Alex Megos has said on Insta and to 8a that he thinks Underground is 8c+/9a or even 8c+. It is also listed as 8c+/9a on escalade9 and based on the 8a database, with 24 ascents, you understand that this impressive ascent should not be labeled only with the 9a grade. Anyhow the media says Megos flashed a 9a.

PlanetMountain reports that it was upgraded as C. Bindhammer, Hirayama and Mrazek thought it was either 8c+/9a or 9a. Strangely, in the 8a database, all these three climbers have recorded it as 8c+!

It should be mentioned that there exist several other examples when 8a report a lower grade in comparison to the other biggest climbing media. In other words, it is often the media who want to have the most impressive headlines that are driving grade inflation. Until some 15 years, 8a did often suggest downgrades in order to present more correct grades, which later always were confirmed. However, this stopped around 2005, as we got heavily criticised for it.

Edu Marin spent 170+ days in China out of which 50 days of bolting, to put up the hardest MP in the world, Valhalla.

Julia Chanourdie, who previously has done one 9a+, reports on Insta that has done her second 9a, Sang Neuf in Pierrot Beach. Directly after the send, she tried the extension Sweet Neuf 9a+ and says she will come back once the temperature has dropped. Anak Verhoeven has done the FA of both routes.

Chanourdie was #4 in the Lead World Cup and has since tried to make it to the Olympics and she made it happen in Toulouse where she was #2. Her Speed PB is 8.94 which is one of the best among the non-specialists and here on 8a, she has been predicted to be Top-8 overall in Tokyo, even before she had qualified.

Iker Pou (43) was just recently listed as #3 overall climbers in the world here on 8a. In 2000, he did Action Directe and this summer he did an 8B+ FA as well as two 9a FAs. In between, he has done another 30 routes 8c+/9a up to 9b (+) as well as numerous big walls FAs all over the globe up to 8c. His latest is is the 600 meter Rayu located in Peña Santa with pitches up to 8c. The FA was done together with his brother Eneko and Kico Cerdá after five weeks of hard work.

"The Basque brothers are convinced that, given the exceptional quality of the route, it will become a classic that will be pursued by the best climbers in the world. There have been marathon days of up to 18 consecutive hours ..., we have ended up destroyed..., but we are happy, we have given everything, and when you make an effort 100%, you have a very good taste in your mouth".

In the end, they redpointed the whole route, mainly protected by trad gear, in a 12 h 1/2 non-stop attempt from the ground to the summit. Click on the headline to see a picture gallery. Video teaser.

Most of us have tightened a loose nut with our fingers. This did improve safety in the short run but in the long run, the safety problem is just carried on. Having put up some 2 500 bolts, I know that many of them get loose even if I tightened them hard from the beginning. You should not over-tighten them! Lately, I have started to check also the fixed ones and surprisingly most of them I can tighten them harder, avoiding them to get loose and dangerous.

I use a combination wrench that I carry on my gear loops and it feels great to improve the safety for me and others. The normal size for 10 mm bolts are 17 but for the 12 mm bolts you need size 19. You can find wrenches combining size 17 and 19 and the price is around Euro 5.

Other safety issues that should be repeated are;
1. Partner Check - Check the knot and that the screw carabiner is locked
2. Loose Rock - Wear a helmet or do not stay under the climber
3. A knot on the rope - Sometimes the rope is too short
4. Soft belay - Try to be a dynamic belayer as there is no ground fall risk
5. Check fixed carabiners - They can break or even cut your rope once worn out

Almost all the hardcore redpoints by the male are achieved after weeks or months of projecting. Wolfgang Gülich even had to invent the campus board in order to do the FA of Action Direct 9a and setting up replicas or usual for the hardest ascents. When it comes to the max level redpointing by the female, they are instead normally done after just 5 - 10 days of projecting. It just might be that there would be twice as many female doing 9a's and Laura Rogora or Janja Garnbret sending 9b+, if they dedicated the same amount of time and effort as the male?

Daniel Fuertes has done his second 9a+, Ali Hulk extension total in Rodellar. The 39-year-old did his first 9a out of 12 in 2009. (c) Carlos "citro" Logroño

"For me it has been very important send because with this I return to do my best performance! I could not tell you how many days last years and this summer I have focused on these routes. I was climbing there about two weeks in June and then two weeks now. The key has been to not give up and also very important to share methods and tries with other climbers such as Enrique Gallardo and Dave Graham. When you try a hard route it is great to share methods for the crux because any small change can make a difference! That my little princess, Africa, has started the kindergarten, has been also very important haha 😜, now I can spend more time climbing 😂😂."