The news

On 20/12/2023 Japanese climber Tomoa Narasaki flashed 'Gakido', a boulder problem at Chigobudau previously rated 8C+. After using a slightly different sequence, Narasaki suggested 8B+. He then freed the sitstart project at 8C, calling it 'Ashuradō'.

The video of Adam Ondra onsighting 'El Gran Bellanco' 8c+/9a at Montanejos in Spain.

German rock climber Solveig Korherr has onsighted her first 8b+, 'Humildes pa Casa' at Oliana in Spain.

American climber Carlo Traversi has made the first ascent of The Dark Side, an 8C+ boulder problem in Yosemite Valley, USA.

Alexander Megos has made the first repeat of Sleeping Lion, the Siurana testpiece put up by Chris Sharma in March 2023.

On 01/01/2024 Italian climber Luca Bana redpointed his second 9a+, 'Super Crackinette' at Saint Léger du Ventoux in France.

Belgium's Sébastien Berthe has climbed his third 9a+, Beyond at Pic Saint Loup in France.

The video of British climber Mathew Wright making the first ascent of the bold trad climb 'Magical Thinking' E10 7a at Pavey Ark in England.

On 27 December 2023 26-year-old Belgian climber Simon Lorenzi repeated Burden of Dreams at Lappnor in Finland, claiming his third 9A boulder problem after Alphane at Chironico in Switzerland and Soudain Seul at Fontainebleau in France.

On 24 December 2023 Andrea Locatelli made the first ascent of 'Il bombarolo', a sport climb close to Bergamo in Italy route for which the 13-year-old climber has suggested the grade 8c+.

The video of the first ascent of 'Sense retorn - No turning back', the multi-pitch rock climb dedicated to Hansjörg Auer established on Pared de Catalunya at Mont Rebei in Spain by Siebe Vanhee, Roger Molina and Jorge Solórzano in 2019.

Austrian climber Jakob Schubert has repeated Alphane, the 9A boulder problem at Chironico in Switzerland. Success caps a stellar year for Schubert who in September made the first ascent of BIG (9c) at Flatanger in Norway.

On 06/10/2023 German climber Alexander Megos climbed 10 routes from 8b to 8c in 10 hours in the Frankenjura, Germany. To add to the challenge, he used an e-bike to reach each route.

The video of Adam Ondra making the first ascent of Chicken Nose (9a+) at Isenfluh in Switzerland.

After the first ascent in February 2023, British climber James Pearson has now proposed the grade E12 for Bon Voyage at Annot in France. Currently there is no other trad route of this grade. In this great introspective piece the 30-year-old British climber talks about the path that led him...

American climbers Amity Warme and Brent Barghahn have made a free repeat of El Niño - Pineapple Express (5.13c, 25 pitches)⁣ on El Capitan in Yosemite, USA.