. (c) Taylor Bolt

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
I visited Salt Lake City for the first time and it’s been an honor to spend time with such strong climbers. It took me four sessions to send Grand Illusion and now I’m working on Sosa (8C+)!

Sorato Anraku, 18, who earlier this year won the Boulder World Cup after winning three events, won the last Lead World Cup of the season.

Pietro Vidi has completed Permanent midnight low (8C+) in Fionnay. The FA was done by in May by Clément Lechaptois adding several hard moves, through power-sapping under-clings, to the 8A+ original line. At just 22, the Italian has already carved out a place among the world’s elite all-round climbers, ticking off routes like Tribe (9a/E11? Trad), Lurking Fear (8a+ big wall), and Histoire Sans Fin (8b+ multi-pitch).

“It feels so good to be back on some hard stuff! Lately I’ve stepped back from bouldering to explore other aspects of climbing, nice to see I haven’t lost it! My ambitious aim was to try and pull this one off quickly, in a single trip, but conditions and fitness were pretty hard to manage.

In the end, I actually enjoyed getting dragged back into the same old circle of obsession. It’s probably my hardest boulder so far, even though it’s my absolute style (pure bicep power with really bad feet) it took me around 10 sessions to finally link it, falling way too many times on the last easier moves, making for quite a mental battle!”

France won one gold and a total of six medals at the European Youth Lead Championship in Zilina. Here are the six winners in the three age categories. Complete results

U21 Victor Guillermin FRA - Arina Jurcenko CZE
U19 Luca Nundel GER - Connie Bridgens GBR
U17 Yanik Chassain SUI - Aina Vela Cantero ESP

Mike Bockino has done the first ascent of Skyfall (9a) in Riggins. ”So many tries. 40+ days from 2023 until today. Thanks to Merto for all the belays. Crazy route. I learned a lot from this one. Not sure on the name but that will be decided pretty soon. Grade wise: I don’t have a lot of context here, but for me this route is 14a to a bad shake then a V9/10 roof boulder to a good but not great rest, then headwall of 3 boulders separated by rests. Those boulders are roughly V7, V6 and the last is V5. Someone else will have to do it, could be 14c, could be harder than 14d. I don’t know so will throw out the middle grade. Took me 40 days longer than 2 8c+ routes I’ve done.”

Can you tell us more about the process behind the ascent and your climbing background doing a PB at age 43?
Started climbing 1999, ever since. Routesetting professionally since 2004-present, I am a National Head Routesetter for USA climbing, and an IFSC level 2 Routesetter. I’ve set 7 boulder world cups and around 22 National Championships and 1 youth worlds.

First 8A boulder in 2007, first 8b+ route in 2007 as well. Mostly focus on bouldering but every few years I will get psyched on routes. This one was more special, it’s at one of the first cliffs where I started climbing harder back in 2005 or 2006. It was originally started by the legend, Tony Yaniro when the cave was developed in the 1990s. It’s gone through a lot of different people and settled a number of years ago but nobody really tried it.

I began putting effort into it in summer 2023, taking roughly 20 days that year. Took me almost a full week to sort out the beta for the crux boulder as it involves a very aggressive drop knee and seems improbable when you first feel positions.

I was injured most of 2024, very bad pulley injury and a knee injury in Cresciano in October of 2024. Only did 1 week on it in 2024. Started lead training in May this year, tried the route for 12 more days in June and July, 2 different trips. This trip I sent 2nd try on the first real day. The first day I went up, brushed, did the headwall section a few times to review beta and then sent 2nd attempt that day.

This route is 500 miles [800 km] from home. The pressure was incredible on every trip, and every attempt. Training for it was a fun challenge, every trip I would come home with some small adjustment and something that was lacking and I would adjust my training to match. Most of it is done by climbing, circuits, long duration spray wall and some lead as well. I Focused a great deal on power endurance and then just a bit of aerobic endurance towards the end of the cycle.

At 43 I think people assume you’re heading down, but this is the first time I’ve spent longer than 5 days on a route (previously climbed 8c+) as I tend to boulder more. I feel like I can still get stronger now, I’m also bouldering at a high level each year, since 2011 I’ve only gone 2 years without climbing an 8B boulder and those were due to injury.

Leo Cea just sent Trip tik tonik (9a), the 12-year-old’s fourth of the grade.

What goes through your mind just before climbing and during the ascent?
Before I start climbing, I visualize all the moves of the route in my head and try to focus. I get ready and start thinking on the crux. While I’m climbing, I think about each move I’m doing and the one that’s coming next, and I focus on that. I also keep the crux in mind. And once I get past the crux, I just think about keeping on going up.

What is the biggest difference climbing in Europe compared to in Chile?
The biggest difference is that in Chile the routes are much newer. They’re dirtier and the holds aren’t as polished from use. In Europe, you can really tell the routes have been climbed a lot—they’re very clean, and sometimes the holds are super polished from so much use. Also, in Chile—at least in Las Chilcas—many routes are kind of combinations of different lines, so everything feels a bit mixed up. In Europe, I haven’t seen that happen as much.

What is it you like the most about climbing?
There are so many things I like about climbing, but what I love the most is exploring and discovering new climbing areas and the different routes they have. Some of them are just so beautiful! I really enjoy trying new routes. I also like training a lot—I always have a great time. It really motivates me to climb the routes I have in mind and to feel like I’m improving so I can try more and different climbs.

What are your plans for the autumn?
I want to go to Margalef during my school fall vacation. I already have a few routes in mind, but I haven’t decided which one specifically yet. In the meantime, I will keep climbing outdoors in Frankenjura as well as training at the Frankenjura Academy Climbing Gym. Dani (my coach, Daniel Serman) is overseeing and designing my training plan.

As for after Margalef, I’m not sure yet, but I definitely plan to continue climbing and hopefully visit other climbing areas.

Eva Hammelmüller, who the last six weeks has done a dozen routes 8b+ and beyond, has spent the last days in La Ramirole and sent hard again. (c) Felix Mast

La flûte en chantier (8c+): ”What a line and what a place! Thanks Felix for convincing me that a few days is worth heading all yhe way south to La Ramirole, this place is mindblowing. Danke Simon for your beta and merciii les copains for your support in the send go🫶🏽 managed to send it on my 4th try!!”

Agressif you want (8c): ”Great route with funky sequences, many kneebars, and dynamic moves! Thanks Max (mon idol ;)) for giving me some beta!! ”

Can you tell us more about the trip?
Due to the bad weather, we decided to head down south to la Ramirole, even though we only had a few days left - and it turned out to be the best decision!! I loved everything about this place, the beauty of the valley, the steep powerful tufa climbing, the numerous hard routes, the climbing community… Clipping the anchor of ‘La flûte en chantier’ and ‘Agressif you want’ in only 4 tries each was the icing on the cake🥹

Lara Neumeier has climbed the eleven pitches End of silence (8b+) in Feuerhörndl after 7 days of work. Neumeier’s ascent marks just the second time the route has been climbed by a woman, following her good friend Babsi Zangerl’s first-female-ascent in 2012.

“At the end of June, just a week after sending Silbergeier, I was still full of motivation and already on my way to End of Silence. Together with Romy Fuchs we hiked up to the base of the wall. The approach is pretty long, and the first time it took us 2.5 hours (luckily, we got much faster the next times).

Over two climbing days with one rest day in between, we made it up to pitch 8, fighting with slippery rock and super tricky moves that needed precise micro-beta. Then came a long break: military exercises above the wall, the Arc’teryx Academy, endless rain, and finally a bad infection that knocked me out for three weeks.

Mid-August I could finally return with Tobi Ebner. Our goal was simple – climb from bottom to top in one day, just to see all the pitches. It worked out, but I couldn‘t do the crux moves on pitch 9 – a tiny two-finger pocket that reminded me of my old pulley injury. At least we fixed ropes for the photographer, and two days later I went back up to brush and tick some holds. One week later, I checked the crux pitches again with Manu Papert, found a solid beta and felt ready to give it a try from the ground.

The following Tuesday everything fell into place – perfect conditions and lots of motivation. Still, the day started with a real “what a start” moment: I fell on the very first pitch at the second draw. My climbing partner, SteUen Hilger, lowered me back to the ground, we pulled the rope, and I gave it another go – this time it worked. From then on I sent every single pitch first try on lead. We set off at 9:30 in the morning and topped out by 6 pm. Number two of the Alpine Trilogy – done.”

Neumeier’s ascent of ‘End of Silence’ follows on from her success on Silbergeier in June, leaving just ‘Des Kaisers neue Kleider ‘in Wilden Kaiser, to complete in her quest to climb the notorious ‘Alpine Trilogy’.

Leo Cea, who sent his first two 9a’s at age eleven, has done Trip tik tonik (9a) in Gorges du Loup. A video of the ascent and a short interview is coming up. In the meantime, his uncle Javier gives us the background story. (c) Carlos Lastra

”In May of this year, Leo and his family moved back to his native country, Germany (Leo is Chilean-German), choosing Erlangen as their new place of residence. This made Frankenjura his new climbing home base.

Taking advantage of the last weeks of summer vacation, and still within a preseason training plan, Leo, together with his brother Inti and his father, decided to travel from Germany to France for a week, supported by The North Face Chile. The goal was for Leo to try the same route that French climber Théo Blass sent in 2022 at the age of 12 years and 9 months—the exact same age Leo is now.

From the very first moment, Leo was captivated by the aesthetics of the line and the natural beauty of the crag. He especially enjoyed taking on a style that was quite unusual for him, with several kneebars and many tufa pinches, very different from the climbing in Frankenjura.

Leo progressed quickly on the route and by the second day had already solved all the moves, including the crux. According to local climbers present at the time, just three weeks earlier the key hold for the crux had broken significantly, making the sequence considerably harder.

After six days of work on the line, with humidity constantly between 76 and 80%, and unable to wait for better conditions since he had to return to Germany the next day, Leo seized a moment when a breeze picked up to give the route a relentless try. Standing 1.43 meters tall with a wingspan of 1.48, he successfully sent the climb, which became his fourth 9a (5.14d).”