Alex Totkova, who last year won the Youth World Championship, has done Ora Estete (8c) in Vratsa, after four sessions of work. In 2020, at age 15, she sent Victimes del futur (9a) but later her focus has been competitions.

"I am super happy that I am enjoying rock climbing again and I am super excited for what will come, as I get slowly in shape. The route was bolted by my coach Fazata [in the picture] and the FA was from him last year. I am really grateful for the send, because on this day I felt, tired so I had to make it with no mistakes, which is my priority to work on. (Trying to make the moves more technically rather than by force.)"

Can you tell us more about your cooperation with your trainer, Ivailo?
He is my coach for 7-8 years. We train together several times a week. He is like my father for climbing. He is the person who motivates me not only by talking but by his own decisions and actions.

Why have you chosen to not compete in Laval?
We decided to pause the comps and be fresh for the next season.

As autumn arrives, we fondly recall our summer adventures with Tobi Ebner. Join us on a journey through Germany and Austria, conquering crags and sharing stories with fellow Wild Country athletes. Watch the video to relive these incredible achievements:
Jakob Kronberger in Salzburger Land: El Conjuro (9a+?)
Moritz Welt in Frankenjura: Lazarus (9a+)
Birte Gutmayer in Ettringen: Fegefeuer (trad) Chri Kappacher in Steinplatte: Sleepwalker (8b)
Don't miss this unforgettable adventure! 🚗🧗‍♂️

Jakob Schubert reports on Instagram that he has sent Qui (9a+) at the Geisterschmiedwand. The Austrian projected it last year, and he sent it on his second go this year. It was put up in 1996 by Stefan Fürst, as an 8c+, and Adam Ondra did the first repeat in 2019 suggesting an upgrade to 9a+ and he commented, "possibly something has broken, but very possibly it has not got much harder due to breaks." Later Alfons Dornauer and Roland Hemetzberger sent it confirming Ondra's upgrade. (c) Misha P

IFSC has presented the competition calendar 2024, which differs from all previous years due to the Olympics. The calendar comprises of five Boulder and six Lead World Cups but there is a big risk that the interest will be relatively low from the best athletes. The two events scheduled that will likely attract the largest number of top athletes participating are the Olympic Qualification Series events in Shanghai and Budapest.

9-10 April, IFSC World Cup in Shanghai, China – Boulder;
12 -14 April, IFSC World Cup in Wujiang, China – Lead, Speed;
3-5 May, IFSC World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA – Boulder, Speed;
16-19 May, Olympic Qualifier in Shanghai, China - BoulderLead
20 -23 June, Olympic Qualifier in Budapest, Hungary - BoulderLead
26-30 June, IFSC World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria – Boulder, Lead;
5-10 July, Olympic Games in Paris, France - BoulderLead
12-14 July, IFSC World Cup in Chamonix, France – Lead, Speed;
17-19 July, IFSC World Cup in Briançon, France – Lead, Speed;
6-7 September, IFSC World Cup in Koper, Slovenia – Lead;
20-22 September, IFSC World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic – Boulder; and
2-6 October, IFSC World Cup in Seoul, South Korea – Boulder, Lead, Speed.

Loic Zehani has done the FA of Quartiers nord (9b) in Orgon, which is a new six-bolt start to Bronx (8c+), bolted by his father. (c) Samantha Ducos

”In total I think this route took me around twenty sessions. Amazing first part, natural and so powerful. Maybe 8B boulder out of the first twelve movements followed (without rest) by 10 movements around 7C/C+ boulder. After that you climb the second part of Bronx (8c+). Crazy morning when I sent it twice in one hour because the wind had knocked down the camera during the first send ... the second send the camera (positioned in the car ) did not fall! The conditions are amazing with a massive south-east wind.”

Ainhize Belar Barrutia, who did her first 9a in May, has sent Panorámix (8c) in Araotz/Oñate, after trying it for three days. The picture, (c) Javi Pec, is from when she was #2 in the Spanish Cup two weeks ago.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Since it’s a route with a lot of tricky kneebars and I’m not very used to them. It was pretty hard initially but when I managed to get all these little tricks, I did it pretty quickly

Dai Koyamada reports on Instagram that after two years of work he has done the FA of Okuro (8C) at Kasagi.

Dai first made headlines in 1998 when he was #4 in a Lead World Cup. After quitting the comp circuit, he did his first 9a in 2002 and the next year he did his first 8C boulder. Over the last 20 years he has done close to 40 8C’s and most of them have been FAs.

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Tara Hayes, who has done five 8A's this summer, has sent Fat Lip (8B) in Peak District. The 26-year-old finished her competition carrer last year after being part of the GB team for 15 years.

”I first tried Fat Lip back in May to see if it was a realistic project for me close to home. Both of the crux moves revolve around knacky heel hooks which suits my style, so I actually made quick progress to begin with. The moves are fun and there was a lot of beta to learn and refinement to be made, so staying psyched wasn't an issue.

I managed to climb it from a few moves in on my 4th session, linking both crux sections into the end. Unfortunately, on my next go from the start as I pulled on the pocket, I felt a tear down my forearm. That session ended abruptly there and later I found out I had an injury to the lumbricals and flexor tendon.

After a 4 month break to let my fingers recover, I started trying it again and managed to re-learn the moves quickly. For the past month I've been going frequently to gain efficiency and give myself the best chance of sending it before the crag starts to seep (which is normally around November).

I think in the end, a combination of good conditions, being rested and having the right level of focus allowed me to execute the moves really well and therefore not be too powered out for the end section. It's the most sessions I've had on a boulder so I'm really psyched to have sent it!”

Why do you think your latest senes have coincided with you having stopped competing?
I think I was able to prioritise training for Fat Lip specifically rather than my training focusing on comps, where a lot of the exercises and moves don't necessarily translate to outdoor climbing. I was also able to rest more for better quality sessions without worrying about comprising my comp climbing form and missing sessions.