Magnus Midtbo gets destroyed by Janja Garnbret, who says she doesn't train cardio, gym, or hangboarding. Actually, she says that the latter is the biggest mistake climbers do. The double Olympic champion plans to travel to Finland to try Burden of Dreams (9A).

Mathieu Bouyoud, with a total of 51 routes 9a or 9a+ to his name, has done Vodni svet (Water world) (9a) and Halupca 1979 (9a) in Osp/Misja Pec.

Can you tell us more about the trip and the ascents?
Two weeks climbing with kids for the summer holidays is perfect in Osp. The sea is close and the place is safe with sand on the floor. Nice long routes in a perfect place for family climbing. I maked 3 tries for each 9a. Long effort in stalactites...

Cameron Hörst has climbed Show Your Teeth (9a) at Wolf Point. ”Not sure how I managed to pull off a hard one at the Point this late in the game. But here we are. Only way out was sending! One of my new favs in Lander!” (c) Daniel Teitenbaum

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Afew weeks ago, I watched BJ Tilden work on and then make the first ascent of Show Your Teeth. The route immediately caught my attention—it stood out from the other 9as at the crag. Instead of delicate, techy movement on shallow pockets, Show Your Teeth features fast-paced, bouldery climbing on unique features of rock.

Shortly after BJ sent the route, I began working on it alongside Jonathan Siegrist, who made quick work of it, sending in just a few sessions. I also made fast progress, then started getting shut down by a low-percentage deadpoint at the end of the crux. I fell on that move something like 18 times over five sessions before finally sticking it and sending the route.

With only the World Cup in Koper in September left in the Lead World Cup 2025, Erin McNeice is 235 points ahead of Chaehyun Seo. All the six events count meaning if Seo wins the last event, meaning McNeice wins overall if she is runner-up. On the other hand, as possibly Janja Garnbret will win at her home turf, it is good enough for McNeice to place as number fourth if Seo is second.

Eva Hammelmüller, with eight routes 8c+ or 9a under her belt, during the last year, has repeated Jonathan Siegrist’s Crise de Panique (9a) in Bas-Valais. The Austrian IFSC competition climber is #1 in the ranking game. (c) Felix Mast

”100% Dreamline! Hard moves in the beginning on sidepulls and underclings including a crazy crossmove, then it‘s all about not getting pumped too much in the middle section ‘pour avoir assez de jus’ to fight through the last beautiful crimp section. Double send with Seb [Bouin] on my third day of trying the route!”

David Firnenburg, who last week sent his second 8C, has done Monkey Wedding (8C) in Rocklands. David has been on the road for nine months with and plan to add another two in ZA. ”Cool fingery, technical and powerful climb with different betas throughout the boulder. Dropping three times on the last hard move in my second session. Today first go from the bottom. Happy to have this one in my send bag!”

Can you tell us more about the trip?
ZA is fun. Many strong people around and good weather🌞 We spent already almost 3 weeks here, time flies, staying in an apartment together with my partner Andrea Kümin, Michael Piccolruaz, Nicolai Užnik, Thilo Schröter, Sofya Yokoyama and some others. It’s good vibes climbing and cooking together. We’ve also been to the sea side at Lambert’s Bay for the well-known fish grill there. Beautiful sunset!

Climbingwise, I have some projects in mind, mainly in the 8B+ and 8C range, but also good side projects and just fun climbs. There is so much good climbs around here and since my last visit in 2015 ten years ago the area grew with many new sectors and gems I haven’t heard about before. And there is a bunch left to explore. Seems like too much for a single climber’s life. I know of some people who come here every season for the past 10-15 years and still scout for new boulders.

Bayes Wilder, who sent 8A+ and 8c+ at age 10, is on a trip to Rocklands and during the first week he has sent The Arch (8B) and flashed Awunda (8A) as well as Barracuda (8A). His father Matt Wilder, gives us the story of the start of their trip.

”We’re having a fun trip in Rocklands. Bayes has been having a good trip. He was really psyched to do the Arch, his first 8B. He had worked it once a couple days back and got all the moves and had one or two links to near the end. When he came back, he refreshed the moves and then gave an attempt from the start and fell on the last slopers above the lip. After a rest, he did it on his next go. He was very excited to top it out and celebrated with a jump into the creek pool just above the climb. On this trip, he’s also done two cool 8A+ climbs (CoCo and Law and Order). He also flashed Awunda and Barracuda and did a few other 8A’s. He doesn’t have his sights set on any specific problems for the rest of the trip, but he’s psyched to try more hard stuff in the week we have left.

He’s here with his friend Beckett Hsin also from Colorado and Beckett’s brother (and Bayes’ comp coach) Samuel Hsin. Both of them have been crushing as well with Beckett sending a few 8B’s and flashing a couple 8A+’s. Sam pulled off a flash of the Arch, a quick ascent of El Corazon among other sends.

Nathan Phillips and Simone Tentori, who both did their first 8C+ some months ago, have repeated Jimmy Webb’s Khoikhoi (8C) in Rocklands.

Phillips [pictured]: ”Possibly the best hard boulder I’ve ever done. Incredible trip. I can’t think of many hard boulders in this style. Ninja Skills is the closest and it’s for sure harder than that but feels a little easier than some of the other 8C’s I’ve done. Very hard 8B+ or low end 8C does seem right. I wish there were more hard blocs in this style! Thanks Jimmy for giving this gem to the world.”

Tentori: ”This one is so special. The line, the rock, the moves, just perfect. I found a new beta that makes the sequence a little bit easier and straightforward, imo, so upper-end 8B+ might be right this way?”

Autumn Lloyd has matched her mother [Ashley Lloyd] by sending Super Kind (8A+) in Emerald Lake.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Superkind was a line I very much wanted to climb partly because I greatly enjoy lowball traverses and partly because it had some familial history to it. Back in 2007, when I was 2, my family was living in Fort Collins and my parents were regularly climbing in Rocky. My mom also loves long traverses, and as a result got psyched on Superkind. She managed to snag the FFA and was one of the earliest ascents of the full traverse of the Kind boulder’s face.

I’ve watched the video of my mom doing Superkind many times, and as a result the climb was priority #1 when my sister Sierra and I took our first trip to RMNP last week. I managed to send the Kind Traverse on day 1, but had to come back on day 2 for Superkind. I really enjoyed the movement on this climb, and am so so psyched to have finally gotten out to Rocky to try it.

Lucia Dörffel, who was 16th in the Paris Olympics, has repeated Giuliano Cameroni’s Hazel Grace (8B+) in Gottardo. The 25-year-old German has previously climbed routes up to 8c and boulders up to 8B. (c) Elias Arriagada

”I had this boulder in my mind for quite some time. It’s a beautiful line in one of my favourite places, and it means a lot to me. Due to some health issues, I missed a lot of training and had to skip the entire World Cup season. But that also meant more time for rock climbing. I was really excited about this trip and spending time outside. From the very first session, checking out the moves, I knew I could climb it. By my fifth session, I was already really close, falling on the last hard move. So we decided to extend our trip by two more days. I had one rest-day and tried the next day again. The weather started to change, and it began to rain a little. But I kept trying and the conditions were actually good for me. Everything came together on my send go. It was perfect. Standing on top of this bloc, having climbed my first 8B+ was a great feeling and I’m so psyched for more.”