The news

Austrian climber Jakob Schubert has made the first repeat of El bon combat, the superbly difficult route freed by Chris Sharma in 2015 at Cova de Ocell in Spain.

Adam Ondra attempting to onsight the crux pitches of the Salathé Wall up El Capitan in Yosemite, USA. Belayed by Nicolas Favresse in autumn 2018, the Czech climber deals with the Enduro corner and tries his luck on the Headwall.

American climber Shawn Raboutou has made the long-awaited first ascent of Off the Wagon Low, in Val Bavona. Reportedly graded 8C+, this is now the hardest boulder problem in Switzerland.

French climber Mélissa Le Nevé has repeated Golden Ticket, an 8c+ sports climb at Red River Gorge, USA.

British climber Ben Moon (52) has repeated Evolution, the 8c+ sports climb freed by Jerry Moffatt at Ravens Tor, England.

One of the most famous bouldering films, The Real Thing, featuring British climbers Ben Moon, Jerry Moffatt and Sean Myles, as well as Germany’s Kurt Albert and France’s Marc Le Menestrel.

Adam Ondra attempting to onsight the Salathé Wall up El Capitan in Yosemite, USA, belayed by Nicolas Favresse in autumn 2018.

The video of Anna Stöhr repeating La Rose et le Vampire, the famous sports climb at Buoux in France first ascended in 1985 by Antoine le Menestrel.

Connor Herson has made a free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite. Climbing with his father Jim Herson over a three-day period, Connor is one of the few climbers to achieve this feat. Aged only 15, he is also the youngest person to free climb The Nose.

Climbing solo and self-belayed for five days, Japan’s Keita Kurakami has repeated The Nose on El Capitan (Yosemite, USA). This is the first time that the route freed in 1993 by Lynn Hill has been climbed rope solo all free.

At Buoux Sébastien Bouin has repeated Agincourt, France’s first 8c sports climb freed by Ben Moon in 1989.

At the crag Bilico (Primiero, Dolomites) Alessandro Zeni has made the first ascent of Energia Cosmica, Cosmic Energy, a sports climb the 27-year-old has now tentatively graded 9a+.

Czech climber Adam Ondra on the road to the Salathé Wall up El Capitan in Yosemite, USA, is the theme of the fourth episode of Ondra’s fourth VBlog

Update about the climbers protest against the planned quarry expansion which would irreversibly destroy the Zillergrund Wald bouldering area in the Zillertal, Austria.

On 2 November 2018 Stefan Scarperi repeated Action Directe 9a in Frankenjura. He is the third Italian to repeat the legendary route established by Wolfgang Güllich in 1991 after Gabriele Moroni and Stefano Carnati.

Czech climber Adam Ondra has made an onsight ascent of Just Do It, the first 5.14c (8c+) in the USA located at Smith Rock, freed by French climber Jean-Baptiste Tribout in 1992.