jules nicouleau is on sending train in Fontainebleau just before the French Championship this weekend, having done two 8B's and his first two 8B+'; Kheops Assis and Gecko assis. (c) Clément Lechaptois. In 2016, he was #2 in the European Youth Championship and last year he did his first two 8B's How can you explain your recent progress? I'm actually training for outdoor bouldering and for competitions. The french championships is this weekend and I have tried to be in best shape possible. I climb a loot! I'm not following a real preparation. I'm doing a little bit of board session and that's all. I climb on hard boulders and that's training me. Being in shape for the competition also mean that I'm in shape for rock. I hope to be selected for the World Cup and for the World Championship in Innsbruck. With the good conditions in the forest I decided to spend my last week before the comp by taking as much pleasure as I can, hanging out in the forest trying some hard boulders with friends!"

Clipstick is a safety device that normally used for pre-clipping the first bolt. Jonathan Siegrist video shows have this can be done just using a stick also including how to clip the rope into a hanging quick draw. On the market there are several more advanced clipsticks which makes it possible also to take out the quick draws from the bolts, brush or even install a camera on top. In practice, clipstick know-how is possible the most important skill for any gym climber wanting to try outdoors, often with the first bolts high or far apart. Further more, it can be used to more safe put the rope in the anchor from above, without having to lean out 20 meters of the ground, or to set up another top-rope from a neighboring route. It just might be a nice investment for every gym and clubs to buy some clipsticks and let climbers test them out possibly also by setting up a course also talking about run-outs and ground falls etc. We plan to follow up with some reviews.

The IFSC World Championship in Innsbruck 6 - 16 of September will be the biggest climbing competition ever and the organizer runs a 2.5 million Euro budget. Beside intense days from estimated 650 starters there will be free slide shows, rock trips, lectures, film festivals and concerts. Here you can buy your tickets. For Euro 65 you will get access to all eight finals.

Angie Scarth-Johnson, who the last three years has done extended over-seas trips including home-schooling, is back in Siurana where it has been snowing for two days. During her first trip being 10 years old, the Australian did her first 8c and actually her parents does not climb. "I still haven’t been able to convince my parents to climb so no they still aren’t climbers :)"

Outside Online has published a long portrait with Margo Hayes covering La Rambla 9a+, Biographie 9a+ and the Olympics - The Extraordinary effort of Margo Hayes. “I don’t know what my limit is, and that’s so exciting,” Hayes says. “It’s like you’re chasing this running carrot—it doesn’t stop moving.” The picture by Matty Hong, which received 24 000 likes, is from when she had become the first female to have done 9a+ through La Rambla being 19 years old. In the Youth World Championship in 2016, she got two golds and in 2017, she was #3 in the Combined.

Putting hand warmers in the chalk bag is a good way to keep the fingers warm during winter. Normally the heat is created through a chemical process. Strider has developed a hand warmer where you actually start a "fire" on some sticks which you keep in a box which gets really warm. Other ways of keeping your hands warm during very colds days are using vompression sleeves on your forehands and cut the fingers on some thin gloves.

Michaela Kiersch has done Maze of death 8A+ in Bishop. "Nina's beta for the win! Couldn't have finished it so quickly without her. 5 tries? Love the style and the aesthetic." On the picture by Cameron Maier, Michaela is doing Haroun and the Sea of Stories! 8A (+). In the Combined 8a female ranking game, the American is actually more superior than Adam Ondra is among the male. Interesting is that the 23 year old graduated from University last November. "in 2018 I am looking forward to seeing what happens when I focus more energy into my climbing."

Inspired by, EpicTV's - The Great Grade Debate here are some further thoughts which goes back to the original article from 2002 - Rating in theory and reality - "Everything is relative" The harder it gets, the harder it takes to progress. To advance in grades from 5c to 6a normally just takes a couple of sessions meanwhile for Adam Ondra it will probably take several years to progress to 9c+. The easiest way to establish how much harder one grade is possibly to use a pyramid-multiplicator model of around 4, based on how many climbers have reached a specific grade. (For boulders the multiplicator is much higher.) 1 = 9c (Adam Ondra) 4 = 9b+ (Ondra & Sharma) 16 = 9b (Some 16 guys) 64 = 9a+ (Some 69 guys) 256 = 9a (Guessing 200+ guys) Another way of explaining how much harder one grade is, is to use the 8a Time Comparison Grading Theory, at least for experienced climbers. The speculated time and effort needed to advance one grade for Adam Ondra with a 9a maximum onsight capacity could be, talking about personal bests; Onsight = 9a Flash = 9a+ 3 Days = 9b 20 days = 9b+ 150 days = 9c For less experienced and relatively less technically and tactically skilled; Onsight = 8a Flash = 8a+ 3 Go = 8b 3 Days = 8b+ 15 Days = 8c 100 Days = 8c+

Do not miss his technique for skipping rope drag by clipping in and changing rope 45 sec in the film. Smartness, Safety, Speed and precision climbing at it's best.