Dylan Chuat has done Masala Tea (9a) in Rawyl. ”I had more or less made the route on the first session (3rd climb), but the end was wet and unfortunately I couldn't send it... A month later, I went back to unwind it, but the slab in 3+ called me to order: a big block broke in my hands and exploded my knee. I had to grit my teeth to chain that day, but it did! Thank you Bertrand for this way! I advise the next climber to skip the starting slab: it is really dangerous and makes no sense...” (c) Remi Degenne

Can you tell us more about the loose block incident and your injury?
A huge block broke off in my hands on the starting slab. Luckily, Lisa wasn’t hurt 🙏🏼, but I smashed my knee pretty badly. No idea how I managed to climb — the pain was there from start to finish. I could barely weight my left leg, and the walk back took way longer than expected 😂. My knee isn’t broken, but I had trouble using my leg that day, so I came down, put on a tape, and then I did the route. No idea how I managed to climb — the pain was there from start to finish. I could barely weight my left leg, and the walk back took way longer than expected 😂. Today, it still hurts a lot. But after a visit to the ER, a good clean-up, and a few stitches to get the junk out of my knee, it should heal up fine (hopefully… 😅). Thankfully, nothing’s broken!

How to avoid the slab as you suggested in the comment?
Either go around to the right, through the slab of the other route, or get motivated to break everything that needs to break — which I’ll probably do myself before leaving on my trip, if I have time.

Pepa Šindel, who did an 9a+ in 2022 at age 15, has sent Classified (9a) in Frankenjura. It was bolted in 2003 by Christian Bindhammer and then 10 years later, Alex Megos did the FA. ”9a/9a+ Many tries last year in shitty conditions. 3nd go this year. Grade wise probably same as Modified.”

Adam Ondra did the FA of Fantazija (9a+) back in 2023, and now a mini-doc has been released. "Just right of Umetnost. Bolted by Rajko Zajc and tried by Jernej Kruder. Easier intro into very intense power endurance masterpiece. Tried one day with wrong beta and got quite close, next day first try. Fantastic route, but mostly if your span is at 180cm at minimum. If you are shorter, it might go but much harder."

Eliot Stephens, with five 8C’s under his belt, has done the first ascent of The Malleus Maleficarum (8C) in Witches Cave. ”Involved climbing through a steep double roof. Finicky in every way. Good to send this one packing.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Long process. One of the rare projects where the difficulty isn’t in the moves and climbing the boulder, but aligning everything else to do it. 80% Conditions, 10% physical shape, 5% mental shape and 5% will to just show up and try it.

It just took 2.5 years to have those things aligned, and then luckily, in the end it felt good. Total probably 10 sessions or more, spread over 2022-2025. A few each year, and 3 this year. Conditions this year in Wales have been perfect, and it was almost as good as it could possibly on the day I did it.

How come is it so rare to find good conditions?

So the boulder is in a tidal cave, so twice a day water comes up at the base of it. You want a low tide to be able to access and climb on the boulder, but also a neap (which is low) tide, so that the tide hasn’t come up the beach as far. Once the landing of the boulder gets wet, the roof it’s on is usually much more wet, and holds the humidity for a long time. Not once have I ever seen every single hold on this climb dry. And the 2 crux holds is are so frictionless that it becomes impossible to continue if they’re damp or wet.

If there is sea mist, it’s wet. Temperature spike? Wet. Onshore wind? Wet. Too many days of rain? Wet. Dry for weeks but super high humidity? Still wet.

Are you in the best shape of your life having done three of your total six 8C’s in the last five months?
I was in good shape after doing Dreamtime in December, and weather has allowed me to wrap up a few long term things locally. Not in the best shape I’ve ever been in, but probably smarter and more in tune with rock at the moment than perhaps I ever have been.

Jules Marchaland, who got the silver in the French nationals last week, has sent Hugh (9a) in Eaux-Claires on his second go. ”Historic. Athlétic. Fun. Flash was possible but too aleatory.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The French championship was near by so I had to take the opportunity to check it as it is located far from my house. It is super famous in France because it is our first 9a and I know it is pretty much my style so I had to try to flash it.

I fell on the last move on the first crux and then I did all the moves and sent it directly after.

What was your result in the nationals? Did you make it into the World Cups?
I was #2 but I did not make it. The French championships was not selective this year. We had two selective comps previously.

Sophia Hoermann, with 18 7C+’s under her belt, has done Pagan Poetry (8A) and Euro Trash (8A+). ”Two days before collegiate nats rope qualis and I was super pumped by the end... didnt bode well lol. Took a few seshes and just a little bit of grit/luck on my weird redpoint crux going to the lip and throwing the toe up. First two moves felt impossible when I first did euro roof, psyched to feel like im improving! first 8a+!”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I really enjoyed my process on this line because it felt like I could use it to see measurable progress in my outdoor climbing and projecting mindset. When I started trying Euro Roof (7C+) seriously, I begrudgingly worked out beta that fit me, instead of fixating on the beta I didn’t feel able to use. It was a pretty frustrating experience at first but I felt like I overcame something the day I finally sent. That same day, I played around a bit on the moves of Euro Trash but I got pretty shut down and pivoted to easier climbs in the canyon. Almost exactly a year after sending Euro Roof, I went out with some friends and just played around on the moves of Euro Trash, surprising myself with how much progress I was making. I went back the next day with no luck but was able to send a few days later. For me, it didn’t feel easy when I did it but I felt like I got close to mastery on some of the moves which is always really fulfilling. First 8a+ too which is cool!

What is your climbing background? Only in 2025, you have done eight 7C+ boulders, including a flash.
I started climbing consistently when I was 7 but my family and I celebrated my 4th birthday in Bishop and I climbed in Keens with some power spotting from my dad. I competed until I was 19 and once I was properly burnt out on competing I started focusing on climbing outside and I’ve been spending most of my time on real rock ever since.

Alizee Blass, who did her first 8c at age 11, has done Super Samson (8c) in Claret. The 12-year-old is following in her brother Theo’s footsteps, who sent his first 9a at age 12. Their father Vladimir Arnaoudov gives us the background story of Alizee’s send. (c) Laurent Dormont

”Alizee started working on the route when she sent Guère d'usure (8c) in February this year. Super Samson is right next to Guere d'usure but the style is quite different - it has a short and very bouldery crux (around 7c+ boulder) and it is much more rarely climbed. It is generally considered harder than Guere d'Usure.

Alizee could do the crux after a couple of sessions but sending the route took much longer than she was expecting because it turned out that doing the boulder on its own is not quite the same as doing it after climbing the approach (around 7c /7c+ route) with no rest. Also she could not try the route more than a couple of times per session because Claret gets quite warm in the sun at this time of the year and the route only gets in conditions at the end of the afternoon.

When Alizee started trying the route Caroline Sinno was also trying it which was a great inspiration for Alizee. Caroline did the first female ascent earlier in the year and this gave Alizee a big motivation boost. She kept falling in the crux session after session but did not lose motivation. Last Saturday the conditions were great - it was cloudy and quite windy. Alizee did her usual routine - she warmed up in a 6b+ and then directly went to try the route. She was not feeling very strong on the first attempt and we suggested that she try another route, just to avoid the feeling of being stuck on a project for too long, but she did not want to hear about it and absolutely wanted to return on the route. On her second try of the day she was feeling better and fell a bit higher than usual (half a move higher, which is a lot on this route:). She decided to give it a third try (which was very "unusual") and she sent the crux looking solid. When she reached the last bolt before the chain (the last section is around 7a+) she was so happy that she did not pay attention to her feet placements - her foot slipped and she almost fell but managed to hold on to the rock.

Alizee has a few other projects in our local crags between 8b and 8c+ but no particular rush to try them in any particular order - aside from her projects in Claret (Guere d'usure and Super Samson), she is generally happy to follow the rest of the familly and try whatever route is available.”

Brian Squire has repeated Nathaniel Coleman’s Grand Illusion (8C+) in Little Cottonwood Canyon (UT). It includes some 25 moves in a roof and 9a+/b has also been suggested.

”I can’t quite believe it. Euro Roof (7C+) was one of the first boulders I tried when I moved here three years ago, the 10 felt so hard and the 12 and 13 felt honestly pretty unfathomable. The next year came around and we dug it out ready to start the grind. I climbed the 8b [Euro Roof Low Low (8B)] and was go time, then did the slug and then the mental battle started. I regressed for the rest of the season into the fall. This year I dug it out pretty much solo, clocked in prolly 20-30 days already this year and 80+ total.

Watched Eli send which lit a fire in me to follow him up. I proceeded to fall on the last move 9 sessions in a row, dealing with numbness, pain, wet holds, but today it all clicked. So relieved and happy and bittersweet. This was not only just a project for me but a big chapter of my life coming to a close. Excited for what’s next.” (c) Jackson Seeley

Did you do any special training or just progressed by working it?
I did some workouts to improve my lats and biceps. Those helped a lot with the “easy” middle section which was quite hard for me last year. Besides that, I got really dialed in on the boulder. I would always experiment with other beta options to refine my sequence. By the time I was giving send attempts, I could turn my brain off and just focus on my breathing the whole way. The boulder was much more of a mental challenge for me. It took a long time of trying it until I actually believed I could do it, and then I would only fall on the last move for days. It was a huge journey for me but very grateful for the experience, it’s like no other boulder I’ve ever projected.

Noah Wheeler, who earlier in 2025 has sent his first two 9A’s, has done Railway (8C) in Wild Basin. ”Epic’d this a bit 2 years ago, with the first move always feeling incredibly hard. Had a bunch of close goes over the years but it never felt particularly inevitable. Came out today and stuck the first move 2/2 times, trying just hard enough to make it to the top the second time. This was the first 15 [8C] I tried in Colorado. After lots of skin-related tribulations, I’m grateful to do it right before I graduate.”

Radek Votocek, who the last seven weeks has done his first two 9a’s, has repeated Klem Loskot’s Intermezzo XY gelöst (9a) in Plombergstein. ”Pure joy of movement 🙂🔥”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Intermezzo XY gelöst is a route in the beautiful lake region of Austria. It’s only about 8 meters long, with a super intense boulder section right at the first bolt. The crux is a big reach into a sloper from a tiny pinch.

On the day of the send, I didn’t feel in great shape, but on my second try I gave it everything in the boulder and managed to get through. The traverse and the finish were pretty chill after that. Super psyched—this is my first 9a in Austria!