NEWS

Oral Office 8A+ by Oriane Bertone (17)
Oriane Bertone, who was #6 in the World Cup, has done a quick ascent of Oral Office (8A+) in Rocklands. โ€I was so surprised to send this incredible dyno so quickly !! Second try of the second sesh.โ€

Do you have and plans and ambitions for the Olympics?
Actually, no plans or ambition for it right nowโ€ฆ I want to get better and stronger, and weโ€™ll see later for the Olympics!!

What are the plans for the last days in Rocklands?
is the main one, Out of Balance (8A) for sure, and Barracuda (8A)! I only have 2 days left, hope I can get things done!

Bleurp 8c by Amandine Loury
Amandine Loury has done Bleurp (8c) in . (c) Jean-Luc Jeunet

โ€The classic sectors in were wet this holidays, so we went to the Simpson sector which is drier and sunnier. Itโ€™s perfect for winter days, the routes are shorts (around 15 meters) and pumpy for twenty movements. I tried Bleurp a few years ago, and I never came back because itโ€™s not the best rock quality in Saint Lรฉger. This year I needed three sessions for send this route which is pumpy and harder and harder going up.โ€

Katie Lamb has been the leader of the 8a boulder ranking for almost two years. Even so, the 24-year-old has been pretty much under the radar with only 41 posts on Insta. In the portrait video, she does Book Club (8B+), which was her fifth 8B+, all of them done in the last 18 months.

Sabaton in Leonidio the most popular sector in 8a in 2022
By checking the database, we can see that Sabaton in Leonidio & Kyparissi had six of the 30 most repeated routes (76+ ascents) in 2022 in the 8a database. In the Vertical-Life App there are currently 106 routes listed in Sabaton, out of which 80 are found in one concentrated zone. It's described as, "A sector with a very quick approach, at a serene spot near old olive trees, with stunning sea views, good pocketed limestone with pleasant mid-grade routes, and shade almost all day."

During the last Leonidio climbing festival in October, it was the most sought after crag. Most of the routes have been bolted by Claude Remy, who is one of the world's most respected route developers. Claude is the son of the late Marcel Remy, who was climbing until he was 99 years old, and has put up well over 12,000 routes starting in the seventies.

Claude says, "Since 86 we put about 2000 bolts every season, we pay most of them... yes!

Can you tell us something about when you started bolting Sabaton in 2017?
It was difficult for me 'cause I was sick for a week so as it's a close sector to the road with a short walk and shorter routes. I was happy to go cause not able to walk well (but climbing was a bit better). I did it mainly with Boris Grobรฉty, in January with a very good friend from Chokoland and of course the 2 Metaxotos. In fact, I started with a few routes in November before with Iannis Metaxotos and his son Jacob a great young boy from Leonidio. I think the year after the main mini wall we did the mini canyon. In fact, nothing to say except that the rock is nice but the climbing is mostly very classic style. Some routes are very nice and all are very well protected but the routes are (a little) too short, but the good things are: no walk, choice of different levels and of course, it's in the shade (so it's a good crag if it's too hot around) and close to the sea.

What drives you to bolt so many routes?
I love it, passion, love of rock, no seriously because we are extremely malaka.

What is important while developing a sector?
First is to have a connection with the rock, is it nice, OK let's go...

How much work, days, and money have been put into Sabaton?
A lot but again I really don't know. I never keep track, I don't care. I am happy and this is the main thing. And after, if climbers, people and the municipality around are happy? It's a bonus.

Why did you name it Satabon?
Fucking good question, thanks. We love hard rock since the end of 60s. For years our best band was Motรถrhead, unfortunately, Lemmy (leader of Motรถrhead) pass away. But there are so many great choices in hard rock (the only real music) but we love Sabaton the so famous, heavy metal band from Sweden, since 1999. The band's main lyrical themes are based on wars and abuse of power. This is heard in their songs and videos: Rise of Evil, Final Solution, Coat of arms, Uprising... Hoping never again.... since the human race has achieved so many things ... unfortunately weapon advancements, commercial war and tactics have remained basically the same.

Best songs (again there are so many): Primo victoria, Midway, Metal ripper, Talvisota, Screaming eagles, Ghost division, Midway, Metal ripper, Into the fire, Masters of the world, Metal crรผe, 40 : 1, Lion from the north, Coat of arms, Countresticke, Attero dominatus and in 2019, Great war, The attack of the dead man, Fields of Verdun, Red Baron, Bismarck, Father, Night, ... and many many more...

Two Colorado 8B+'s for Colin Duffy (19)
Colin Duffy, #3 8a Competition Climber in 2022, has the last week done one 8B, Breeding Puppies (8B+) in Secret Garden and The Phoenix (8B+) in Bear Lake Road. "Stoked to put this thing down in one sesh! Had to find some pretty funky beta due to my size but I'm psyched it all came together."

What is next and what about the 2023 comp season?
I will be going on a trip to Red rocks after Christmas so maybe I will have some good sends there! Once spring rolls around I will be back to the gym preparing for next yearsโ€™ comps.

The 19-year-old was #7 in the Olympics but without having made a 0.005 seconds false start in Speed, he could have gotten the gold. In 2022, he was #8 overall in Lead and #6 in Boulder after having one event in each discipline.

Pegasus 8C by Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson has done in Joe's Valley (UT). Video on his Insta. "Pegasus is the perfect boulder for my style. Itโ€™s been a dream climb of mine. I first did the stand-start back when I was 16 and then about 5 sessions focused on completing the full line."

Bombardino 9a+ by Gio Placci
Gio Placci has done the second repeat of Adam Ondra's Bombardino (9a+) in Arco. "In 4 days, maybe 9a/+ but almost impossible to grade. The beta for me and Stefano (Ghisolfi) is completely different from Adamโ€™s one, itโ€™s way easy ๐Ÿ˜… . The route is 8b+ then really good rest and then a boulder with a really hard first move from a bad small crimp to a small two finger pocket."

How can you explain having done your first three 9a+' in just six weeks?
I think Iโ€™m growing a lot as a rock climber. Iโ€™m more focused on the small details and this help a lot. Anyway, Iโ€™m not actually climbing a lot outside (one day per week) Iโ€™m training for my trip to Spain.

What is the ambition for 2023, and what about the Olympics?
My goal for next year is the lead world cup and my dream is to make a final! Also, I want to try Erebor (9b) after the comp season. For the Olympic games, I think my level in boulder is too low to be qualified, so my plans are focused on 2028โ€™s games

How often do you train and how do you train?
I train almost every day. Sometimes I rest to grow my skin. I do fingerboard, campus board, and physical preparation. I climb 5 days per week either in Arco or in Milano. I love training, Iโ€™m always the one who finishes the session the last ๐Ÿ˜….

8a's Competition Climbers of 2022
Here are 8a's top Competition Climbers of 2022, based on results in international Lead and Boulder competitions. This year, many of the most high profile comp climbers focused on one discipline, or did only a few selected events which kept them from making the cut. If you want to see who has been the best in Lead as well as in Boulder, have a look here overall World Cup results. (c) Daniel Gajda/IFSC

Female
Natalia Grossman -USA
Completely dominated Boulder, winning five events and being runner-up in the sixth. In Lead, she was #3 overall, and in the only Boulder & Lead WC the 21-year-old was #2.

Janja Garnbret - SLO
In Lead, she was in a league of her own, winning five WCs and in the remaining two she was runner-up. The 23-year-old also won both Lead and Boulder in the Euro Championships as well as the only Boulder WC she did.

Chaehyun Seo - KOR
Runner-up overall in Lead and #10 overall in Boulder. In the Asia Championship, the 19-year-old won in Lead and took the bronze in Boulder. In the first ever Boulder & Lead WC she was #3.

Elnaz Rekabi IRA
She was #4 in the Asia Boulder & Lead Championship. In the final, she climbed without her hijab, ostensibly in solidarity with protests in Iran, which began in September following the death of Masha Amini in the hands of the country's morality police. Her action made global headlines, and she received a heroine's welcome upon returning to Tehran; but currently her safety and whereabouts, let alone her ability to compete again, are unclear. This was the only competition the bronze medalist in the 2021 Combined World Championships competed in, in 2022.

Male
Yoshiyuki Ogata - JPN
Winning the Overall Boulder World Cup comfortably after making the podium five times out of six. In Lead, the 24-year-old was #9 overall. In the World Games, he was #3 and in the Asia Championship, he earned three silvers.

Yannick Flohรฉ - GER
The German was #4 overall in Boulder and #5 in Lead.

Colin Duffy - USA
The American was #8 overall in Lead and #6 in Boulder after having one event in each discipline.