Nina Caprez has been one of the female climbing stars for many years and she has performed in all disciplines including comps and big walls. So what have you been up to lately? "I'm moving around in Spain for climbing and a talk (Andorra) these last days. I've been climbing in two different sectors in Montserrat. The first day I was climbing in the sector Agulla del Senglar, where I was able to do 7c+, 8a and 8a+ on-sight and yesterday I managed an 8b and 8b+, both on my second try. Magic place, magic people and dream lines!!!;-) Later this spring, she tells us that she will try Orbayu, the famous MP set up by the Pou brothers, together with Cedric Lachat which they have speculated to be 8c/+.

UKC reports that Dai Koyamada has done yet another 8C FA, Vanitas. "I completed my 4 years project at Mt. Horai, Japan on 6th February. The line is something like "Frankenjura style" with small crimps and pockets." Dai has been one of the leading boulderers for ten years and he has done some 30 8C's. In the late 90-ies, Dai did eleven Lead WC's where he four times made it to the final. Later he did routes up to 9a but he is most famous for all his hard bouldering including the FA of The Wheel of Life 8C in 2004 and his laying FA start to The Story of two World's 8C+.

G Bruce Wilson from Three Peak Films with many videos presented by EpicTV believes aerial drone will be the future for climbing videos. Check their Aerial Reel 2014 "The RC helicopter industry has been exploding and making it more affordable than ever to get aerial shoots of all almost all adventure sports. It will become more and more common as time goes on that low budget adventure film makers will be using these drones providing a higher production value to even the most simple video. I think within five years they will be used to film almost all notable ascents and be almost as common as you see people with digital single lens cameras at the crag. More and more hobbyists will use them to make their own climbing videos.

Karin Magog has onsighted her seventh 8a, Sostres o dans le toit in Masriudoms. "Very steep and burly, not my usual style so well chuffed to onsight this." The good news is that all her 8a onsights, she has done the last 18 months. Her first 8a redpoint, she did in 1998 when she was 25 years old.

Iván Hernández Espuch has done Sieres de Otra Época 9a in Sella which is a 50 m link-up starting with an 8c, followed by an 7c+ and a 8b. Ivan did his first 8c 20 years ago and in total he has done 1.503 8a and harder (some are repetitions), out of which three 8c+/9a, three 8c/8c+ and around 54 8c's.

Sometimes, when we're about to leave home to go climbing/bouldering in the mountains and the weather is changeable, i.e., it's cold outside and don't know whether it's going to rain or not, we normally doubt whether to take our down jacket to be warm or the waterproof one so as not to get wet. We've found a piece of clothing which has solved this problem, since it perfectly combines the nice warmth its 800+ down fill provides -besides of the compressibility and lightness which are not met by the synthetic garments- plus the fact that I'm going to be at ease without worrying about getting wet or the wind bothering me. We're talking about the new Outdoor Research's Floodlight Jacket and here you are with a few more explanations on what we've found about it.

Here is the 9b and 9b+ stats excluding DWS, boulder routes and sit start routes. Adam Ondra has done 12, Chris Sharma six, Fernandez and Andrada one. It is kind of strange that during the last three years only Ondra with eleven and Sharma with three have done a 9b. In 2013, some ten guys did a 9a+ and Ramonet has done six after 2009 which can be compared with Ondra's 27 routes 9a+ and harder. 9b+ Change - Flatanger Ondra -12 9b+ La Dura Dura - Oliana Ondra -13, Sharma 9b+ Vasil Vasil - Sloup Ondra - 13 Chilam Balam - Fernandez -03, Ondra Delincuente Extension - Rodellar, Andrada -08 Jumbo Love - Clark Mtn, Sharma -08 Neanderthal - Santa Linya, Sharma -09 Golpe de Estado - Siurana, Sharma -09, Ondra First Round First Minute - Margalef, Sharma -11, Ondra La Capella - Siurana, Ondra -11 Chaxi Raxi - Oliana, Ondra -11 La Planta del Shiva - V. del Rosario, Ondra -11 Stoking the Fire - Santa Linya, Sharma -13 Fight or Flight - Oliana, Sharma -13, Ondra Iron Curtain - Flatanger, Ondra -13 Move - Flatanger, Ondra -13 Grades are subjective and probably there is at least one 9a+ that will qualify for the 9b list in few years. It should also be noted also that Adam is a full time student in the University and that he finished high school 2012. (c) Vojtech Vrzba

The highlights of the season is often the onsights during your travel. Here are some quick technical and tactical tips that might increase the joy, adrenaline and your score. 1. Route reading: 5 minutes is mandatory and also to present and discuss your strategy with your friend. 2. No Eliminations: Never think, "Is that hold allowed?" 3. Fast: Do not hesitate, take chances and you will get less pumped and you will be able to climb/send more. Every time you get super pump your daily potential performance is reduced. 4. Tick List: Check which routes are onsight friendly and if they have been done by climbers of your size. 5. "One more hold": It is easy to mentally give up if you wasted a lot of energy in the beginning. No thinking approach means just focus on the next sequence. 6. Look Down - Visualize/Rest: Onsight climbing is stressful as your head and eyes are like a submarine periscope. By often looking down you have time to rest, sort the information and memorize the next sequence.

87 839 Lactic Acid and pumped forearms 56 087 Recruitment training 49 712 Short cuts to 8a 38 346 Hangboarding Here you have all the 28 training articles