Jose Luis Palao has made the FA of the 60 meter super steep Mona Lisa integral 9a+ in Rodellar. Two weeks ago, he did it to the first L1 9a anchor and then he added 20 meters of 8b+ climbing to do the full line.

”It was a route that I started to equip in 2019. Around 15 sessions of equipping plus another 15 or 20 to send it. Many meters of hard climbing and leg pain. A great battle from start to finish! I am very happy to start this project from 0." (c) David Lopez

Adam Ondra has possibly 9c as his personal maximal limit. At the same many of us have 8a as our absolute limit even if we would live as a professional climber for ten years. Having spotted, belayed and witnessed many of the best I do think that if I would have had a similar "a muerte" obsession I would immediately climb two or three grades harder onsight. One of the most dedicated climbers I have met, he already 25 years ago followed a strict training and diet regime in order to have a peak in a trip to El Chorro but everything fell apart and he stopped climbing with 6b+ as a personal best. We all want to progress and "No Limit" is a popular quote but it is a fine balance to set a personal goal. Different personalities might progress best and "have most fun" with different mindsets. If your current personal best is 7a, it is probably wise to have slow and steady progress rather than skipping grades and directly start to projecting a 7b+ and then go for 8a. First of all the risk of injuries increases and secondly you will just have a happy personal best moment twice instead of six times.

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Paul Robinson, who recently did his #1 000 boulder 8A and harder, has done his 22nd 8C, Traffic in Coal Creek Bloc. "Traffic is a long boulder that does the crux of Jeremiah and then climbs right into some really small crimps and a hard shoulder move. Then around the corner and finishes on a 7A+. The whole climb is around 20 moves long andis quite pumpy. You can add in 3 more hard moves by starting on jeremiah low which is a hard project and will be a tough line when someone completes it."

Stefan Scherz, who won the Lead and Combined Euro Champ and was runner-up in Boulder last year, has done Don Pedro 8c+ in Niederthai in just two sessions.

So three 8c+'s and your first 9a since the lockdown, how was that possible?
During the lockdown, I tried to focus on doing some power and strength exercises, which helped a lot to stay fit or even become fitter. When the lockdown ended and the gym was still closed, I only had the chance to go climb outside. Since then, every time I went rock climbing I felt better and better. I’ve been rock climbing pretty much every day except 2 rest days, for 1 month straight.

What about indoors and competition training?
My first day back in the gym was at the end of May. Since then, I’ve been training a lot indoors with the national team. Yet, I try to spend as much time as I can outdoors on the rock. The first national competitions are at the beginning of June with speed and bouldering, later in August, there will be a lead comp, where I’m already looking forward to.

Maria Davies Sandbu, who also has done 16 boulders 8A and 8A+, has done her third 8c, Nordic Flower in Flatanger. (c) Martin Mobråten

"Me and my husband Martin were supposed to have 5 months of travelling (before i start my internship as a junior doctor). We were in Spain when the corona-situation really escalated and traveled back to Norway quickly. We built a home-wall in my parent's garage which came very useful as the winter turned out to be very long. In late April we started going to Flatanger for climbing, but it was super cold in the beginning. I was quite hesitant to try hard stuff, and it was only 2 weeks ago I started trying Nordic Flower extension. It turned out to go down quite quickly. I did the first line 2 years ago, and "Nordic Plumber" last year which shares the same start. So I knew the beginning really well. I think I worked the extension part for 3 or 4 days before I started having goes from the start, and then it went down 3.go."

Caroline Sinno, who has done four 8B Traverses in Fontainebleu, has done her second 8B boulder there, Mysterio. "Always in love with nature and beautiful boulders in the forest of Fontainebleau. With lots of passion and attachment to this proud line « Mysterio » I took advantage of the last « conditions » of the year and climbed it. It is a short and intense line graded 8B with only 4 hard movements opened by Olivier Lebreton. It goes crescendo with a tricky last dynamic movement. It is very remote in the forest and I really enjoyed the scenery there. I have done another movement from the initial version so makes it a harder version?"

How were you able to train during the lockdown and what are your summer plans?
Not a lot of training. I was a bit depressed at first. I train very little physically, instead lots of stretching and proprioception and also some elastic bands. Summer plans: climb in Font on some easier climbs and maybe a hard traverse until July and then in august Rodellar.

What is proprioception?
On a Swiss ball, eyes closed, repeating the movements in my mind. A bit like Adam Ondra and elastic bands for resistance.