Ludo Delmotte has done Quoi de Neuf in Fontainebleau. "This line is composed by an 8A (L'acte 1), then a big no-hands rest, followed by an 8B (L'acte 2). I started to climb in L'acte 1 two years ago and it was my max level. It's close to home so I have been there regularly. This year after the lock down, I climbed L'acte 2. Since June I have tried to climb the full line."

His Video says, "8C trav". "For the grade I think it's not an 8C boulder because it's too long! I think it's more a "traversée" as they say in Fontainebleau. I think we can't compare this line with a boulder. The effort is really different."

The dilemma for the climbers and the media is that it is very hard to understand when the traverse grading scale is used and that the presented traverse difficulty lies in between the boulder and the route grading scale.

8a have for like 15 years reported boulders with capital letters and routes with small letters in order to show if it is a boulder or route presented in the headline etc. Then a couple years later we started to report traverses like 8Cc in order to show that the climb is more of a combined boulder route, using another grading scale.

Ludo has previously just done one boulder harder than 8A and with 7c+ as his personal best route, so the Ali Baba cave in Rodellar should be another great rood option! "I live near to Fontainebleau so I don't have a lot of opportunity to climb in crags... so I don't have a big route project. I hope one day 😉"

We also asked Simon Lorenzi to comment why he recently downgraded Quoi de neuf to 8B+? "If you add up the two passages of the boulder (a soft 8A and a very soft 8B) taking into account the total rest in the middle, it's almost a mathematical rule for me that the rating doesn't go up to 8C."

To sum up, it is great that Ludo and Simon have come forward with their personal grades saying that it is nor fair to get credited with 8C for their ascents of Quoi de Neuf. At the same time, possibly it would be great if all climbers and media could agree how to present and report such boulder routes. On the hand, this is almost impossible as we also need a standard for reporting the hybrid routes starting with sit starts. I mean, should we say Laura Rogora has done the hardest female route in the world when she does a 9b+ in the Ali Baba cave?

Isabelle Faus has added yet another very impressive FAs to hard scorecard; Sinwav 8B+ in Pine Cliff, Get Laid 8B in Scoop and Glitter addict 8B in Pine Cliff. In total, she has now opened 19 boulders 8A to 8B+ FAs which makes her totally superior in the FA game. (c) Chad Greedy

"For me exploring and cleaning is a constant, I like repeating boulders too, but doing a first ascent is a contribution to the climbing community so for me it’s more satisfying. It also makes the whole experience of projecting harder.. finding, cleaning , figuring out the beta, but I love the challenge. Finding beta is my favorite part, it’s super creative... there’s no videos or pics for beta, so you really have to figure it out... Doing a first ascent means you have to have vision, know how to clean boulders, figure out your own beta, be willing to get dirty, and have faith in yourself that your doing things right and that your project is worth your time. It’s a lot harder! Process is always work, but it’s great to transform something and give a little to the community. Very grateful for all the people who showed me how to open boulders. We have endless projects and I know from exploring that we always have things to do :)

Doing Sinawav was scary! I found it in a solo mission and it’s my favorite thing I’ve found so I really wanted to do it. The day I sent I was in a bad mood, but I finally made it to this ledge before the highball ending.. I normally would have been scared cause I was sweaty and tired but... that day I gave zero fucks... It helped haha :) I definitely tried it with a rope, I always rehearse sequences on highballs. It’s hard climbing and high consequence. It breaks down like 8B to the ledge, after that you really don’t want to fall, and it’s 7C to the top. Bad slopey crimps and huge moves."

Sinawav was put up some two months ago and has not been repeated although Daniel Woods has been close. Two weeks the boulder FA queen repeated Creme de la Crumb 8B+ after some seven sessions of projecting. In the 8a ranking game she is #2 after Alex Puccio.

Paul Jenft, who was #10 in Briancon, has beside his first 9a, done his third 8c+ during the last four weeks, Il n'est jamais trop tard in La Balme.

"It is a route bolted by Philippe Mussato in La Balme. Mathieu Bouyoud did the first ascent of this line last year and he motivated my to try the route. It is composed by two sections where the first is powerful with big moves. Then there is a good rest with two kneebars. The second section is more technical. It begins with a crux with a jump to a crimp and then there are pumpy moves until the top. I needed six attempts during two sessions to take it down."

Dani Fuertes has done Ali Hulk sit start extension total 9b in Rodellar. More info in spanish on his Insta. "For me it is a dream to achieve this difficulty, specially because I’m not a professional climber. I have my full time job as a fire man and my family! Besides it’s a route for younger climbers haha and I’m a little bit old 🙄. But I will go on there! Doing that is my passion with my family, Sílvia and Africa! I have not done any specific training, I have only climbed the route and I have worked it by sections, doing boulder in the crux and training resistance in the last part. I have learnt a lot on a mental level. The route requires to always be very concentrated because you can fall in many sections if you are not focused. Next? Climbing climbing climbing bolting climbing all time!!!🤣🤣🤣."(c) Carlos "citro" Logroño

Originally Dani Andrada did the FA of Ali Hulk sit start extension 9b back in 2007 which has only been repeated by Magns Midtbö. Then last year, Jonathan Flor added some 15 mainly crimp moves and "total" to the original name, keeping the grade. Jorge Diaz-Rullo and Laura Rogora have previously repeated it. In total, the hybrid boulder route has over 100 moves and it took the 39-year-old around 20 minutes to climb including four very good rests. It starts with a around 15 moves sist start boulder followed by some 35 moves before you tie in, then you traverse out of the cave and in total, the overhang should be like 30 meters.

Cathy Wagner has during the last six weeks done eight 8a's and two 8a+;
Campagne in Arudy, "Small sector of great quality! Exceptional route very overhanging in a compact pebble! Climbing sections and knees to temporize, all I can do! In agony in the heat of Thursday, almost "easy" in the fall conditions of Saturday. In 3 days."

Quand la folie des hommes gronde in Revilla, "Magnificent route mainly on colos, and about twenty movements, which leans very strongly like all the others in this sector to the right. A saving knee separates the 2 sections for which I had to do my own way because Seb's methods are classy and beautiful to look at from the bottom but just ultra-physical ..! In a pure fight 🤪 to my 4th climb in 3 days."

The 55-year-old has now done 777 routes 8a to 8b, which should be most in the world for a female. Interestingly, Cathy has performed more or less the same during the last twenty years. It should also be noted that around one third of her ascents are done second go so there should still be room for an 8b+ personal best if she started to project one.

Adam Ondra has given personal grades for hardcore routes for more than ten years, which makes him unique. The dilemma is that he is the best climber in the world especially when it comes to onsight, meaning that he often does not base his personal grades on the best possibly beta. When Ondra onsights a route listed as 8c in the topo and says it felt like 8c also for him, this should not be used as he confirms the 8c, just that he used sequences that felt like 8c for him.

The guys who should confirm grades are the ones who have worked it so much so they have found the very best sequences. If I spend ten sessions on a route I will most likely be able to do 7b+ or 7c, if it is a route that fits me. If Ondra, or another top climber, onsights it and suggests 7c+. The topo producer should not pay so much attention to this as he most probably did not find the best solutions.

Eva Hammelmüller has done Der Seewächter 8b+, (c) Andre Costar, and Gondor 8c in Ötztal. In total, the 20-year-old has now done six 8c's in 2020 and she is #5 in the 8a ranking game.

"Gondor felt really hard when I tried it for the first time, but I made good progress from each try to the next. I struggled a bit on the lower crux, so I changed my beta slightly. On the next go, I climbed through these hard moves and could send the route straight away! As university starts again in October, I will climb a lot in Ötztal, but I would also like to go to Arco and maybe Tessin or Magic Wood on long weekends. Definitely a lot of outdoor climbing!"

Aidan Roberts reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Super Power 8C/+ at the LandStones, which is a sit start to Manpower 8A. He started trying it four years ago and in total it took him some nine sessions. (c) Sam Pratt

" In terms of pure difficulty and minimalism, this one takes the top spot and undoubtedly barges it’s way to my hardest climb to date whilst also aligning perfectly with my style. Steep, body tension, wide moves and small crimps and, from my experience, possibly one of the best of it’s style I’ve come across."

In regards why he did not go for 8C+, he comments Insta, "I’m not yet so willing to commit to this new territory with so little experience so, despite it’s slightly lame nature, will propose the annoying slash grade of 8C/+. Perhaps some more clarity will arise once I’ve developed a little more experience of cutting edge climbing."

It should be noted that the 21-year-old one month ago did the FA of Outliers 8C at Trowbarrow and one week ago did the FA of Copperline 8B+ in the Coppermines. Five years ago he won a Euro Youth Cup and among the seniors, his best result is #19 in the World Cup.

Aris T, aka Mr Kalymnos, reports on Facebook that he, together with Claude Idoux, Dimitris Titopoulos and Kostas Grafanakis, have started to develop a new "dream crag" 40 minutes north of Leonidio. "It is located 200m from the beach with just 5 min approach from the car. We plan to open 40 routes up to 55 m long. One of the best crags at grades up to 7a and it is in the shade after 12.00."

They hope to finish the work in 15 days. The bolts have been financed by Aris and the local authorities. Possibly, the new crag "Arcadia" will be included in the new topo for Leonidio that will be released later this autumn.

In regards Kalymno new routes have been opened lately and Heroes is a new big sector above Skalia. Aris says that although 80 % of the hotels and restaurants are open, there are like 20 - 30 % as many climbers as normal, mainly from Greece and Italy,

"We need to remain vigilant, but no talk of generalized lockdowns or anything like that. Climbers are just as welcoming as always, just they should take precautions. Indeed masks are required everywhere indoors. The staff at restaurants wear masks even outdoors."

Alex Garriga, has done his second 9a+ in 2020, Seta ibérica in Cuenca which Jorge Diaz-Rullo put up last year. (c) Alfonso Martinez

"It is a link-up of the hardest part of Seta negra (8c+) and the hardest part of Circo Iberico (9a/+). There is also a resistance traverse for connecting them."