Lilian Moretti and Collard Thibaut have climbed Condé de choc (9a) in Entraygues. (c) Elie Guilbot

Can you tell us your background story for sending the route?
Moretti: The process started in 2023 for me. After sending, I wanted a harder project to challenge myself, and the next logical step was « Conde ». During the summer of 2023, a lot of close friends of mine sent the route (Adrian Houbron, Justin Deschamps, Quentin Guillen, Victor Guilermin, Diego Fourbet, Jules Marchaland), which was super motivating!

The route consists of two boulders (8A+ and 7C/+) separated by a good rest. At the very end of the season, I was able to pass the first boulder twice in the same session for the first time. Unfortunately, I fell at the very end of the second part...

At the beginning of the 2024 season, I was able to pass the first boulder quite quickly two times again (without a preclip this time), but once again I fell... After that, I started working in Briançon and it was over for the summer. In the fall, the road to the crag was totally destroyed and it was impossible to try the route.

In 2025, I had only one good session on the route before I injured my right leg. After that, I tried the route using only my left leg during the whole summer, but I wasn't able to send it. This year, I was pretty confident about passing the first boulder because of my winter bouldering training. On my first session, I fell again on the last boulder. The next session, the story was the same. I came back two days ago with a lot of expectations because of the incredibly good conditions. Around 3 p.m., Thibaut sent the route with a super good run.

For me, the send go was the craziest fight of my life. At 8 p.m., I started my attempt and fell on the first move of the first boulder. Then I tried again immediately and fell on the last hard move of the first part. At that moment, I said to myself, « Fuck it, try again for training ». So I restarted immediately once again, passed the first part, and fought all the way to the top!!

In the end, I did the route with the first three quickdraws preclipped, and Adam Ondra remains the one and only person who has done it without a preclip :) Tony Lamiche, who did the FA, also started with them preclipped. If you fall with the rope in your hand, you can come back to the ground. Adam said: "Clipping the third bolt is the crux."

Thibaut (in the picture): It all began with a much-needed breath of fresh air. For nearly five years, I had been pouring my energy into San ku kai, an 8c+ at the same crag. I was incredibly close to sending it early on, but the process eventually stalled: for about fifty sessions, I kept falling on the exact same move. Realizing it had become a psychological barrier, I decided to take a step back and shift my focus to something else.

At the end of last season, in September 2025, I decided to look at Cordée de choc (8c/+), which is the first half of the full line Condé de choc. The style is fierce: a crimpy 8A+ boulder problem (V12) followed by a relatively easy 7b finish. It took me just three sessions to send this finger-intensive crux. Right after the send, I did a quick exploratory lap on the upper section and managed to do all the moves of the second boulder problem, which clocks in around 7C (V9). A spark was lit: the next logical step was to link the two halves together and target my first 9a for the upcoming summer.

Winter passed, and the time finally came to return to the crag. Last weekend, I headed out to Entraygues for what I intended to be a proper rehearsal and dial-in session. During my first lap of the day, I felt remarkably strong and precise in the movements.

I decided to give it a first proper burn from the ground, without expecting much. To my absolute surprise, I cruised right through the 8c/+ introductory section and stuck the second boulder problem. Suddenly, I found myself higher on the wall than I had ever anticipated so soon. Realizing that the send was actually happening, panic set in, and I blew it on the easier finishing terrain. Despite the fall, I was ecstatic and realized that the project would go much faster than planned. Exhausted and intending to return the next day, I initially decided to call it a day.

Ultimately, I changed my mind and decided to pull on for one final « training run » with zero pressure. That’s when everything clicked. I stuck the bottom crux, floated through the top crux, and this time, knew exactly what to do. Before I knew it, I was clipping the anchors. It was a surreal, wild moment—all the more incredible because it was completely unexpected. In the end, it took just four sessions in total to clip the chains on my first 9a.

The only downside to this perfect day was that I had to leave the crag right after my send, missing the run of my climbing partner, Lilian Moretti, who has also been projecting this line for the past four years. I only found out the next day that he had sent it too! Learning that we both crossed the finish line almost together made the whole experience that much more special, and left me feeling incredibly happy for him.

The European Boulder Youth Championships were held over the long weekend in Sukoró, Hungary. Israel emerged as the most successful nation in terms of gold medals, securing two titles, and added two further medals to top the overall medal table. In the combined points ranking, however, Italy finished first, edging Israel by 41 points with a total of 6,162. The winners were as follows:

21: Tomer Yakobovitch ISR - Martina Bursikova SVK
19: Itamar Harel ISR - Jakoba Rauter AUT
17: Leonardo Donola ITA - Amelie Kägi SUI

In general, the route setters had sometimes difficulties finding the right level. In the semis for the two oldest boys categories, competing on the same boulders, 29 out of 48 made at most one zone. Complete results

Michaela Kiersch has been on a two weeks trip to Gottardo and sent ten boulders 8A and beyond including Power of Zero (8C), which she gives a personal 8B+ grade. The 31-year-old also did Hazel Grace (8B+), L'apprehension (8A+), Dulcifer sit down (8A+) and Eckzimmer (8A+). During the last five years, she has sent more than 20 boulders 8B to 8C and more than 20 routes 8c+ to 9a+. (c) Jorge Diaz-Rullo

Can you tell us more about the trip and the most memorable ascents?
I love going to a new area and trying a big range of climbs rather than focusing only on the hardest ones so this trip was really a success.

Hazel Grace was perfectly my style and I did it very quickly, I'll return for the sit in cooler weather. Power of Zero is an 8C from Diego Cameroni that it a beautiful arete with very friction dependent holds and tiny pebbles. The crux move uses a very high heel hook and I found another pebble to help me with the deadpoint to the jug so I think 8B+ is fair, maybe even 8B but it's hard to say if it's morpho to my style (for a change haha).

Sophia Hoermann, with a handful 8A+’ to her name, has sent
Room Service (8A+) in Squamish. ”Second sesh, second go today! This line made me nervous... my mind palace took some damage from the weight of expectations and doubt... just needed lovely natalia lafourcade music to get out of my head a bit and a super supportive crew to give me some confidence.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
It was my first time in Squamish this year and my trip was a blast. The location and vibes are so good there, but I put an uncomfy amount of pressure on myself over this line because I’ve seen that so many shorties crush it! After a few days of joyous romping in the forest, I had my first session. It was going downhill mentally until I discovered that a left heel hook method worked really well for me. I went back a few days later and felt some of the same expectations and pressure holding me back on my first go. On my second, I played some music on my phone and tried to climb more freely and remember where I was and why I was there. The moves still felt hard but I felt way less limited mentally and found myself holding the cut with the sounds of my friends spotting me in the background. I was psyched to share the moment with Roger (who also gave me so much beta), Toinon, Levi, and Owain. Squamish is so sick!

What are your plans for the summer?
I have an internship in the Bay Area, all summer but I’m hoping to get some weekend trips to Tahoe and Yosemite in and explore some local spots too.

Marco Müller, who in February sent his first 8C+, has done Curve Ball (8C+) in Valle Bavona, giving it a personal 8C grade. ”The boulder went down a bit to fast compared to the other boulders I climbed in Bavona that season, which is why I‘m leaning towards the lower grade for now. But time will tell.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The same day I climbed ,Captain Nemo‘, I went to check ‚La Peregrina‘, the stand start to ‚Curve Ball‘. I managed to climb the boulder the same session, and started trying the sit for fun. I soon realized, that it might be possible to climb the whole line, so I returned the next weekend and got lucky with some north wind. The boulder is super technical and friction dependent, which is why the conditions make a huge difference between the slopers feeling sticky or not climbable at all. I could climb the boulder in my third session.

What is next?
The classics at Gottardo, I haven’t climbed there much, as normally I would have switched to rope climbing by now.

Jules Marchaland, who last year sent his first 9b and flashed an 8C boulder, has sent Sang neuf (9a) in Pierrot beach. (c) Hugo Parmentier

”Random day with my princesses. A change of plans led us here. Crazy to send it today after just a little session on it two years ago. An amazing route with a really interesting kneebar crux! The grade felt super soft but it suited my style perfectly.”

What are your summer plans ticklist?
Back for some bouldering. Today I will try Permanent midnight low (8C+) and in the end of June, The Understanding (8C). Later Céüse and Biographie (9a) and sport climbing in France before a Flatanger trip in august ! I am super psyched for the Kangaroos Dyno project which I tried a bit last year.

Marta Palou has repeated Jose Luis Palou’s La Gioconda (9a) in Rodellar. It is an extension to an 8c and in total 40 m long roof climb with hard cruxes and good kneebar rests all the way to the top.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and what went into completing it?
Last year I sent my first 8c+, and this year I wanted to try something a bit harder. I work in Rodellar for half of the year, so having a hard project there is really convenient because I can just go for a couple of attempts and then head to work. However, when I arrived this season, I injured a finger pulley, so I honestly didn’t think it would be possible to climb these grades so soon. One month after the injury I managed to send El hijo libre (8c), and now, just three months after getting injured, climbing my first 9a feels incredible!

And today, only 3 days after sending Gioconda, I went back to El Museo and sent DA VINCI EXTENSION (8c) too! I can’t wait for my finger to fully recover so I can try all the routes I want to climb and spend as much time climbing as possible :))

David Reeve has published a preliminary report in regards the fatal accident in Kalymnos in March. His conclusion is, "Until proven otherwise, all installed 10mm Petzl Goujon expansion bolts of vintage, say 2000 to 2005, should be treated as dangerous. It should be emphasized that this condition arises from the nature of the bolt itself, and is independent of its installed environment."

The Australian has several times been helpful to Vertical-Life/8a with comments on his articles.
”The problem is the bolt was badly made. Material good, manufacturing process bad. Whilst this batch of bolts was old, there is nothing to say that a modern batch could be equally bad.”

Can we generally trust Rebolt Kalymnos' "green crag" designation on Bolt Beta, i.e. crags where all bolts are listed as being from 2014 or later?
They are going on the evidence in front of them, and until we can prove otherwise, that is reasonable advice.

It should be mentioned that the bolt in the picture comes from Facatelendos (6b+) that broke in 2024. In this case, Reeve says it was sulphate in the crag that created SRB-mediated SSC. Rebolt Kalymnos reports that 268 routes have been rebolted with Titanium bolts, which is the only long term solution for crags with sulphate. 2376 routes are from 2014 or later with A4 bolts (316) and 1888 routes are older with A2 bolts (304) the latter should be avoided.

AI summary of the article:
The article's main conclusion is that the anchor probably failed because of a problem with the bolts, not because of chemicals in the rock.

The investigation found:
The bolts were made from the correct type of stainless steel.
There were no clear signs of corrosion causing the failure.
There was no evidence that sulphur-related chemicals or bacteria in the rock caused the cracking.
The threads on the bolts showed signs of being worked too hard during manufacturing, making them more likely to crack over time.
The author's current theory is that the bolts had a manufacturing weakness that eventually led to cracking and failure.
So the short answer is: the evidence currently points to a problem with the bolts themselves, not sulphate in the crag. More testing is still being done to confirm this.

Prudence Morgan-Wood, with two 8c’s under her belt, has done La reina de la Piscineta (8c) in Rodellar. The five star line was put up by Dani Andrada in 2008.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Ever since David [Zarco] did this last year I wanted to try this route but did not expect to get it done so quickly ! Only took me 5 tries of the upper section ! Found a really cool “Pru” beta involving sitting on a high right heel to get through the first crux. No idea how I held on for the rest. One of my biggest fights I think 🥰 thank you David for the betas and the belay and Caro and friends for the cheering on the send.

How long and steep is it?
The guide book says it’s 30m long but it feels a lot longer haha. It’s fairly similar in overhang to Cosi but slightly shorter I think 🤔 the most peculiar thing about it is always having to get to the top otherwise you lower straight into the middle of the pool (like you’d have to take your harness off and everything).

Janja Garnbret has added another milestone to her remarkable climbing career by becoming the first woman to climb Bibliographie (9b+) in Céüse, one of the hardest sport routes in the world. Before her ascent, only five climbers had successfully completed the route.

The 35-metre route was bolted by Ethan Pringle in 2009 and first climbed by Alexander Megos in 2020. It is known as one of the toughest endurance challenges in sport climbing, with more than 80 difficult moves. Megos originally graded the route 9c after spending 60 days working on it. However, after the second ascent, Stefano Ghisolfi suggested a lower grade of 9b+, which has since become the widely accepted grade. Garnbret, 27, first tried the route shortly after the 2024 Olympic Games. She returned to Céüse several times and finally completed the climb on her fifth trip. © Jessica Glassberg/Red Bull Content Pool

”It feels incredible. It's honestly really hard to describe. When the send happens, everything is smooth, everything is perfect. You basically don't feel what you're climbing anymore. I think over the past five trips I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about Céüse and the route itself. I was maybe less nervous than on previous trips. I felt the strongest and felt like I was ready for the process. These two weeks really tested me in a way that nothing did before. It tested my patience.

On what was planned to be a warm-up on the route, I just felt perfect and kept going. I was just in my own bubble, in my own world, just doing what I love most. Unlike other days, not a lot of people were at the crag, so no loud cheering. It was one of the most serene moments in my rock climbing career.

This send is the accumulation of everything I learned over the past two years. This route taught me that with a calm mind and with patience, anything can happen. Never count yourself out – until the very last try, you need to fight hard. So, when it finally does happen, it’s an incredible feeling. All the work you’ve put in, all the commitment, the patience – when everything comes together, it feels incredible. Today my heart feels very full.

This is something that will stay with me forever. It will help me in future rock projects, in competitions, in training and whatever I do in life.

This send is the accumulation of everything I learned over the past two years. This route taught me that with a calm mind and with patience, anything can happen. Never count yourself out – until the very last try, you need to fight hard. So, when it finally does happen, it’s an incredible feeling. All the work you’ve put in, all the commitment, the patience – when everything comes together, it feels incredible. Today my heart feels very full.”