Javier Meng #1 in the 40+ ranking game

Javier Meng did his first 8A+' at age 27. Now 13 years later he has done 129 boulders 8A+ and harder. His sixth and latest 8B+ he did last year and he is #1 in the 40+ ranking game. In total, he has done 800 FAs in between 7A and harder.

Could you tell us about your climbing background?
I started climbing almost 25 years ago. Sport climbing at first, also some classic climbing but soon I specialized in bouldering. In all these years the motivation, the desire to go climbing, to look for new areas, to open new blocks and to continue improving has remained intact. The main change is that now I have more obligations and less time, which means that I have to make the most of the time I can train or go to the rock. Currently, I am a weekend climber. Hopefully, during the week I can go to train for a couple of days, and it's the weekend when I can go out on rock. I am lucky to keep the same desire to go climbing as the first day.

Which are the new areas you can recommend where you have put up the most FAs and where you see the biggest potential?
The last years, the place where I have spent the most time climbing and opening new boulders is the Valle del Miera, in Cantabria (a.k.a. lierganes). It is a limestone area that I have close to home and that allows me to make short-term visits. There are over a hundred blocks of 8th grade (8b+ máx.) and there are still very hard projects to climb. Currently, I am projecting Negro oscuro.

How many sessions have you put in and how hard could it be?
5-6 at the moment. I did it without the sit-start moves, and it's around 8A+. But the three moves from the sit are impossible for the moment 🤣 At least 8B, 8B+ or even 8C.

Why do you think you're in such good shape at age 40? What do you attribute it to?
I think I climb better now. Probably I don't have the same power, but I think I am more technical and climb more efficiently. I actually started to try really hard problems just recently.

How many hours a week do you train and climb and how do you train?
2 hours each day, 4 hours/per week. Only Moonboard sessions. No campus, no series, no clock. I do not do a scientific or planned training. I don't like training. The session must be like an outdoor day, warming up and then trying hard problems.