Significant Sends at Home and Abroad

16/4/2026

Sport Climbing & Bouldering

Jake Townshend and Phoebe Kenderdine have both repeated Venus In Furs (33) at the Factory in the Fyfe River Gorge, for the route's second and third ascents. This route was first climbed by Enzo Murray at the end of last year as we reported here.

As Phoebe describes it: It was also a mixed experience for Jake and I—the first two trips there, the route was pretty damp so we weren't really able to try it properly. The river was insanely high on the first weekend since it had been raining so much, we made some poor judgments on the way in and I ended up in the river (pack and all). There was another trip the weekend before Easter when Jake and I walked in, discovered that the entire route was dripping wet, immediately walked straight back out and drove home. However, that was all worth it for the route I reckon, so thanks to the original equippers for seeing the crag's potential!

It turned out to be a pretty epic line, Jake, Enzo and I all thought it was really cool—a good mix of crimps/pinches/underclings, a kneebar or two, and a tricky power endurance crux. We found it was pretty unforgiving—if you made a small mistake, you'd immediately be off. I think it was that factor that makes it the grade that it is. Because of that, I got all of the moves in a few sessions, and then spent the remaining sessions just coming off because of silly little mistakes or bad beta.

All in all, a great route and great crag with lots of future potential too—Jake and Enzo seem quite psyched on bolting an extension.

Tom Waldin has added an extension to the route Tantalus (28) at Little Babylon, Darran Mountains. Tantalus is itself an extension of International Turkey Patrol (25), heading up through steep ground above the anchor of that route (also the anchor for Hercules [29], No Country For Old Men [29] and Xerxes [30]). The extension continues above the top anchor of Tantalus (shared with Traverse Of The Titans [27]) for four more bolts and about 10m of climbing, involving around 16 moves and eventually finishing at a hands-free stance above the bulge. While the rock on the final section of Tantalus/Titans is exquisite and described by one ascentionist as 'something straight out of a luxury marble bathroom catalogue', the bulge does relent to the spikier red rock above. In relation to a question about the rock quality, Tom describes the route as 'initially mincing some crimps, but I accidentally broke some of them, so it's gotten much better'. The result is called Sisyphus (32) and unsurprisingly is the longest route at the crag. The grade is likely the same whether you approach via Tantalus or Traverse of the Titans, but I'd suggest the rope drag will be less (but still significant) via Tantalus.

Bouin Opens Eleventh 9b at Romeyer: French climber Sébastien Bouin made the first ascent of Le Champ des Muses (9b/37) at Romeyer, Drôme, France, on April 10. The route—brought to his attention by local equiper Quentin Chastaigner—crosses a marked overhang in a continuous, physically demanding style over nearly 50 moves. Bouin describes it as either hard 9a+ or low 9b; given that it suits his strengths well, he leans toward 9b. It is his 11th first ascent at that grade, adding to a list that includes DNA (9c) in the Verdon and Wolf Kingdom (9b+) at Pic Saint-Loup. UKClimbing · PlanetMountain

Marchaland Sends First V16 in Three Sessions: French climber Jules Marchaland made the third ascent of Ephyra (9A/V16) at Chironico, Ticino, Switzerland on April 6. The boulder—first climbed by American Jimmy Webb in 2019—features a technically demanding lateral move onto the left shoulder. Marchaland, who last year became only the second boulderer ever to flash V15, completed it in just three sessions despite managing a recent pulley injury. It is his first V16. Gripped

Galla Takes Third Ascent of Megatron V17: American climber Zach Galla has made the third ascent of Megatron (V17/9A) at Eldorado Canyon, Colorado, USA, with the ascent reported on April 14. The problem—established by Shawn Raboutou in 2022—links seven moves of solid V15 into ten moves of Daniel Woods' Tron (V14) without any rest. The second ascent was made by Hamish McArthur in April 2025, after just five sessions. Galla, 25, described the unusual mental approach he used to stay loose: convincing himself before each attempt that he had already sent it and was simply repeating it. Megatron is the second V17 in the United States after Woods' Return of the Sleepwalker. It is now Galla's third boulder at the grade. Gripped · UKClimbing

Užnik Establishes New V16/8C+ in Maltatal: Austrian climber Nicolai Užnik made the first ascent of Bügelbrett (8C+/V16) in Maltatal, Austria, on April 2. The problem is a low-start variation to Bügeleisen (8C/V14), adding roughly seven harder moves at the base that sit around V13 in themselves. The combined line demands a highly technical and delicate style distinct from the original. It is Užnik's third first ascent at V16, following Full Gem in Ticino in January 2026. Užnik is one of only a handful of boulderers worldwide with multiple V16 and V17 first ascents to his name, after establishing Mount Doom (9A/V17) last year, also at Maltatal. Gripped · PlanetMountain

Vighetti Sends Bombardino (36) in a Day at 17: Italian teenager Gianluca Vighetti made the sixth ascent of Bombardino at Bus de la Stria, Arco, Italy, on March 29. The 17-year-old completed the route in a single day on only his second attempt. Bombardino was first ascended by Adam Ondra in February 2022 at a proposed 9a+/b (36/27); Stefano Ghisolfi's repeat uncovered a significantly easier crux sequence and the route settled to soft 9a+, confirmed by multiple subsequent ascents including those of Laura Rogora and Barbara Zangerl. Following his rapid ascent, Vighetti has proposed a further downgrade to 9a. PlanetMountain

Trad Climbing

Herson Adds Sixth Ascent of Bon Voyage (E12/35): American climber Connor Herson repeated Bon Voyage (E12) at Annot in France in December 2025, with the ascent reported via a YouTube video on April 14. James Pearson's route—one of the more beautiful hard routes in the world—offers the equivalent of 9a/35 climbing on trad gear, with a highly technical crux followed by a long, semi-safe runout to the anchor. Herson becomes the sixth person to climb the route, following Pearson (February 2023), Adam Ondra (February 2024), Sébastien Berthe (March 2024), Jacopo Larcher (November 2025), and Esteban Daligault (January 2026). Herson's success came during a strong run of hard European trad, which also included repeats of Pete Whittaker's Crown Royale (8c+) and Nico Favresse's The Recovery Drink (8c+) at Jøssingfjord in Norway. PlanetMountain

Alpinism & Big Walls

All-Female First Ascent in the Mont Blanc Massif: British climber Fay Manners and Australian climber Ella Wright made the first ascent of La Muse du Trient (M7+, 320m) on the north-northeast face of Tête de Biselx in the Mont Blanc massif, Switzerland, over April 3–4. The pair climbed in traditional alpine style with no bolts, establishing three pitches on the first day, fixing ropes to natural anchors, and returning the next day to complete the route on sustained, varied terrain. The two crux pitches are both around M7. Manners described the goal as 'no trace—only following what the granite gave us.' An all-female team opening a new exploratory mixed route in the Alps is uncommon. PlanetMountain

Pineau and Ponzo Complete 100-Multipitch Challenge in Provence: French climber Laura Pineau and Italian climber Elsa Ponzo completed all 100 routes listed in the guidebook Les 100 plus belles grandes voies de Provence in 43 days, with Pineau's report published April 10. The pair covered 681 pitches and 17,765 vertical metres across crags including the Calanques, Verdon, Dentelles de Montmirail, Cap Canaille, and Sainte-Victoire, tackling routes from 4c to 7b+. The project was beset by 120 km/h winds, two rain events, snow in Verdon, and a week-long illness for Ponzo. According to Pineau, Ponzo did not fall once across the entire project—onsighting or flashing every pitch. The challenge was both a personal endurance feat and a spontaneous partnership: Pineau and Ponzo had first met in Yosemite in April 2025. PlanetMountain

Access & Industry

Kalymnos Closes Ten Crags After Fatal Bolt Failure: The Municipality of Kalymnos, Greece, issued an ordinance on April 10 temporarily closing ten crags for maintenance and rebolting, reported by PlanetMountain on April 15. The closures—covering Saint Photis, Monastery, Austrians, Sympligades, Spartacus, Jurassic Park, Galatiani, Cave, Ourania, and Kreissaal—follow the fatal fall of 60-year-old Czech climber Petr Hruban on March 27 this year, after a triple bolt failure at Jurassic Park. The Municipality is funding the rebolting as part of a previously announced restoration programme. Separately, the grassroots nonprofit Rebolt Kalymnos has significantly stepped up its own volunteer campaign and has published an updated list of all rebolted climbs. Both projects advise climbers to avoid routes with stainless-steel expansion bolts—as distinct from glue-in titanium bolts—until work is complete. More information and donation details at reboltkalymnos.org. PlanetMountain