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!

Marcello Bombardi, with a dozen 9a’s and harder under his belt, has during the last month done Prima Classe (9a), Vivi si muore (9a+) and Trainspotting (9a+), all in Val Tanaro. The 31-year-old Italian climber has been a fixture on the IFSC circuit since 2007, securing a standout victory at the 2017 World Cup in Chamonix. (c) Nicolò Vece

Can you tell us more about these three 9a ascents?
I’ve been at La stazione last year when temperatures were already quite high to try something hard. I started trying Prima classe but after a few days I postponed the project. Few weeks ago the right season for that crag was reopening and I was psyched to go. The climb is the type I really like: steep, physical, on nice and natural (not chipped) crimps. I managed to send Prima classe the first day of this year and immediately tried the other two routes: Vivi si Muore and Trainspotting. Vivi si muore is maybe the one I liked the most. Three boulder problems, each one of them ending with a dynamic move to a jug. Feeling strong and excited on those holds, I managed to climb both of them in a few days.

What are your competition plans in 2025?
About comps, I still don’t know. We have the first national comps which are selective for the national team taking part at the other World Cups of this year.

Why are these your first hard routes in two years?
Ahah good question! Mainly because I am focused on training for comps, which is my work, during most of the year and I am not really good on climbing outside at the same time. Also because I like other type of climbing as well. End of 2023 I mostly bouldered, then started the multipitch and trad game, 2024 I also injured my shoulder which made me loose a lot of time in good shape.

What is your your work?
I am a professional climber thanks to the support of the military sport group for which the objectives are comps.

Nicolas Cioffi has done the FA of Il samurai (9a) in Bismantova. ”Everything felt perfect! Conditions, mental game and my climbing!”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The route start with a boulder, Colpo grosso al drago rosso, in the roof, 17 moves on pockets. Each move is not too hard but is very physical so the hard part is to link moves together. After this you are directly in the beginning of L'aeroplano (8b+) a classic and pumpy route that traverse to the right and goes up following the corner of the crag. Route is 43 moves in total with my beta.

Yesterday condition were perfect: sunny, windy and cold. I felt strong and relaxed I did two attempts before the send but I fell just after the first section: I was a bit nervous and I didn’t climb properly, but I also felt physically very strong. I knew i could do it. I took around 1 hr rest to focus and during the send I felt literally flowing: no pressure and not even a small mistake.

Jana Svecova, with four 8B+ and beyond under her belt, has done Mild Abuse of Terminology (8B+) in Tokerud. ”FFA, 3rd ascent, Five days, although on day 3, I fell from the final jug. Then no rest and training session, after rest fell again from the jug, but kept it together and did it next go. What a drama, what a cool line. The moves! Boulder made for me!”

Babsi Zangerl, with two 9a’s under her belt, has repeated Adam Ondra’s Bombardino (9a+) in Arco. (c) Jacopo Larcher

”After more or less two months of effort, I finally climbed my first 9a+! Bombardino had me completely hooked from the very beginning. A huge thank you to Adam Ondra for establishing such an incredible and inspiring line—it's one of those climbs that just draws you in and doesn’t let go.

Every session above the village of Arco felt like a little mission. The view over Lake Garda gave the whole process this unique, almost vacation-like atmosphere—even on the tough days, it was hard to complain. The deeper I got into the project, the more exciting—and emotional—it became. I fell three times on the very last hard move… and with each fall, the doubts grew louder. The temperatures were rising, the climbing became more exhausting, and I could feel the window slowly closing. The route started to feel more unpredictable—some days I made real progress, others it felt completely out of reach.

On the day I sent it, it was warm—26 degrees—not exactly my idea of perfect sending temps. I’d already had three tries, and only one of them felt decent. And of course, I fell again on the last move. At that point, I had zero expectations left. I just wanted to give it one last try as a bit of training. Nothing more. But then somehow… everything clicked. Right from the first move, I knew I had to fight. My body was tired, but my mind was calm. Move after move, I just kept going. I knew exactly what to do—when to breathe, when to push. When I stuck the crux and kept moving, completely pumped, I still didn’t believe it. Not until I clipped the chains. I was totally wrecked, but my endurance held on—just long enough.

The ups and downs, the doubts, the tiny breakthroughs—that feeling of giving everything for something, even if it’s “just a climb”… it felt amazing. Huge thanks to everyone who supported me on this line—Jacopo, Manu, Barbara, Arba, Lucas—thank you for the belays, the patience, the encouragement, and all the good vibes. You made this experience even more special.”

In the domain of multi-discipline climbing—including traditional and big-wall disciplines—Babsi is recognized as the preeminent female climber and is confidently regarded as one of the top five climbers in the world, irrespective of gender.

Hamish McArthur, fresh off his recent ascent of Megatron (9A), has repeated Nathaniel Coleman's No One Mourns The Wicked (9A) at South Platte. The line adds an 8B sit start to Defying Gravity (8C). Impressively, the 23-year-old completed the climb in just one session—an unprecedented benchmark for a 9A boulder. (c) Quinn Mason

”I know that the metrics of ”climbing V17 [9A] in a single session” is what gets chosen for the headline, but I want to draw closer attention to the immeasurable preparation that gives this metric colour - most of which is a kind of letting go. I just want to keep surprising myself forever.”

Hamish’s Sunday session:
11:15 – started hiking
12:00 – arrived at boulder
12.30 – tried Defying Gravity
13:15 – stuck crux move
13:30 – sent Defying Gravity
13:45 - tried No One Mourns The Wicked
14:15 – stuck low crux
14:47 – sent No One Mourns The Wicked
15: 45 – started hiking