Jakob Schubert reports on Insta that he during a two day trip to Magic Wood managed to do three 8B+' including a flash of The Never Ending Story. This means the Austrian has flashed two 8B+. Adam Ondra has flashed (3), James Webb (2) and Daniel Woods, Tomoa Narasaki, and Ned Feehally have flashed one each.

”When the borders finally opened, I took the first chance to drive to Switzerland despite the really bad weather forecast. I was really motivated and convinced, we’d find some dry spots. 48h later we had successfully climbed everything that was difficult and dry. The place really plays towards my strengths and it feels like the change between indoor training and the rocks really pushes my climbing abilities.”

When it comes to competitions, the 29-year-old could be considered the best male Lead competitor in history. Two times he has won the Lead World Championship and in total 21 World Cups wins including three in Bouldering. In 2011, he won the seven straight World Cups. Outdoors, he has done 30 routes 9a to 9b+ and in Bouldering three 8C's. In other words, overall he should be considered #2 after Adam Ondra. Here is a video that sums up what Jakob did during the lockdown and until the end of May.

Max Bertone, who did his first 8c last year, has done his first 8b flash, Abregenief in St Léger. His father Stefano says that the focus right now is onsight and flash and comments. (c) Oriane Bertone

"A friend of Max (Sam Richard) was working this line. Fortunately for Max, he has the same size as him and knew all the holds and beta in detail. So Max chose to try the flash with the help of his friend Sam and managed to follow his instructions on the hard section of the route. He onsighted the easier final section after crux."

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.

Eva Hammelmüller has done her fourth 8c during the last three weeks, Walhalla in Maltatal. During the same three days trip the 20-year-old also did a second go ascent of Psi 8b+ as well as two 8b's and an onsight of Himmelsleitner 8a. In the 8a ranking game, the Austrian is #3 among the female but counting only last month she is #6 also including the male.

"My plan for this summer is to climb as much outdoors as possible, and I‘ve already checked out a cool line in Ötztal (8c+) that I would love to send this summer. I also have 3 other 8c‘s in mind that I want to try!" (c) Klettermax_87

Advertorial: "We came to Alaska for the Kichatna Spires, lured by a dream of El Capitan sized walls set on remote glaciers. Living on the wall with a week of supplies, onsighting finger cracks on a steep headwall under a midnight sun. But the Kichatna’s reputation for abysmal weather held true. After four days sifting in Talkeetna waiting for the elusive flying window our patience ran dry. Time running out, we hatched a new plan. An hour later Paul Roderick of Talkeetna Air Taxi was flying us into the Ruth Gorge. Our eyes lit up as the huge granite faces filled the windows of our small Otter ski plane. Mount Barrill, and the famed Cobra Pillar appeared. Almost 1000 metres of steep, featured granite, capped with snow, and plenty of potential for a new line." Full story on My Tendon.

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.