Evan Hau, who did his first 9a+ in June, has done the FA of Bow Valley Challenge 9a in Stoneworks. (c) Mike Hopkins

"I can't really guess how many sessions but it was a lot. I spent 2 months figuring out the sequences in 2018. It's quite intricate power endurance steep climbing, one of the steepest in the Bow Valley. Then about 1 month trying to redpoint this year. Part of the crux is slapping up an overhanging corner with very little texture and it's hard to chalk up. I had problems with my palms getting sweaty on hot days. This is the first line that caught my eye and the first line I bolted when I first walked into the cave. I had so much fun on this climb, one of the best hard lines in the area!!!"

Seb Bouin has done La moustache qui fâche 9a+ in Entraygues. In total, the French has now done almost 60 routes 8c+/9a to 9b/+. (c) Fred Labreveux

On Insta he comments, "After falling two times on the last "7b" moves, it was nice to finish the job yesterday 😀. It was cool to cut from the Verdon Gorges and the mega project on the Ramirole. Fresh air and new routes, perfect combo in Entraigues 👌. About the grade, I think this route is easier than Biographie. Yet, not enough to downgrade it to 9a."

Iziar Martinez, who had 8b as her personal best until six weeks ago, has done her third 8c, White Zombie in Baltzola after just two days projecting. The supersteep 30 meter route is famous for being the first 8c onsighted route in the world by Yuji Hirayama in 2004 and in 1999, it was the second 8c for a female done by Josune Bereziartu.
(c) Istrael Martinez
""I tried to do this route because I was close to this cave and a lot of people recommend it to me. It took me seven tries to send it during two days.My progress this summer was thanks to my coach and my families support and a little bit of my motivation 😂. Now I don't really have a project, I'm motivated to onsight. " One week ago, she did her first 8a+ onsight, Paideia in Rodellar and in the female ranking game, the 15-year-old is #9.

The onsight grade progress list is based on Wikipedia and for some reason the first 8b onsight is missing. It should be mentioned that comments have been put forward in regards grades and ethics for all the hardest listed, see below. In the early days, you had to put all quick draws in order to claim onsight and tick marks was not allowed.

7c Jerry Moffatt: Super Crack - Swanangunks, (USA) - 1982
7c+ Jerry Moffatt: Pol Pot - Verdon, (FRA) - 1984
8a Antoine Le Menestrel: Samizdat - Cimai, (FRA) - 1987
8a+ Jerry Moffatt: Centre Court - Frankenjura, (GER) - 1989
8b ??

8b+ Elie Chevieux: Massey Fergusson - Calanques (FRA) - 1995
8c Yuyi Hirayama: White Zombi FA - Baltzola (ESP) - 2004*
8c+ Patxi Usobiaga: Bizi Euskaraz - Etxauri (ESP) - 2007**
9a Alex Megos: Estado Critico - Siurana (ESP) 2013***

*Hirayama had belayed a friend who tried to redpoint it multiple times.
** It was an open active project.
*** A couple guys have suggested 8c+ for it. Adam Ondra had onsighted two 9a routes previous to Megos onsight but Ondra thought they were 8c+.

Felipe Camargo, who the last year did his first 9b, has done his second 8C, Direct Hit in Ubatuba. On his Insta he has published the video of the night session send.

" Full circle with this bloc! After doing the first ascent of Fortaleza v14 in 2014 i always believed that the Direct start was possible! Last year daniel woods made it possible doing first ascent and felt so good to put an end to this awesome boulder!! 5 really hard moves of 8b+ into 8a/+ end! Perfect straight 5 meters line by the ocean...All time!"

Projecting a route often means you start doing and then linking the hardest moves. If we are talking long crux sequences that you can not get together a good strategy is often to start from the last hard move. How should you place your hands and feet in order to do the last crux move? Once you have dialed this, you can work your way down how to reach the exact position in order to do the next hard move etc.

One dilemma by instead, and which is more natural from the beginning, work your way from below, is that you will fail more often doing the moves which could create a bad mental state. Furthermore, as you will try different solutions you will not get that power boost by doing and recruiting your muscles by repeating the exact same move. Lastly, starting from the bottom of means you will do longer sequences before you fail, and thus, will get more tired in comparison if you just work your way doing one move at the time.

James Squire, who previously has done two 8C FAs has repeated his second, Power of Now in Magic Wod. "Unreal boulder! One session, tried the top section off a ladder then the first time I got through the bottom crux I climbed to the top. Maybe just 8B+? Big up Giuliano for developing and cleaning these mega lines and to Alex Kellas for the spot and support. It is a tall 60 degree roof which starts with a hard press move followed by a blind jump to a crimp. You then have to get set up for the final “superhero” move to the lip of the boulder. Definately one of the best boulders I have ever climbed! "

Stefano Ghisolfi has after some 12 days of projecting done the first pitch of Change 9a+ in Flatanger. He has now started to work the 9a extension to do the full 55 meter which Adam Ondra set up in 2012 as the first 9b+ in the world. "I tried a bit the second part and is still very hard, with many cruxes where is possible to fall, not hard like the first crux but there are more and I'll be more tired from the bottom. I'm staying until September 5th, maybe not enough for the 9b+. The cave is incredible, I tried few routes but every hold is an art piece, one of the best place to climb (above 8c)." (c) Sara Grippo

You can now get a list of the latest ascents on all crags in the database. Just search the crag and you will first get the tick list and then you click ascents for the chosen crag. You can also "Follow" a crag or a friend and then automatically get all the updates in the left sidebar. A mouse-over function has been added so you directly, without clicking, can read your friends ascent comments and see all routes that were sent on the crags you follow.

In 2015, 8a asked some of the very best Speed climbers how difficult it would be for the non-Speed specialist to reach a very good standard. Based on the times of Tomoa Narasaki and Rishat Khaibullin, they were actually dead wrong.

"In order to go below eight seconds, you probably need to do specific physical training for a year and also do many competitions, which would get you to understanding how to deal with the mental pressure. To get below 7 seconds in Tokyo 2020 you need to focus half of your training on Speed as well as gaining some weight in the whole body. Thus you will also have to deal with the mental pressure that your standard in Lead and Boulder will deteriorate and you will have to climb outdoors less."

It just might be that in reality, if all the best Lead and Boulder competitors would only go for Speed for one year, they would totally take over the scene and you had to run 5.6 or so to be Top-10. The reason for this is of course that the best Speed climbers of today are just the best of some few hundreds meanwhile the best Lead and Boulderers are the best out of several millions. The talent pole is thus several hundred times less creating the best Speed climbersof today.