Jorge Diaz-Rullo reports on Instagram that his fourth season on his mega-project in Margalef, Cafe Colombia, is over for now. The 25-year-old has previously done nine 9b's and two 9b+’s. (c) Williclimb

During the last ten days, he has onsighted a 14 routes 8a and harder including Triple 8c (b+) in Baldellou. “Amazing line between holds, crimps and tufas. Really difficult to read and without so much chalk. One of my hardest onsight ever. Will be a mythical [line] in this crag, probably a little 8c.”

Jorge also recently repointed Tierra de nadie (9a) at Juncosa. “Really nice hidden cave in the middle of nowhere. Tricky and physical moves, I really enjoyed this style. I was close to send on my first day but I had to come back another day.

Anak Verhoeven reports on Instagram that she has completed La Planta de Shiva (9b) in Villanueva del Rosario. Adam Ondra made the FA back in 2011 of the overhanging 45m line, and in 2017, Angy Eiter did the FFA.

Verhoeven is statistically speaking one of the most successful female Lead competition climbers. She made finals, at the World Cup, 36 times in a row, and the podium on 19 occasions, but in 2019 she stopped competing due to injuries. In 2021, she made a full recoverey but decided to focus solely on rock climbing. During her active comp years, she did a dozen routes 8c+ to 9a+, and post-competing the 27-year-old has added another dozen routes graded 9a to 9b to her tally.

Charles Alber stopped using climbing shoes at age 16 and four years later, in 2016, he did the FA of La Révolutionnaire (8C+). Charles has now completed a dozen boulders graded 8C and harder, most of which are FA's, including L'Ombre du Voyageur (9A) which he opened last November.

Can you tell us more about the process behind climbing L'Ombre du Voyageur (9A) and the potential for there to still be a harder finish?
I'd say I spent roughly 40 sessions over four years. I discovered it in the fall of 2019 and quickly sent the second half of the crack. Then it became my summer project because it stays cool in that cave. For the first two years, I was searching for beta and links. The third year I was very close as I've been able to do the boulder in two parts and the last year I just tried to send it and it went. When I think about my younger self, every aspect of my climbing has improved a lot because I was motivated to climb it. Now you can imagine the effort I've put into this climb.

I have little interest in the harder link-up because it's a winter project. It's the same problem overall but has a very hard section at the end.

What forces drive your climbing?
One thing that drives my climbing is projects. What they have in common is they challenge my climbing abilities. The other thing is the pleasure of the movement and the feeling of the rock.

Are you working on any current projects?
I was working on two projects in Fontainebleau this cold season but now I have to wait for colder temperatures to seriously try them. One of them is an overhang on crimps. It's three moves on undercuts and I've fallen off the last move several times

The other is a "floor is lava" circuit where I try to push the difficulty to the maximum in terms of climbing technique, jumping, dangerousness and endurance. it began when I saw the possibility of climbing multiple hard boulders not touching the ground and thought I could make a whole circuit. Then I had to find a path through the boulders I had in mind. For now, I'm testing it, making little improvements to the pathing, I'm not in the process of sending it at all cost.

What does a normal climbing week look like for you?
I usually climb two to three times a week with friends or with my girlfriend or by myself, mostly on easy problems. On top of that, I do stretching and workouts multiple times a month.

What is it about barefoot climbing that you like the most and that keeps you commited to pursuing climbing in this style?
It's become a habit to climb barefoot, I'm not thinking about why or what difference it makes. But, I'd say I like the style of movement and the simplicity of it.

As far as grades go, do you think it’s fair if someone downgrades a climb of yours if they climb it with shoes?
It is necessary to downgrade these problems if they are easier with climbing shoes, knee-pads and fans because everybody has that gear so the grade must accord to the use of it. It is the definition of unfairness but I don't care about it. It is my choice to go like barehanded to a swordfight. Mastering foot technique when climbing barefoot will not make me climb as if I were using shoes, the moves are so different that it's hardly comparable in difficulty.

Álvaro Munguía has done Il Domani (9a) in Baltzola. The steep 27m long route was put up by Patxi Usobiaga in 2003. It has only been repeated a handful times including Adam Ondra’s onsight in 2014, which also was the second latest ascent of the route.

Can you tell us more about your ascent?
I'm a super fanatic climber, I just like to do all routes I can, I don't care if it's 6a or 9a, I want to do all routes in every single crag. I started trying Il Domani in January. The process was a bit slow since I couldn't do the shoulder move on the first tries, but when I managed to do that move, I could do the whole boulder quite solid.

Then I started trying the route from the ground, and in my second go I fell in the boulder. After that, I just kept falling every single time on the boulder and almost every time in the shoulder move. At a certain point, I was doing every time the route with just one fall, and I knew it was close.

Yesterday, the conditions seemed to be really bad since the clouds were almost covering de cave, but surprisingly the conditions felt really good. On my first try, I was super close doing the boulder but I just dry fire from the little undercling hold.

After that, I rested for about a 1'5 hour and I gave it another try, where I managed to pass the boulder quite solid and could send the route. I was really really happy about that.

How come you think it has only been done twice during the last ten years?
The route it’s around 8b+ until the boulder (7C+) and then it's around 8a, so basically you are climbing every single time up to the boulder and then you fall, and over and over, and your have to be really motivated and strong mind to know that you'll fall many times there until one day you'll pass the boulder en 99% you'll send it.

Austin Purdy, who two weeks ago sent two 8B+' and flashed an 8B, has done Stil vor Talent (8C) in Magic Wood.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Stil Vor Talent is an extension to the classic Never Ending Story in Magic Wood, and in my opinion, a very beautiful and logical line that tops out what is normally a drop off. Instead of going to the normal jug that The Never Ending Story (8B+) finishes on, it climbs along the rail before finishing on a powerful 8A/V11 boulder with a committing highball top out. I was excited to try it because it seemed like a good challenge to top out Never Ending story without a rope, or traversing/downclimbing. I ended up falling off of the last move of the entire line twice before finishing up Stil Vor Talent on my second to last climbing day before leaving Magic Wood. Over the past year or so I have been trying to focus more on trying lines that are at or near my limit, as in years past I have often spent more time doing climbs I knew I could complete relatively quickly. This has resulted in me not only doing more difficult climbs, but I also think has helped me level up and do these hard climbs more easily as well. For this trip specifically I mostly tried to not put too much pressure on my performance, but to instead try to enjoy the process and wait for the right moment to do climbs instead of trying to force it.

Ethan Pringle is probably most known for having done the first repeat of Chris Sharma's Jumbo Love (9b) back in 2016. In total, the silver medalist in Youth Worlds in 2000, when he also did his first 8b+, has sent more than a dozen 9a's and beyond.

David Bermudez Carbonell, who previously in 2024 has done two 9a’s, has sent El intento (9a) in Cuenca.

"Very happy about making this mythical route in Cuenca, which has taken me a lot of time. I started trying this route in May of last year but I had to leave it because of high temperatures. Then I went back to it in November, but I also had to leave because of the cold. Two weekends ago, I went back to the route and I felt very close to sending it and today, after falling the last two tries in the previous two moves, I could send it."

Brian Squire, who last month did his first 8C after having done a dozen 8B+’s, has sent Paint it Black (8C) in RMNP (CO).

Can you tell us more about the process of climbing this line?
To be honest, wasn’t really too much of a process, planned to come out here for a little while to try to send and then just did it first go. Parked the car at 9am warmed up on it and then was back at the whip and driving out by 10. Tried it once last year but then got rained out for the rest of the season. It’s gotta be one of the best anywhere, perfect start holds, unreal wide pinches at the bottom and some techy core tension straight out the prow of a jutting roof over the river. I used a little different beta than everyone else to my knowledge. The crux revolves around a left foot switch from a heel hook to a toe, then you do a difficult left hand flip to a terrible sloping pinch where most of the weight is in the thumb. I switched my heel to a toe earlier in the boulder so the heel to toe switch wasn’t difficult and that way worked very well for me. I also managed to squeeze my way up Zef (8B+) the day before as a pit stop on the drive out as well which was a good confidence booster.

Madeline Brandt does Mind Stream (8A+) at Smugglers' Notch. The 31-year-old did her first 7C+ two and a half years ago and has since then done 40 such graded boulders and harder.

“I’m very happy to have sent my first 8A+! Mind Stream has a short but very cool sequence. It starts with shouldery back-to-back crux moves through crimps in a roof, and then you gain the lip of the roof foot-first. Last year I did a few of the moves individually, so I was hopeful that this one would be my first 8A+. But, after a shoulder injury this past summer I decided to wait until spring to try it again. I wasn’t sure how I’d fare on it this time around, so I went in to the session with curbed expectations. To my surprise, I was able to repeat the moves I had done quickly, and also managed the one move I hadn’t previously done. A few bottom burns later I was on top of the boulder!”

What is your climbing background and what are your summer plans?
I got started climbing 9 years ago in gyms. Three years ago I moved to Providence, where the very psyched local community got me hooked on outdoor bouldering at Lincoln Woods. After that my motivation skyrocketed! Since then I’ve enjoyed exploring all the amazing blocs in New England, attempting to solve the stone puzzles, and pushing my physical limits through training.

I’m moving to Nashville over the summer for work, so I don’t have any climbing trips planned. I’m just going to get in lots of training and wait for the fall season in the south!

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