The Boulderingen World Cup starts this Friday in Meiringen in Switzerland with a record number of competitors, 109 male and 102 female. Two years ago, 84 male and 59 female participated! With 12 male Japanese competing, it just might be that almost half of the semifinalist are from Japan and here is our speculation of the final result. Runner-ups could be Alex Megos and Alexei Rubtsov respectively Stasa Gejo and Alma Bestwater. Last year winner Shauna Coxey has been injured and thus not ranked #1. 1. Janja Garnbret - Jongwon Chon 2. Japanese - Japanese 3. Japanese - Japanese 4. Shauna Coxey - Japanese 5. Japanese - Japanese 6. Fanny Gibert - Jan Hojer With the new rule, giving higher priority for zones, it just might be that zones will be placed a bit higher which, on the other hand, many will score zero. It should also be mentioned that meanwhile Janja and Shauna have finished their qualification 17.30, the last females out will finish around 21.00. The different resting periods might have an impact during the semifinal starting at 11.00, which will be live-streamed and that goes also for the finals starting 18.45 for the female and 20.00 for the male.

David Fitzgerald, who started climbing in 2012 being 18 years old, has done Big Paw 8B+ (C) in Chironico. "This is one of the best lines I've ever seen and the hardest I've climbed abroad. Using the mini-compression method, I had many doubts whether or not I could piece this one together on this short trip to Ticino, especially given how warm it has become here in Chironico lately. Ya gotta keep trying, though. Under the floodlights, I managed to put all doubt aside and stand on top of one of the best lines in the world! I can't express how happy this makes me feel. This one felt desperate on day one, conceivable on day two and effortless on day three. Funny how that can happen sometimes. Lines don't get much better than this! The whole trip is being documented by the Puzzleglass team for their upcoming film, 'The Blocbuster Project'". I can totally understand how someone taller might consider their method hard 8B+, though. It’s almost impossible to compare these vastly different methods and class them under the same grade. I believe the majority of opinions are split, some suggesting 8B+ and some suggesting 8C, so I’m just throwing my honest opinion into the discussion. It’s completely personal and subjective, but I’m satisfied that what I climbed was a step up to anything I’ve done abroad."

"I do not share my ascents on social media partly because I do not own a smart phone or any social media. I am just not interested in it. I also feel like if I did get a social media account, I would feel pressured to get more ascents and do more climbs so I could post about them. It would just overall be more pressure. To me, climbing is very special in that it is an individual sport and I only want to climb for my enjoyment. Climbing has many different perks to me. As stated above, I like the individual aspect, but I also like how it brings me closer to nature. I travel many amazing places for climbing trips where I wouldn't normally go. Another aspect of climbing I enjoy is how different it is every time. Each route is unique and different and brings me a new challenge." Connor Herson grew up in a dedicated climbing family with a big wall interest. Being 13 years old, he French freed The Nose in 13 hours with his father Jim. "Seriously, you can’t make your kids like climbing. You can only make them not like climbing." Family interview from 2014. "I made a goal last year to climb 14 5.14's (8b+ and up) before I turn 15 (early July). I have done 11 so far, and I know a few more I think I can do. For competitions, I want to make U.S. Team for lead climbing and compete in the youth world championships this August. I’m not interested in the results, I’m more interested in making it to finals so I can try all the climbs. I will spend much of the summer training indoors, but I still hope to get some trad climbing in at Yosemite or somewhere else in the Sierra. Basically, I want to keep a relatively even balance of outdoor sport and bouldering, outdoor trad, and indoor competition training." The 8c+ second go, in the headline, was Southern Smoke in Red River Gorge and it was his friend Zander Waller who gave us the tip of the amazing multi-discipline climber "slightly off the radar".

Martina Cufar, World Champion from 2001, has shared the snowy picture from Verdon. As a matter of a fact, the weather is terrible all the way from Siurana with heavy rain and even i the Céüse base camp, there is a risk for snow this night.

Stefano Ghisolfi has spent 13 days working on Chris Sharma's old project Perfecto Mundo in Margalef which both say might be 9b+. Taking some days off Stefano quickly did Gancho perfecto 9a in Margalef which was put up by Chris Sharma in 2008. This was just the third repeat after Ramon Julian Puigblanque and Adam Ondra. (c) Andrea Cossu We caught up with Stefano on his way back to Italy where he will do some more specific training and then probably go back in a weeks time. "Ganchon perfecto was totally unexpected for me, I tried few times and found it very hard. Then decided to give a go and sent it. My plan for 2018 is to do just the Lead World Cup and the World Championship plus some hard rock project. For the olympics I'm doing some speed and bouldering comps but just in Italy this year. From the next year I'll compete in international comps. Perfecto Mundo project first part could be 8c to a rest, then the main section starts, about ten intense moves with the crux that is a jump from a mono to a pinch which is the hardest move. I can do it as single move but not always. From there is still a bit hard, 8a+ to the chain I think." Sharma projecting video

Piotr Schab has done his third 9a+ through Chris Sharma’s Catxasa in Santa Linya which is a 45 meter long route bolted by Dani Andrada. "I needed two days to figure out the right betas and for my body to adapt to the moves, to finally send it in the first go of day three, feeling in control the whole way up." More iinfo his Instagram (c) Lena Drapella As it only took six tries in total, it seems the Pole is in his best shape ever. His big current project is Fight or Flight 9b in Oliana which he already have worked on for 15 days and he has another three weeks to go. In the 8a ranking game, the 21 year old is #2 after Adam Ondra.

UKC has published an article saying, "Guidebooks should omit specific Sport Route Lengths". For me this is wrong. Looking in a topo for planning which sector you want to do, it is great to know the length of the route. I mean, maybe you do not want to climb 10 meters routes and instead your focus is 30 meter long endurance routes or vice versa. To not include route length in the topo, mean you might end up at a crag with 35 or 40 meter long routes with just a 60 or 70 meter long rope.

Fanatic Climbing reports that Gerome Pouvreau has done Alex Megos Supercrackinette 9a+ famous after Adam Ondra's flash. “For the grade, after the 2 amazing guys who have sent the line before before me, nothing to add! A huge congrats to Adam for his flash, it’s very nice for our sport, and it’s also fascinating how he combines waiting, observation, projecting, sending… Hats off!” The day after Florence Pinot did La ligne claire 8c+ also in St Léger. Here is an interview with the former competition climbers who previously has done a couple 8c+' including Escalatamasters which some consider 9a.