Some twenty years ago, an Italian World Cup climber fell to the ground and injured himself badly, as he had not tightened his bowline knot. Directly afterwards IFSC made it mandatory to use the eight knot during comps. At the same time, in every WC competition there is a problem to untie the knot that sometimes results in 1 - 2 minutes delay. The O-Key device solves this problem by squeezing it in the knot before climbing. Back on the ground you just take the it out and untie will become much simpler. Possibly IFSC will make it mandatory to use on World Cups. On the other hand, the O-Key is in fact also a Safety First innovation because by squeezing it in, it is like confirming that you have finished your eight knot. Most us have forget this once or have had friends who have forgotten it and in some cases it has resulted in bad injuries. Most of us re-check the knot high up on the route and with the "Safety First" device, all these guys will feel more comfortable. After having used it for some days in Kalymnos, I am very positive about it and possibly this is a game changer when it comes to safety. Once my belayer says, - On belay!, I check my knot answering with - Safety First! Having kids, I will make it mandatory for them to use it and it will be nice to pass it over to my friends, showing I care. The O-Key or "Safety First" device is an invention by Albi Schneider, who ten years ago introduced the belay glasses to the market. He will present the O-Key at Outdoor in Friedrichshafen in June. Yesterday, he got the message that his O-Key made it to the finals where they are about to present the best new products of 2017. The price will be 4 or 5 Euros but Albi also plans to sell them in packages of five for Euro 10, so you can have a package in your rucksack and give away to friends. The O-Key can also be used as your small stick opening your carabiner while going for a stick clip.

Piotr Schab, who has done four 8b+ and harder onsights the last two weeks, is halfway of his goal to do ten 9a's in 2017 by sending Victimas Perez in Margalef. (c) Wojtek Kozakiewicz "Endurance climbing on pockets with an insecure jump at the end. Extremely painful but all in all it's worth some struggle :)" Now the plan is to start training for the Lead competition season that starts with the European Champion in Italy 30/6.

Jon Glassberg has a personal best of 8B but he is aiming for The Big Island 8C in Fontainebleau. Read his blog on La Sportiva describing his process and plan where he also says that, "Any climber with an athletic disposition, dedication, time, appropriate training and proper diet can climb V10(7C+).

Ten years ago, Albi Schneider presented his CU belay glasses on the market and 8a immediately gave it a thumbs up. Many were skeptical but it was such a great success that it was copied but after a trial, the guys selling it in Europe have to pay a licence. All in all, it has been estimated that at least some 50 000 pairs of glasses have been produced and sold around the world. In Kalymnos, where you can buy the CU's at just 79 Euros at Wild Sport often half of the belayers actually use belay glasses on the sectors with 25+ meter walls. 8a is currently testing another innovation by Albi that probably also will become popular in the future. On the picture, World Champion Angy Eiter is uses her CU's while route reading.

Christof Rauch, famous for having done more than 350 boulders 8A and harder the last 3.5 years, has done his second 8C FA, Iron Knuckles in Kärnten. "Perfect moment! Surely one of the biggest fights I've ever had, and definitely the hardest problem I have ever climbed. I feel in really good shape at the moment and I've never put so much effort into a single boulder problem. I just really wanted to climb this thing and it was always fun to try those moves. All together I worked on this beast about 14 sessions. Two hours after my ascent it started to rain really heavily, so I got soaked on the 50 minute walk back to the car. The problem links a perfect shaped crack with a little feet first section, about 8A+ at itself, into "Hard Knock Life" 8B, all in all about 20 hard moves and there is still an harder exit..." Directly after the send Christof, who is working full time as an electrician and engine building technician, started to work linking the 8A+ traverse with an 8B+ finish. Another fun fact is that it is a 50 min hike to the boulder and as many times before, he did it by himself, in order to get a full day experience challenging some rocks out in the nature.

Tips and tricks for beginners and up Maximizing your grade The 8abc of climbing Shortcuts to 8a Recruitment finger training

Adam Ondra shares some great tips on his Instagram including also a indoor replica of his 9c project in Flatanger, where he is going next.

Klättercentret in Stockholm created The Project and invited several top climbers to go for the challenge topping out the "world's hardest route" getting Euro 5 000 or having the yearly record getting Euro 1 000. It was a great media success and Adam Ondra has the high point but in reality the route has already been abandoned. "As the route is permanent it will now for the first time in climbing history be possible to have a World record which everyone can try to beat. It will of course be possible to have all sorts of records based on countries, regions, cities, gender, age and so on." It just might be that Alex Megos, who often spends time in Stockholm, will project it a bit in order to get the Euro 1 000 but other than that the upper 3/4' will just collect dust. The idea was to start with 6A boulder moves and continue with a "mighty 8C at the top". Anybody can understand that doing an 8C boulder after having climbed a 30 meter progressively harder route for about 30 meters is impossible for human mankind, i.e the Euro 5 000 was well looked in the bank valve. Further more, it seems to be a route setting mistake as it did turn out to be too hard too early. Ondra's highpoint, which we must assume should be at least 9a involving at least an 8A+ boulder sequence, is about ten meters and 20 moves from the top! Very few gym climbers can actually do more than 15 moves. The best solution now should be to give Ondra his Euro 1 000 and either add many holds or to make a new, more progressive Project route that is at most 8a half way up. A female variation should also be created by adding holds, because as it stands now, the Project also discriminates female climbers.