Keyword: Ethan Pringle

First repeat in seven years: Connor Herson climbs the 8c+ trad route Blackbeard's Tears in Northern California.

Seb Bouin repeats the endurance hammer Jumbo Love (9b). The line that Chris Sharma climbed for the first time in 2008 is not only the world's first confirmed 9b route, but also the most difficult sport climbing route in the USA at the time.

The German climber Fabian Buhl has so far made a name for himself mainly with the ascent of difficult multi-pitch tours (e.g. the MSL tour Ganesha). In the summer of 2017...