Romain Desgranges took his third big victory by winning in Briancon. The French started competing among the seniors 15 years ago but had hard times to get even close to the semifinal. Throughout a steady continous progress he was #3 overall last year and already midways in the season he has taken a big lead overall. Runner up was Sean McColl who previously have hard time performing at his normal podium level. It should also be noted that there were no ties in the male final so great work from the route setters. Complete results (c) Eddie Fowke - The Circuit Climbing

Flash is a great harness innovation from CAMP at 235 grams and still it is comfortable while giving you the optimal freedom of movement. The other day I used it for bolting and at the end I used if for the full day bolting as it was comfortable enough. Here is the explanation. "Load Webbing construction with structural longitudinal threads that allow for a wider cross section for greater support without the added weight of traditional webbing. The construction allows for a significant reduction in the number of stitch points to minimize the profile and maximize comfort and safety. With the Flash, we have also integrated 3 mm of padding adhered directly to the webbing for increased comfort." The innovative construction also means that you can squeeze it together in a very small bag that fits in a jacket pocket or so. Further more, the Speed-buckle is working really great. The only down side we have found is that you can not adjust the straps at the back and they felt pretty long but possibly that was because we, 65 kilo guys, tried a medium one.

Belmez Face presents this revolutionary product to carry your crashpad while you hike to a far away bouldering crag or just to join a few pads if you're going climbing alone to a problem with a bad landing. You can join up to 3 pads or put it together to a 90L backpack and one pad for a long weekend in the mountains. The Padbacker is build on Cordura 1000 fabric with a big pocket for chalkbag and a pair of shoes. Also two 1.70m nylon slings conect the Padbacker with two duraluminium buckles at the end, getting a perfect adjust in both sides. And you can use it with any crashpad brands. You can get it the website by just 26'90 EUR. As the 90% of Belmez Face products, it is handmade in Madrid.

The fourth stage of the Lead WC starts today and the semifinal will be streamed live on Friday 19.30 and the final on Saturday also 19.30. Go to www.ifsc-climbing.org. Updated results

Jorg Verhoeven explains on UKC the new rules for the European Bouldering Championship that takes place during the World Cup in Munich 18-19i/8. "A solution has been reached, but does it 'solve the problem', so to speak?" is the question UKC asks in the headline. The new interim rule tries solve the unfairness, especially for the males, where the Europeans might end up competing in a qualifying group with many Japanese. In one group the #4 ranked Europe might end up as #11, missing the semifinal, meanwhile in the other group possible the seven best Europeans qualify to the semi. Originally Verhoeven suggested to cancel the whole European Championship. The new rule is that the European Championship 2017 will be held during the semifinal of the World Cup. After the Top-20 World Cup semifinalists, also the remaining Top-10 Europeans from each qualification group will be allowed to compete. At the same time some unfairness has been solved, the new set up has also some disadvantages. In practice, the already long live-streamed semifinal (2.5 hours) could possibly take 50 min more if ten extra Europeans will be included in the semifinal. There is a risk for strange and confusing results. 1. The #1 European in the WC, possibly standing on the WC podium, might not stand on the ECH podium. 2. In theory, The European Champion might be #30 in the World Cup. 3. Possibly the Top-6 from the semifinal, or even the #1, will not be allowed to compete in the Munich final. I agree that the solution could solve a possibly unfair qualification round for the Europeans. However, most probably there will not be an unfair qualification and more or less equal male Europeans from each group will make it into the semi. If so, the new set up of rules will not have had any advantages but we could end up with a long and strange competition with confusing results. Time will tell if this new set of rules was good or bad. In the forum, Bojan Leskosek explains that the new rule just might have created a new unfairness as the ranking decides which group the Euopeans will belong to. As it stands, out of the Top-20 ranked, 12 will compete in group A and just 8 in group B, i.e. it will be easier to qualify from group B. Check Excel ranking

Leonidio is #1 in the crag trend ranking with 5 294 recorded ascents out of which 54 % the last 12 months. The 2017 festival will take place 2-5 Nov and Alex Megos has been invited. Video from last year. "A three-hour drive from Athens, Leonidio has established itself as one of the best climbing destinations in Europe. Many of you have visited our beautiful village and experienced its stunning cliffs. Currently there are more than 1000 routes across a wide range of grades, and there is still potential for many more. Vertical Life is bringing back events such as the Open Climbing Marathon and everyone’s favorite Zlagboard contest. Other fun activities will include yoga, film screenings, presentations, prize drawings and a reprise of last year’s awesome Saturday night live party with the band 48 Hours." More info at Climb In Leonidio