Zander Waller, #4 in the Youth WCH in 2017, skips 8b+ and 8c and does his first 8c+ through Lucifer in Red River Gorge and it only took him three sessions and seven tries in total. Here his Insta. "For the past few months I have been training very hard in the gym, and my jump from 8b to 8c+ actually took me by surprise. I've tried a couple of 8b+'s recently, but haven't put much effort into them. I feel like since I don't climb outside very consistently, that everytime I go, I get stronger from the weeks (or even months) of training in the gym. I'm not sure there is a certain way to jump from 8b to 8c+, but for me it took a lot of training and motivation. I think this year I would like to focus a lot of my attention into outdoor climbing, but my main focus is still on competitions."

Roland Hemetzberger, one of the very best trad and MP climbers in the world, has done the FA of Mantra 9a in Achleiten. "I bolted the route 7 years ago. I think over a long period of climbing you get simply more strength in your fingers and and you involve as a climber. I tried it just in good conditions." (c) Bernhard Kogler The full time employee at Blck Diamond and kind of an under the radar climber has previously done at least a handfull 9a and harder FAs, mainly in Achleiten. Interesting is that most of them are unrepeated. 9a FA video from New Zealand and here is his an article from when he sent Wogü, one of the hardest MPs in the world.

Ingo Filzwieser has been an Austria Bouldering Coach the last seven years. He finished with a training camp in Tokyo last December which made great impressions. On the picture from Mumbai last year, Ingo is standing next to Jakob Schubert, one of the few Europeans that could challenge the Japanese boulderes last year. In the WC 2017, there were five male Japaneses among the Top-8. - There are some 200 boulder gyms in Tokyo and they run them with 12 levels of difficulty including some much harder than in Austria. The gyms have more different types of holds and volumes, even European ones, that I see in Austria. Rei Sugimoto (#6 in the WC 2017) was working on one where he could not do the single moves, then three local guys come along topping out. I think the Japanese domination will continue. You have so many dedicated guys that see bouldering as a way to get away from their hard working life and enjoy a bit of travelling and competing at the top level. Many seems to train eight hours straight like 5 days a week. They start by stretching for two hours, followed by doing hard boulders for two hours, which they later repeat once. It is hard for us to understand how they can continue this regime and still seem to be like children just playing around. I guess you can only understand their success if you fully understand their culture with team thinking, humbleness at the same time they are very goal oriented, hard working and pleased. Often they have coaches filming their tries or simulation of a competition which they later analyse together. My motto is that you can not train like the last winner... you have to train like the next winner. (We will follow up with Ingo's thoughts on this.)

Katie Malinowski has done her first 8A, Beefy Gecko in Bishop. "Sooo psyched to send my first of the grade and “Beefcake” (V10) over the weekend. Time to squeeze in some late season sends before summer!" More nice pics and comments from the 17 year old on her Instagram. (c) Jesse Weiner

Luca Bana started 2018 as a teenager with a personal best of 8c and now he has already done a couple 8c+' and La Reino Mora 9a (8c+) in Siurana. It was put up by Ramon Julian Puigblanque as an 8c but lately most have thought it is 9a. (c) Colette McInerney - I spent some days to figure out all the moves and try to link together the main sections. Then, i started to do 'real' attempts and after three good tries falling off the same crux at 2/3 of the route, i managed to clip the chain! Soooo happy. The ascent of means a lot for me: the line itself is the most logical of the wall and for sure one of the best in Siurana. It has been a very nice process working on it, moreover it's my first route of the grade, so it represents a good step forward and gives me great motivation to climb harder stuffs!

William Bosi has done the first repeat of Malcolm Smith's Hunger in Anvil which is a 25m link-up of an 8b and an 8b+ in 60 degrees overhanging terrain. (c) Photo by Hot Aches Productions "This is my 3rd 9a and all 3 that I’ve done have been so different. The Anvil is such a crazy crag with a 2-hour walking approach and this 60 degrees overhanging face basically over a bunch of boulders. It’s an absolute mission to get to, and even harder to get climbable conditions there, so it was quite tricky to try this route and luckily it only took me 4 days - 3 last June and 1 last Saturday. Hunger was first climbed by my hero Malcolm Smith as first of the grade for Scotland - I’m proud to be Scottish so to be the first to repeat it meant a lot to me. Last year, William was #4 in the Combined Youth World Championship and he is trying to make it to Tokyo 2020. "I’m attending some boulder, speed and most of the lead WC. I will also be competing in all three at the world champs."

Seb Bouin reports that he has done the 70 m long and 20 year old project Eyes bigger than the cave, with "amazing boulders problems on the top", where he fell four times. "<>If I compare this route with other I did or try, I can porpose 9a+/b. I think it's harder than Chilam Balam (9a+/9b) and Pachamama (hard 9a+, proposed 9a+/9b by Patxi Usobiaga). The first roof part is around 20-25 meters. After you reach a good rest and you can change your rope. Then you have a bouldery crux on one finger pocket to reach an other rest. Until here it could be 8c route. Then there is one resistant 9a to do. This 9a part is starting with big tufas, and after there is 7A boulder + 7A boulder + 7C+/8A boulder + 7B boulder. All these boulders problems are amazing."

Alberto Gines Lopez, runner up in the last Youth World Championship, jumps from 8c to 9a by doing Víctimes del Futur in Margalef. (c) Mario Martinez Munoz "I spent the last week climbing in Margalef. My first intention was to try some hard routes and to make some on-sight ascents. I started in the Sector called Racó de la Finestra with the purpose of trying some routes, as I said, on-sight, but, finally, I changed my mind and decided to try some more demanding project because I was feeling fit. With the new Margalef guide by Vicent Palau, I chose Victimes del Futur (9a). From the beginning I started very motivated because I really had very good sensations. After the first attempt, I talked to Vicent and he explained to me that when the route was initially equipped by Jordi Pou it was set as 8c +. But it seems that some holds had been broken in the crux and after the last ascents (one of them by Alex Megos) they decided to change it to 9a. In the next two days I continued trying it. The sensations were still very good and finally, on the third day of trying, I sent it."