Jakob Schubert is one of the contenders being the 8a climber of 2020. Besides flashing The Never Ending Story 8B+, he did 17 boulders 8B as harder as well as ten 9a's. (c) Michael Piccolruaz

Could you please summarize your climbing year 2020?"
Well I obviously trained all three disciplines pretty hard until March where I wanted to have my last Combined test in Moscow. Definitely trained quite a lot of speed as well but for me, the speed training is always something I do extra. I try to do as much lead and boulder as before since at the end of the day the most important thing in combined is still being best at your main disciplines. After the Olympics got cancelled and we didn’t have many comps I took the opportunity to climb outside as much as possible. I‘m really lucky that we have so many great crags close to my home. I was still very thankful that our federation organized a few comps called the Austrian Summer Series though. With these comps, I could see that my preparation for the Olympics was pretty good since I was able to do well in all disciplines. Finally, we had the only Worldcup of the season in Briançon which I wasn’t sure how serious I should take at first. But when Adam came to Innsbruck and I saw how hard he trains and how serious he takes Briancon, I got very psyched as well and tried to get in good lead shape as fast as possible. Briançon was great and I was pretty happy with my climbing which was important for my head since my lead performance in 2019 wasn’t good enough.

Already before Briancon, I started to have problems with my biceps (some inflammation) especially in Speed, so I had to stop training it for almost 3 months, slowly starting with it again right now. I took the time to climb mostly routes outside since that was causing no pain and of course was a lot of fun as well. All in all a good year but definitely a strange one. Can‘t wait to finally be able to travel more again!

What was your best climbing moments in 2020?
Well there are quite a few rememberable moments. The flash of Never Ending Story definitely was special since the whole 2-day trip was amazing and I always wanted to flash this one so once it actually happened I was so psyched! La Force Tranquille both the original and the new direct version are also amazing memories, I just love this boulder problem. Route wise ‚Weiße Rose‘ comes to mind as a special memory of this year, it wasn‘t a hard fight but I send it right after coming out of hard lockdown so it was special in terms of feeling free and strong again 😊

Emily Harrington, #2 in the Lead World Championship 15 years ago, has transferred into a multi-pitch trad climber. Five years ago, she did the 40 pitches Golden Gate 8a in six days, video. Last year she tried to do it in any day but it ended in a very bad accident. This autumn she did it in 21 hours!

Alex Megos is one of the contenders being the 8a Sport climber of 2020. Besides doing the FA of Bibliographie 9c, the 27-year-old has also done nine routes 8c+/9a and harder as well as 25 boulders 8B to 8C. (c) Ken Etzel

Could you please summarize your climbing year 2020?
I started the year training at the gym in January and February. Then I went to Sheffield for the CWIF and right after that, the European championships in Moscow got cancelled. We all know what followed with the lockdowns and the pandemic. Since the Cwif I pretty much only climbed outside and trained not very comp specific. I haven't done speed since February. My year 2020 has been probably exactly what I needed. After my first full comp season in 2019, I felt like being able to dedicate 2020 to rock climbing again was just what I needed. It felt good to be back on rock.

I pretty much went back and forth between the Frankenjura and France for most of the summer to go to Ceüse and to compete in Briançon. After that, I did a couple of trips to Arco and one to South Tyrol. The autumn I spent in Ukraine and I also went to Turkey for a couple of weeks.

Which send was most special for you beside Bibliographie?
Doing the first repeat of L'Etrange Ivresse des Lenteurs 9a+ in Ceüse was special to me. I have tried it a few years ago without chalk and tick marks on the route and couldn't even reach the anchor. The bolts are very far apart and its hard climbing all the way to the anchor high above the bolt. Back then I thought I'll never try again. When I came back to try Bibliographie I wanted to try something else as a side project too and as I pretty much did everything else I decided to try L'Etrange again. Mainly because Stefano Carnati went up to put in quickdraws and he as well left some tick marks. I tried it 3-4 times and then already felt ready to give it some tries. On my 5th try, I fell on the last move. Then after Briançon I came back to Ceüse to film Bibliographie. I still had half an hour before we wanted to start filming and I just put my shoes on and climbed L'Etrange without checking it out again that trip.

Martin Keller reports on Insta that he has done his 18 year nemesis, Dreamtime 8C (B+) in Cresciano. The 42-year-old did Unendliche Gesichte 8B+ last month after having projected it for 16 years and the full story was as inspiring as amazing.

"This spring was different though! Despite approaching my 43rd birthday I was clearly in the best shape of my life as I “suddenly” had been able to send several hard-multi-year-nemesis-projects of mine like “Riot Act, low, 8C’ish” in the Frankenjura , “Ill Trill 8B+” and “New Baseline, 8B+” in Magic Wood." More info to come. (c) Hannes Kutza

At the same time, Yannick Flohe (21), #3 in the Boulder World Champion last year, has also done it possibly in just 4 hours and there is a video out on his Insta. "Quick ascent. Skipping the big move and using the crimp felt easier for me.The conditions were better than expected even though it was raining a little bit in the evening and quite humid in the morning. I chose the „cheating beta“ going to the small crimp and skipping the big move. I did the stand with both betas but the crimpy one felt more solid. Might be 8B+\C but I don’t care 🤷🏽‍♂️"

Angy Eiter, four times World Champion, has done the FA of the 50 meters and very steep Madame Ching near her home in Tyrolean Oberland, after two months pf projecting. The 154 cm tall compares the difficulty with La Planta de Shiva a 9b she did in 2017. "This route is a present from my husband Bernie that he put up in 2018. He handed the route to me and I started trying it. I found the sequences very hard and thought it’s maybe not possible for me. In May 2020 after the first lockdown, I made a virtue out of necessity and started projecting. My first steps on it were quite humbling. I failed many times and was really at a loss sometimes but performance and more efficient tweaks in my method paid off. I could tackle some sequences and simultaneously needed less rope-hanging rests in between... until the whole route was done, finally. I couldn’t believe it. This was the moment where all the hard work finally paid off! Thanks to all the yelling crew!! 🤘🏻😍 • Great experience trying something completely without traces, being the first working out a beta, holds frequently broke. Please keep in mind of the grade: I am the first, can just rely on my beta, I am much shorter than an average climber, was wrong several times in the past. •"

Video and more comments here. (c) Raphael Pöham / Red Bull ASP

Combining her outstanding competition track record with doing eight routes 9a and harder, including two 9b's, Angy is by far the best female climber out there. When she won the World Champion title in 2007 in a super final on the male route, with some extra holds in the start adjusting for the height difference, she made it further than one of the males. The route setter Francois Legrand said he believed that Angy often could make it to the Top-8 final if they had taken her length into consideration on the less steep sections.

Karoline Sinnhuber has done her tenth 8A+ in 2020, The Raper in Magic Place. "Tried it last year, but was too weak for the first move, psyched! Now getting ready for the riddler. A good day out with the crew! It was -5 degrees at the parking and we had to pass the river for the approach. luckily we had some hot stones, otherwise, it would have been too cold 😄 I‘d prefer to train in the gym instead of still going outdoors... brrrr."

In the picture by Fabian Leu Karo does Running sushi 7C. The other pic is on The Raper. The Austrian is #8 in the 8a ranking game.

Philipp Gaßner has done his second 9a, Marsupilami in Kochel after some ten sessions. In 2014, at age 14, he did his first out of twelve 8c+'. Picture by Basti Scheibel on Nangijala 8c+.

"The route was first ascended by Toni Lamprecht in 2006 as Kochel’s first 9a and it is probably still the hardest testpiece in the area. The route represents the style of hard rock climbing in the bavarian pre alps pretty well. It’s 30 meters long and it can be characterized by a lot of very technical and physical moves, finishing with the bouldery crux on the top. In total it took me 15 tries to send it plus some tries to figure out all of the tricky and complex beta. On top of that, it was super nice to spend the day with Toni, who has put so much effort into establishing all of the hard climbs there."

How can you explain your great progress in 2020, having done also four 8c+'?
I tried to focus on certain projects instead of spontaneously trying routes that I am psyched on but then don‘t complete. I also managed to climb with a better mindset than I‘ve done in previous years.

As the Asia Combined Championship was cancelled last weekend, Jongwon Chon and Chaehyon Seo have qualified to the Tokyo Olympics 2021 based on their results in the World Championships last year. The coming weekend, it will be decided who will qualify from Africa as well as from Oceania. If these two events also will be cancelled, Harrison Campbell, Oceania Mackenzie, Curtis Calrin and Rachelle De Charmoy will make it Tokyo.

Niky Ceria reports on Insta that he has done the fourth ascent of Gioia 8C? in Varazze. "Since kneebar didn't suit my interest and the original beta didn’t fit my skills, I took more time and I finally figured out a different method which came out being less skin dependent and slightly more powerful."

Here is how the boulder was presented in 2015 on 8a. "It was set up by Christian Core, the former World and European Boulder Champion who twice has won the World Cup, as an 8C in 2008. Later, Adam Ondra and Nalle Hukkataival repeated Gioia and gave it the personal grades of 8C+ and 8C/+, respectively. These ascents established Gioia as one of the first upgraded hardcore boulders in the world. During the years, many more have tried to repeat it with no success and many believe that Gioia is the first 8C+ in the world. What is not well known is that there are five glued holds on Gioia. A week ago, Dave Graham and Daniel Woods started to work on it and Dave actually found a new kneebar making the crux possible easier and later, a foothold broke, making the crux on the 8A+ stand version significantly easier. The next day, Christian glued it back trying to make the foothold as in the original shape and size. This made the Burrow Files publish a critical article and the controversy was out. Christian is very sorry for this as he just wanted to preserve Gioia in its original shape as the boulder and it's difficulty is important in the history of bouldering. Picture is from Core's FA."