Isabelle Faus, who did her first 8B+ last month, continues to deliver with The Shining 8B in RMNP. In the female ranking game, she was #2 after Alex Puccio for quite some time and now she is the tied #1 and actually #35 among the male. (c) Chad Greedy "Really psyched! first try from the start yesterday, tried it the last few years tho, can't really remember anything ever, but probably more than 5 days, and less than 10 haha. great boulder, super steep, powerful, sustained, pretty perfect, props to my hommie Jimmy Webb for putting it up!"

The new Kalymnos topo with 448 pages including some 2700 routes is at the printer's. The majority of photos and photo-topos are new, and in addition to the practical information about each crag (shade, exposure, approach etc) little extras, like GPS coordinates to each crag, have been added. The biggest change, however, is that you will also get a code for a free App, that has been created in cooperation with Vertical-Life. Matthias Polig invented the Zlagboard and started Vertical Life almost three years ago with the plan to contact the local topo authors and offer to be their publishing house including a topo App. - Being the local topo producer of the South Tyrol topo I know how much hard work these guys put in and also that they help rebolting etc. At the same time, the locals are threatened by topo companies who just fly in and copy old topos as well as by user generated web topos. We believe that digital publishing has a great future, especially in the outdoor area. Together with locals all over the world, we are creating a global digital climbing guide. The Vertical-Life Climbing app is a comprehensive mobile guide to the best crags, boulders and multipitches. In addition to our own climbing guides, we cooperate with local authors and digitalize their guidebooks.

Isaac Caldiero, an active 8a member who has done two 8B+ FAs, has become the first out of 3 500 contestants during seven seasons of American Ninja Warrior and won 1 millon USD. DPM reports, "This was Caldiero’s thirds season on the show and he trained hard this year to win. He reportedly built a replica of stage three in his backyard—the upper body intensive crux of the four-stage event that had only been completed one time before by climber Brian Arnold.

Planet Mountain reports that Nina Caprez and Barbara Zangerl have done Die Unendliche Geschichte, a 420 m long 8b+ put up by Beat Kammerlander in 1990 and only repeated once by Pietro dal Pra. (c) Robert Bösch Barbara started out getting head lines for boulder ascents up to 8B meanwhile Nina made routes up to 8c. During the last year they have been challenging the hardest multi pitches in the world, almost equal to the top male and Nina comments. "In my eyes there is no difference between girls and boys, especially on vertical and technical faces like the ones in Rätikon. There is only one difference that matters and it's between the first ascent and all that follow. Redpointers are always in the privileged position, they already know that the route is possible to climb."

luis alfonso felix himself declares to be on a winning streak since on September 3rd he emulated his friend and co-partner, José Luis Palao 'Primo', in bolting of the line by also sending Seta Total (pic© Javi Pec ). "It's got a hard start, super bouldery with weird shouldery moves and being able to hit a two-finger pocket, then a transit zone with generous holds up to a fake rest which we know as 'los ojitos' ('little eyes'); from here to the chain there's a lot of power-endurance with big and morphological movements between two-finger pockets and crimps and, in the end, a thin headwall, Cuenca style, with a pumpy finish. Most of the route overhanhs around 40º, it's got some 63 moves and, as I said before, two-finger pockets and crimps abound. The hardest thing is to correctly perform the first section so as to not squander too much power and properly rest in 'los ojitos'; that way you have chances to success on the morpho move at the lip." Three days later and also in Cuenca he managed to do the FA of Quassam Mix. He explained us about the route's name and grading: "It's located in Valdecabras Sur, it's next to 'Palestina' 8c+/9a, it shares a little section with 'Vivir en la Ignorancia' 8b+ and then it ends up by a super aesthetic wall by where the original harder line bolted by 'Primo', 'Qassam' 9a/+?, passes. Since we're still trying that original route, we conceived this 'easy' variation which weights in at around 8c+ or 8c+/9a. I'm not sure. That day I was feeling super strong, so future repetitors will confirm it or not. Personally I feel it like 'Palestina'... maybe the question is what grade this later will be left... hahaha. Seriously talking, I feel they are the same grade. Other than that, it's a 5 stars line: super steep at the begining and with a power-endurance slightly overhanging part in the end, with distanced bolts and some air below your feet; all an ode to the 'courage'..." // Ignacio Sandoval Burón.

The new Helium II jacket by Outdoor Research has been designed in a way that makes you not realise it's there until you need it… It takes up less space than your chalk bag and weighs 180g (size L), which happens to be ideal to carry in your climbing/boulder backpack for those “just in case” moments. You can also hang it from your harness for those unexpected storms when you’re in the middle of a multi-pitch route. It’s also suitable for trail runners. It's Pertex Shield + that has protected us from the rain and wind throughout long periods and although it lacks a specific breathability system, it transpires quite well. It has two pockets, one on the chest with a zip and an internal one which doubles as a stuff sack with a carabiner for clip-on convenience. The hood with a built-in visor is completely adjustable and compatible with the helmet. The OR logos (the big one when the jacket is packed in and the ones on the chest and arm) are reflective. On the downside, what we’ve least liked about the jacket are the cuffs, they are not adjustable so unless you’ve got very wide wrists they feel quite loose. They are available in an array of colours for both men and women. Mind you, buy it a size bigger if you’re planning to wear it with something other than a t-shirt or a sweater. See more about it in this video.

Matyas Luzan, who has spent the last two years training on replicas of Action Directe, did injure himself on the very first hard move he tried on the site in Frankenjura. "I popped my right annular finger in the palm and also in the forearm. Like it snapped while warming up. Imagine how stressed the muscles were. I think I was overtrained and too little rest. I also think because in the gym there are 30 degrees and I climbed in 10 now, and I was dehydrated. overtraining/too little rest

Ed Fowke from The Circuit Climbing Magazine reports from the Psiocobloc comp in Milano. - Going away from the first Psicocomp I have attended I’m left with the belief that there is a place for this format on the World stage. Growing it into a series will for sure bring the crowds and taking to public places like Milano will grow the profile of the event immensely! The best way to describe a competition like this is to say “just watch the highlights reel” which will be coming soon. The racing was fast and frenetic starting with some great match ups in the ladies field where any of the top 3 of Juliane Wurm, Mathilde Becerra and Claudia Ghisolfi looking capable of the win. Indeed Juliane won her semi against Claudia by nanoseconds before having to do it all again in the finals, just edging Mathilde in the closing metres. In the end it came down to some crazy races to split the field. Sean’s come from behind semi win over home favorite Stefano Ghisolfi was unbelievable, he seemed to fly through the last 2 metres snatching victory at the very top. Stefano went on to secure bronze in the event beating rising American star Nathaniel Coleman in another hard fought race which was impossible to split until the final moves. Then it was the big show, Jan versus Sean, Boulderer vs All-rounder, Tall vs Short, who would be the champion. In the end even running his best time of the weekend with a sizzling 35 second pass Sean couldn’t deny the Big German who threw down a simply ridiculous 32 second pass to seemingly levitate his way to victory!" 8a has for some years now kept saying that IFSC should take up this format and make a World Cup out of it and possibly also make it Olympic. Psicobloc could as a matter of a fact, make something of the kind of a mixture of Lead, Boulder and Speed format. What do you think?

Jan hojer reports on Facebook, "Double victory for Jule (Wurm) and me at the DWS comp in Milano. It was a great event and so special for me to compete against the legend Chris Sharma and all the other great climbers!" #2 Mathilde Becerra & Sean McColl #3 Claudia & Stefano Ghisolfi