Alex Johnson has done her eight 8A+, Muffler in Little Cottonwood Canyon. (c) Jimmy Webb "Real pleased. I haven't climbed V12 since 2015. Maybe half a dozen goes from the start? Never did the last move til the send! Hopefully the start of some big momentum."

Alex has won two World Cups, the latest in 2010 when she was #4 overall. She stopped competing in 2015 but was on it again last year when she tried to make the Olympics and her best result was #7 in Bouldering.

So how was it possible getting back from the comp scene and what is next?
I kept my baseline fitness from training for all the cancelled world cups for 2020 and honed in on specific arm degree strength and finger strength with Camp4 Human Performance. Scientific Quantifiable strength testing yields more precise training. (Testing out max finger strength with a hanging scale. 2 hands together, each hand separately, at different arm bends like 90° and 120°, and on different size edge. (c) Bree Robles). Therefore even someone like me climbing for years can still see big gains and not plateau! For me, the Olympics is not happening, so all my focus is going to go towards outside climbing.

Loic Zehani has done his 19th 9a, out of which ten FA's, L'irreverence extension in Orgon. "This route is the extension of an 8c "Irreverence" (resistance in overhang). At the finish of this 8c, there is a good rest with one knee. Last year I had equipped the extension, around twenty movements and less steep but harder than the first part with powerful movements, 8c+/9a or 9a I think. You have also the possibility of starting with "Macumba" (8c) or the "Connection" (8c +) and ending in this extension. This gives a great route and a nice resistance test because there is no more rest with the knee. Surely a future 9a+."

Jakob Schubert reports on Insta that he has done the third ascent of Orca in Schleier Wasserfalle. It was put up as an 8c+ by Alex Huber in 2001 and then Adam Ondra made the first repeat and suggested 9a as a crucial hold had broken. Now Schubert says he found another beta and suggesting 8b! Huber comments on Schubert's Insta. "Harsh, but reality!" (c) Michael Piccolruaz

A 9a getting 8c+. How come do you think these guys missed that beta?
Well, first of all, it‘s a very special "one move wonder" route. It‘s about 7c+ into this single crux move and around 7a after that so finding an easy beta for that move changes everything. I‘m not sure why they didn’t find it, but for Alex it makes more sense since he had a very logical direct beta, still as a bolter he could have looked for the easiest way but sometimes you just miss it especially if you want to find something hard which I can fully identify 😄. Adam was probably just too strong and didn‘t look for too long 🤔.

Since Alex‘s beta is impossible now I tried Adam‘s beta but I broke the inside of the big pocket where the boulder starts a bit more. Consequently, I struggled to even do the move to the tiny crimp that he uses for the first crux move. So I reached out left to this side pull to use it as an intermediate to get to the crimp. But shortly after I found out I can just heel to my right hand, which is the big pocket where the boulder starts.

So what is next and what do you think about Euros in Moscow?
Trips are still uncertain but I still have some great hard lines in Magic wood to do like The Understanding and Force du tranquil. When it gets colder Val bavona and Brione would be amazing to try some of the newer hard blocks and also finish Off the wagon sit. In Spain, if I can go I‘m not sure but probably I‘d go back to Oliana and although it‘s not the coolest route in my eyes La Dura Dura is still something I wanna send someday, after all, it‘s one of the very few 9b+ that we have... 😉

About Moscow it‘s a difficult situation, I think now that more and more countries go into lockdown and some athletes might not even be able to train in a gym it could be pretty unfair. On the other hand, if it gets cancelled I’d feel so sorry for the athletes that work so hard and still have a shot to qualify for the Olympics. By far the best would be to move everything even further into 2021 in my opinion but I heard it‘s not possible but I don‘t understand why...

Obviously I also continue to train speed but I‘m on a bigger break already since I have problems with my biceps while doing explosive stuff. I hope I can start training it again soon.

Carlo Traversi, who recently did the FA of Empath 9a+, has done the FA of Equanimity 8C in Kirkwood lake. In total, Carlo has now done ten boulders 8C and 8C+. Including also the first repeat of Meltdown 8c+ trad, the 32-year-old has one of the most impressive multi-discipline tick lists out there. (c) Mary Mecklenburg

"The seams project. A lot of effort into this one. Heinous power tech boulder with the worst footholds imaginable. Just barely pulled this one-off. Definitely the hardest moves I've done this year. Curious to see what other people think because the style is so specific. 2 days last year, 3 days this year. Got lucky though. Could have taken a lot longer. Barely sent it."

Hugo Parmentier, who started 2020 by doing his first 9b, has done Pornographie 9a in Céüse. (c) Bluegilles

"The route had been bolted this year by a local and Alex Megos did the first ascent in July. I tried it a few times during my trip in August, something like 4/5 tries. Not really seriously as I was trying other routes. This time I dedicated myself only to this one for three days in a row (two times a day), falling to the last move. After a rest day, I could send it. Pretty intense, pumpy, comp-ish style on 15-20m, With a cool dynamic move at the end. Alex mentioned that it could be 8c+ with better beta. Maybe. For sure not the hardest but I do think this route has to be "approved" as it's really resistant."

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Sean Bailey reports on Insta that he has done the first repeat of Nathaniel Coleman's 8C+, Grand Illusion at Little Cottonwood Canyon, calling it 9a+/9b. (c) Ben Neilson It is 25 intensive moves almost roof climbing on granite without any rest which takes two minutes to climb. Four weeks ago, Sean had not done an 8C but three 9a+'.


Rock & Ice has the full story, also saying that the 24-year-old the last month did Box Therapy 8C+, White Noise 8C and a handful 8B+'. Amazingly, Sean sent Grand Illusion on his first try on only his third session!

Last year, Sean tried to make it to the Olympics and were really close in both Toulouse as well as the Pan American Combined. In 2018, he was #2 in the Boulder WC in Vail. In Lead, he has made the Top-8 final seven times. In other words, during the last few years, he has been one of the Top-10 sport climbers in the world.

The 8a ranking game was set up in 2000, based on the Top-10 ascents, in order to make climbers focus more on onsights and doing multiple ascents. Buildig a wide pyramid and focus on long term slow progress have always been something we have recommended. By looking at the Top-100 ascents the last 12 months, interestingly Martina Demmel (19) is #3 also including the male. The 19-year-old has the last year done 109 onsights 7c to 8b as well as 109 redoints 8a+ to 8c. Counting only the Top-100 onsights, she is actually #1 in the world ahead of all male! (c) Christian Seitz

Other names that can be mentioned having an extreme wide grade pyramide are; Solveig Korherr #5, Maho Norrmand (15) #7 and Rafa Fanega (45) #21. Full Ranking with Moritz Welt as #1!

Leto Cave, who had only had some ten rock climbing days prior to a two weeks trip to Arco, has done Underground 9a (8c+). (c) Katha Saurwein


"I started climbing when I was 10. In the past I went sometimes to the rock on holidays, you know, we don't have rocks in the netherlands😝, later on, almost no rockclimbing. I moved 1.5 years ago to Innsbruck in order to increase training for my dream of the olympics in Paris. Now two weeks rock climbing before I start the break of before I prepare for the worldcups for next year. At this trip, I realise I really love rock climbing too😊. It's so so nice with the people and nature."