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Fanatic Climbing has made an interview with Baptiste Dherbilly after he has done the first ever repeat of Salamandre 9a+ in Saint-Pierre which Fred Rouhling put up in 2007. The 24 year old French, who did it after 17 sessions, says he can not comment the grade as he previously has done just one 8c+, also from Fred. "This route was a myth for me because the poster of Fred was my first climbing poster when I began climbing... I would like to insist on the fact it was really a sharing and collective adventure and this is the reason why I’m climbing. Without belayers and without the hours of discussion it would not have been possible! I would also insist on the importance of the present moment. This is what pushes me to climb routes at my limit because they give unique feelings. It is very great sensation to feel where we have to be very millimetric and 200% in what we do, to focus one movement after another and nothing else matters. This is a state that I find trying this route: a state of both ultimate concentration and letting go on everything else.« (c) Etienne Seppecher Documentary video of Rouhling's ascent

Would it not be great if Ben Moon could make IFSC route setters use his Moon Board for one World Cup problem? Then everyone could actually try it out and check the standard of the best in the world.

Alexey Rubtsov, World Champion in 2009 and #3 in the World Cup this year, has done the first 8C in Russia, Whiplash in Lietlahti Park. (c) Nikita Tsarev "First time I tried it in 2015. Every year I made one or two trips trying it but most often it was impossible to work normally, due to very quick weather changes. This autumn I already did one trip, but boulder was wet and I did just one session. Returning home, I began to closely monitor the weather and waited for the window. When the forecast was positive, I got into the car, only 12 hours behind the wheel and I'm on the rocks. This time I climbed the project on the second day, I spent about seven total. Lietlahti is a new crag, but it is very close to the Triangular Lake, only 2-3 km. Together they are really great! You can find a lot of bouldering on granite. Now there are boulders of all categories, many hard. There is also a rope. Perfect place:) The potential still exists. Basically, we climb the nearest stones. In the forest we do not go far when I finish everything I will look for new routes." The Russian also explains that he has done some Speed climbing session doing the track in 8 - 9 seconds. The next year he will compete in all three disciplines in order to prepare for the Olympic qualifications.

Finally, after 13 years, the east face of Pedra Baiana was conquered by the five climbing friends, in an expedition which lasted 14 days and yielded 17 tough pitches up to 8b through the 800 vertical meters of one the most difficult routes in Brazil, named Sangue Latino.

Taylor McNeill has done his first 8C, The Big Island in Fontainebleau and it just took five sessions. In total, the 190 cm tall spent three weeks in Font but basically it was just the last two days there were prime conditions that made it happen. (c) Dawn Davis "Dream bloc off the lifetime list. No amount of words could describe my experience with this boulder. Literal last day effort, climbed the island, then added the two moves for the real start. I have no idea what 8C feels like...I have such a specific style that I’ve done 8Bs that felt harder. Perfect boulder. I am notoriously bad at crimps, but am really good at wide compression on big holds. I honestly don’t think I could find a rock climb more my style. I am pretty tall, yes. I’m about 6ft 3in (~190cm) and have a span of about 6ft 6in (~198)"

"At FIXE, we have detected a tendency towards oxidation in marine environments that is very high and unusual in some shipments of FIXE-1 PLX hangers. The detected products have a batch number between 0116 and 2216. The first two figures are between 01 and 22 and the last two are always 16." More info.

Jose Agustí, who started climbing in 1991, has done his three year project El ordre dels factors + El super mon 9a in La Baume. The combo starting with an 8B boulder traverse and continuing with an 8c+ roof was put up in 2012 by Diego Marsella and has been repeated by Ramonet and Andrada. How can you explain reaching your peak at 40? I can explain it because of my experience. 25 years of climbing and trying to base my climbing on a pyramidal system that allows me to progress step by step without a lot of health problems and doing lots of routed in the 8th range. I am so close to the 1.000 routes between 8a and 8c+, and due to all this work, all this background I think that I get there. Just going to the route and trying to do each day the trav and the route once or twice each day. Till I found myself enough prepared to connect them. I only climb. If I have to count the whole process, when I started to work on parts of the route, more than 100 tries.