Georgia Tesio, who did her first 8b+ at age 14, when she also did her first 8A+ boulder, has done her first 8c, Mieux vaut une petite bien sure in La Saume. At the same crag Claudia Ghisolfi did her second 8c, Idée fixed.

Giorgia: ”The passed weekend I escaped the heat and went for a short trip to Briançon in France. It was simply amazing! Great crew, perfect conditions in the beautiful crag La Saume located at 2000+ meter altitude.

After my knee injury and the quarantine I’d say my endurance was not the best. When I do some sports climbing I usually pick up a short route, or at least the most bouldery at the crag. I did the same this time. I tried it on Saturday for the first time and after five tries, I managed to find the method, which suited best for me and at the end of the day I fell on the last move! I was more exited than disappointed. I knew it was possible! The next day I warmed up and then gave it a shoot and without even realizing it I found myself clipping the chain of my first 8c! It was a great satisfaction. Without any competitions except for the Briançon World Cup, I changed my focus and found the right motivation again in rock climbing. I had so much fun that I’m already looking forward for a new project, maybe something longer this time, who knows; but for now it has to wait since Briançon competition is coming closer and closer!”

Dylan Chuat has done his first 8C, Foundations Edge in Fionnay. During the last month he has also done three 8B+' and he is #1 in the monthly ranking game. (c) Rémi Degenne

”This year I was selected to the swiss national team, I'm boulder and lead vice champion. I started specific training last year with Christophe Depotter a Belgium coach who brought me a lot of advices. I started to climb outdoors due to the lockdown in March. I've a bouldering spot near my flat, I started there then since all the competitions were cancelled. In March I did my first 8A+ boulder! After that I tried some other boulders and discovered that I was able to flash almost all 8A and do 8B at that session. Later I wanted to try something harder, a big project that would take some time and a lot of work. I started to watch some videos. One boulder became obvious, Foundation's Edge, a big 8C known all around the world. 10 sessions were needed to send it.”

We have improved the Add Ascent form to make adding routes to your logbook faster and easier. You can now search for either routes, crags, or areas, making the form flexible to the information you can remember. If you forgot the route name, it is possible to search for the crag first, and then type in the grade below.

If you're trying to add an ascent of a route that is not yet in the database, or a new crag, please use the Create New form to add this to the database. We'll continue to work on cleaning up the database over the next months.

Alex Totkova, who did her first 9a this spring, has done Napred 8c in Karlukovo, after working it for almost ten sessions. Last year she was runner-up after Oriane Bertone in the Combined Youth Worlds and as a matter of a fact, the 15-year-old Bulgarian was the only one to beat Oriane in a Youth comp in 2019.

Stasa Gejo has done her first 8A+, Jack's broken heart in Magic Wood. The Serbian did her first 8b route at age 12 and later she was one of the best Lead youth competitors. Competing with the seniors, she switched more into bouldering and in 2017, being 17-years-old, she won both the European Championship as well as The world Games and in 2018, she was #3 in the World Championship. 2019 started with her falling from the top in Studio Bloc Master getting a knee a bad injury.

"I rarely boulder outdoors in general and I especially avoided it after the knee surgery. But this month I felt strong for trying something hard. Also, the knee felt pretty solid for more agressive heelhooks and falls. It has been more than a year since, it was a very tough recovery path and I will still follow the leg training routine in the future. Now I am back in Munich, where I currently live, continuing the trainings and the preparations for the few competitions that will take place this summer and autumn. The ultimate goal is the European Championship in Moscow in November. And some outdoor lead projects in Frankenjura."

She is a udying M.Sc. in Power Engineering at TUM and apart from that training like 20 hours a week but no specific training partner or coach. She trains 3x a week fitness and 4-5 times climbing training. Since the Covid19 there is also rock climbing almost every week.

Dani Andrada reports on Insta that he during a 22 day trip to Rodellar did; Apocalípto" 8c+/9a, Donatelo 8c+, two link-up 8c/+ FA's, two 8b+/8c FA's and bolted another five routes. The 45-year-old did only have four rest days and chatting with him you understand "El Maestro" has the exact same drive as 20 years ago. In totalhe has now put up 846 routes and if we are talking hard routes, he is the superior #1 in the world. As a matter of a fact, "La Maquina" has made Lleida and the surranding area including Siurana, Santa Linya, Sant Llorenç de Montgai, Terradetts and Oliana etc the hard core epicentrum in the world. The last years, he has spent some 800 Euro annually for bolts etc. In total, "animal" has done more than 70 routes 8c+/9a and harder which is third most in the world after Ondra and Megos.

Which is the best climbing area?
todos...y blokar o morir... (All...and lock-off or die...)

How can you explain your ”a muerte” expression. What does it mean to you? A muerte IS a muerte!

Here is story from Said Belhaj that possibly could give a more detailed explanation what "A muerte" means.
"After five days climbing and bolting in a row I was pleased to hear the rain in the morning laying in my bed. - Wake up! We are leaving in 30 minutes, Andrada shouts as the morning rooster. I look out and actually see sleet. OK, if the boss is calling, I'd better prepare myself for some belaying. - I know a place that is dry! 90 minutes later, driving in a snowy landscape, we look up in the overhang and Andrada starts to point out the grades from the left. - 8b, 8a, 8c+, projector, 7c, 9a, 8a+, where do you want to begin?"

The second picture is from five years ago when he did Chilam Balam 9a+ (b). The bleeding eyebrow comes from a broken hold. (c) Henning Wang

Drew Ruana,#13 in the Combined World Championship in Hachioji, reports on Insta that he has done the second ascent of Daniel Woods' Box Therapy 8C+ in RMNP. It is a sit start to a Tommy Caldwell 8A creating 18 moves on a 50 degree overhanging granite face. Drew only needed four sessions which includes a 2 hours uphill approach. (c) Alton Richardsson

If Drew would have been #12 in Hachioji, he would have qualified to Tokyo. As a matter of a fact, the 20-year-old was #10 after the qualification. In 2018 and 2019, he did 35 IFSC comps in total but in 2020 he stopped focusing on comps and did not do the Continental Olympic qualification. In January he did his first 8C+, Sleepwalker and now he says, "No more comps, just outdoors."

When it comes to training, it is mainly just bouldering and once in a while some weeks of structured training. "Lots of strength training in the weight room after sessions. Lots of limit bouldering and power endurance exercises. I campus boulders. I don’t campus board of hangboard. I know what works for my body and mind at this point."

Including also a handful 8C's and more than a dozen 8B+’s since October the last year as well as being #8 in the Boulder World Champion, he is a contender for currently being the best boulderer in the world. When it comes to routes, he started to make 8a headlines at age 16 doing his first 9a.

Karoline Sinnhuber has done her eleventh 8A+ during the last year, Jack's broken heart in Magic Wood. In the ranking game, the 25-year-old former competition climber from Austria is #5. (c) Fabian Leu

"It is a pity that we couldn‘t go to ZA. I don't like the summer in Austria and Europe cause I can‘t handle those temps. I kinda have two weeks of holiday now after my exams. The plan is one week in swiss (if the weather is fine) and one week frankenjura afterwards. Afterwards I have to work and I think I just train in the gym and get fit for autumn and better temps."

Marie Dorsaz, who started climbing at age 22, has done her second 8A+, Masochist in Plex, after some 15 sessions. The 36-year-old did her first 7C at age 30 and her first 8A at age 34. "FFA!! So happy to have climbed this mythical line opened by Reto Hartmann in 2006. It’s a beautiful line with very small and painful crimps. I’m very happy because there has been only three or four repetitions over the 14 past years and I did the first female ascent."

How much and how do you train?
I boulder three times a week (two outside and one in a gym or moonboard). I don’t train specifically except by doing Moonboard.