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In an attempt to make space for the newsworthy ascents that occur with ever-increasing regularity, our weekly news roundup tries to celebrate a few outstanding climbs (or interesting events) that for one reason or another caught our attention. We hope you enjoy it. —The editors
Section divider6 Americans Qualify for First Olympic-Qualifying Event
Following the Lead and Bouldering portions of the World Championships in Bern, Switzerland, six Americans have qualified for the Combined competition beginning this coming Wednesday. In the women’s field, Brooke Raboutou, Natalia Grossman, Annie Sanders, and Kyra Condie made it through to contend for an Olympic invitation, which will be given to the top three highest placing athletes. Like last year, only two spots per country will be allocated. On the men’s side, Sean Bailey and Colin Duffy also advanced. This is the first of several Olympic qualifying events taking place in the lead up to Paris 2024.
The top two men and women from the Speed category will also earn Olympic invitations. Speed climbing will take place on Thursday.
The past week of World Championships have been an exciting mix of highs and lows. Janja Garnbret earned her seventh World Championship title; Mickael Mawem put up a stunning performance to earn his first ever gold (his best World Cup placement was fourth); and Jakob Schubert, in winning the Lead portion, proved once again that he one of the most consistent performers of the last decade—the 30-year-old now has 12 World Championship medals. More action to come with the Paraclimbing World Championships, which begin tomorrow. Stay tuned for a recap.
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Section dividerTenjin Sherpa and Kristin Harila Break the 8,000-meter Peak Speed Record
Perhaps no event in the far-too-publicized and ethically muddy world of oxygen-assisted 8,000-meter mountaineering has garnered more media coverage in the 21st century than Nirmal Purja did in 2019 when he climbed all 14 peaks in just six months and seven days. “Project Possible,” as he marketed it, made Purja a mountaineering celebrity, especially after the release of Netflix documentary 14 Peaks. But it also created a new game—one that Kristin Harila, a former professional skier from Norway, has spent the last two years trying to beat. Last year, after climbing 12 of the 14 8,000ers, she was stymied when China refused to issue permits for her last two climbs in Tibet. This spring, however, the permits came through. She and Tenjin Sherpa climbed Shishapangma and Cho Oyu in April, and then, alongside a rotating group of other paid climbers, re-climbed the other 12, finishing in three months and one day… cutting Purja’s time in half.
Though I have some mixed feelings about the ethicality of Helicopter- and Oxygen-assisted “records” on the world’s highest mountains (I worry, among other things, that it risks turning to the 8,000-meter peaks into another commercial circus trick like the Seven Summits while failing to acknowledge the troubling fact that, as Outside’s Grayson Schaffer said of high altitude guiding industry in 2013, “no service industry in the world so frequently kills and maims its workers for the benefit of paying clients”), Harila and Tenjin’s accomplishment is inarguably (if dangerously) impressive. In addition to the logistical and financial complexities of climbing these peaks in such a short amount of time, the pair had to climb many rigorous vertical miles in dangerously subpar conditions. It’s hard not to wonder what sort of conversation we’d be having if they hadn’t pulled it off. —Steven Potter
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Section dividerWatch Jimmy Webb FA the V15 that wrecked his ankle last year
In March 2022, while pushing it on a riverside project in Brione, Switzerland, Jimmy Webb had “an unfortunate dry fire” high above the pads that “destroyed” his ankle, kept him off the rocks for three months, and forced him to think about his relationship to the idea of just going for it. “Patience is key when doing these types of lines,” Webb wrote in a long post on Instagram. “I’ve ‘forced’ it many times in my climbing, and it’s always worked out. And I think I’ve gotten quite lucky in that regard. I had that moment in my head… where I arrived at the final crux with cold glassy hands and thought ‘this isn’t right, you should let go.’ Then at that same moment another side of my head said ‘no just go, you can do it!’ Then shit hit the fan.”
Returning this last spring, he says, he was intent on not repeating last year’s mistake. “Every year we as climbers get stronger but at the same time every year we get better and smarter. Mental gains are just as important as the physical ones… we just have to learn to listen.” The climb, Swiss Air, goes at V15, and you can watch Webb’s process on it—and his ascents of several other stunning Swiss blocks, including the FA of the way-too-tall The New Abnormal (V14/15)—in Mellow’s latest little banger. —SP
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Section dividerAustin Hoyt Does Monkey Wedding (V15)
Austin Hoyt, 19, picked a classic for his first V15: Fred Nicole’s Monkey Wedding. His send caps Hoyt’s frightfully productive month in Rocklands, where he sent Fred Nicole’s classic crimp testpiece, Amandla (V14), in a single session; seven V13s, among them ultra-classics like the The Vice, Airstar, and The Power of One; and more V10-V12s than I’ll even bother to count. Monkey Wedding took Hoyt eight days, and he sent using an only slightly modified version of Fred Nicole’s original beta. “On session four and five I managed to fall on the last move four times!” he told 8a.nu. “Slowly it became more of a mental battle. Come session eight, my last fresh day trying the boulder and I managed to send it!” A native of the New York City suburbs, Hoyt has put a surprising amount of energy into first ascents for someone his age, mainly at his local crag, the Powerlines, and the Gunks. Steven Dimmit, of the Nugget Climbing Podcast, recently sat down with Hoyt and two of New England’s other leading crushers. It’s a great conversation. You can check it out here. —SP
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Section dividerNoah Wheeler on Fire in Rocklands
Speaking of strong young East Coasters in Rocklands: Noah Wheeler, 21, who’s originally from Pennsylvania and is now a student at Colorado College, has had a productive trip. In addition to sending Amandla (V14) with some rather atypical beta (see video below) and Ménage à Trois (V14), he’s flashed two V13s—the ultra-classic Sky and The Guest List—and sent several more. “One of my goals for the trip was to flash Sky,” Wheeler told 8a.nu, “but the day before we went to the boulder I had no sleep, and upon reaching the crag, I felt pretty tired. However, I decided I may as well give a flash rip for fun. I had watched a few videos prior where the climbers used a high right foot to keep their body from swinging in the first move, which seemed like the perfect beta for my height. The second crux move is just a pure board style throw, and as that is what I primarily train on, I knew I would have a pretty good chance to top once I hit the first hold. To my surprise, I stuck the first move pretty well, and just kept it together to the top.” —SP