Shauna Coxsey, Brooke Raboutou and Ashima Shiraishi, 8B female boulders

Female 8B boulder problems on the go! After yesterday's news report about Alex Puccio sending her first 8B boulder problem, Shauna Coxsey now checks in with her ascent of the 8B One Summer in Paradise at Magic Wood. It was in this Swiss forest that the strong English climber broke her leg two years ago and she has now returned, first to send that infamous problem that resulted in the injury, and then to repeat One Summer in Paradise. This is yet another beautiful confirmation of her current form, after having won silver in the Bouldering World Cup 2014 last week, just behind winner Akiiyo Noguchi from Japan.

As it happens, One Summer was climbed last year by America's Ashima Shiraishi, at the time a mere 12 years old. In the meantime Shiraishi has continued to push her climbing and a few months ago managed to send her third 8B boulder problem, The Automator in theRocky Mountain National Park (USA) and also the 8c+ sport climb Favela at Santa Linya in Spain.

Another young climber on a roll is 13-year-old Brooke Raboutou, daughter of Didier Raboutou (one of the leading lights during the 1980's) and the super champion Robyn Erbesfield who, just the other day at Rocklands in South Africa, repeated Fragile Steps. This is young Raboutou first 8B boulder problem and comes in the wake of her first 8c sport climb, Welcome to Tijuana climed at Rodellar in Spain two years ago.

It's worth remembering that the current apex of female bouldering lies at 8B+, climbed just once so far, by Japan's Tomoko Ogawa who repeated Catharsis at Shiobara in Japan back in October 2012. Plenty of time has passed since then and, seeing the latest flurry of ascents, it wouldn't surprise us to see another female 8B+ sent sooner rather than later.