NEWS

Nathan Phillips and Aidan Roberts send Trance (8C)
Aidan Roberts and Nathan Phillips have done the second and third ascents of Will Bosiโ€™s Trance (8C) in the Peak District and Nathan comments. โ€First boulder after turning 30. Life in the old dog yet. Chose not to top out. I decided if I was to top out it wouldnโ€™t be for my self and only to appease other people.โ€

Can you tell us more about the boulder?
It climbs an extension of maybe upper end 8A into the hard part of Bewilderness (8B+) the crux being what is probably a 2 move 8B at the end after a lot of moves.

I starting trying last summer after I climbed Bewilderness and managed to do it in 2 halves but never had a real good go at the crux from the start. This year I climbed it on my 4th session. I hit all the holds perfect until the crux where I was slightly off but managed to pull through and do it.

What is the thing about the top out?
Basically the top out is chossy mud filled holds (easy climbing) and then you grab some trees to top out. If you watch Willโ€™s video of it itโ€™s super sketchy and in my eyes the obvious jug just below this part is a better place to finish and I didnโ€™t want to risk the top out for no reason. Myself and a few others have finished on the jug without the top out for Bewilderness.

Staลกa Gejo ticks Incubator (8B)
Staลกa Gejo, who has won two World Championships bronzes, has sent Incubator (8B) in Zillertal. โ€I finally found some time for rocks, now that the Olympic dream crashed. Back to rocks babe :D first 8 grade boulder in a very long time. Comps kill the outdoor vibe. Dialled in the start so well, took quite a few slips on the heel in the crux move (right heel, right arm). Two sessions, sweet.โ€

The 26-year-old has been on the IFSC athlete comission for many years raising problems with eating disorder and the different scoring systems. In 2017 she won both the European Championship as well as the World Games. In regards her Olympic dream, the Serbian was runner-up in the Euro qualifiers for both Tokyo and Paris.

Lucia Dรถrffel does Riverbed (8B)
Lucia Dรถrffel, who got her Olympic ticket two weeks ago in Budapest, has sent Riverbed (8B) in Magic Wood. โ€I was in Magic for just two days. It was just a perfect short trip with good vibes and good weather. Really cool boulder. Endurance training worked :)โ€ (c) Elias Arriagada K.

Can you tell us more about getting your ticket in the Olympic qualifier series in Budapest?
It was the toughest comps Iโ€™ve ever climbed because there was so much mental pressure. I think for all athletes who competed there. After the first one [Shanghai], I was kind of in a good position for a ticket so Iโ€™m really happy I could manage my mind in the second one and could show my best climbing.

Self-funded and climbing for Thailand Ard placed 7th in Innsbruck
Ardch (Ard) Intrachupongse moved from Thailand to the USA in 2016 when he was 8. Since 2022, he has participated in a few World Cups and in Innsbruck, last month, he placed seventh. Here is the IFSC - Athlete of the Week video He mainly trains by himself and his focus is dynamic boulders.

Can you tell us how you train?
I mostly just climb, but I make sure I am climbing at a high intensity and very intense [sessions]. Occasionally I would hangboard and do some weight training for injury prevention. I rarely train on comp boulders because no gym in Seattle sets hard enough comp style boulders that I can benefit from. I try to do 2 days on and 2 days off (varies depending on injury and recovery). I don't often do outdoors because its extremely rainy here where I live but I would say twice a month when it's nice out.

How did you prepare for Innsbruck?
I spent the last few months tuning my physical and mental strength. I did a lot of learning how to turn on my โ€œtry hardโ€ and I also did a lot of โ€œperfect execution trainingโ€ making sure if I could physically do it, I needed to do it in the least amount of attempts while overcoming the pressure.

I ran 2 full comp Simulations (qualifiers and then finals at night) in the last month preparing for Innsbruck. I spend a lot of time on โ€œmade up comp style bouldersโ€ but I have spent very little amount of time training on more difficult competitions boulders Since I simply, just do not have access to those kinds of boulders near where I live.

I just happen to be lucky that comp style boulders come very naturally to me, I spent a lot of time dyno-ing when I was younger, but I got all my competition boulders training from, โ€œOh what if I do this moveโ€. Weekly I probably train 4-5 days a week about three hours each session so 10-15 hours per week in the gym.

I think the intention of how you train and why you are training in that area is very important. When I want to climb hard outdoors it's going to look very different, there will be some similarities in the strength/ power training so I have to adjust the intensity accordingly

Have you trained with other teams and how was your Thailand team set up in Innsbruck?
Nope, never. I have never travelled to train with other national teams before (restricted by funding) but I should start taking that option more seriously. I travelled to Innsbruck with a friend. We grew up on the same climbing team and he is now going to college in Colorado and coaching a local youth team over. He asked if he could come to Innsbruck with me to gain experience. I said sure. The funny part is how he was more nervous than I was and I ended up doing with the usual solo routine I have, but now it's just alongside a friend. The Thai federation signs me up for events but no support so far.

What about sponsors and financing?
I have no active sponsors, just free products but no contracts (I am totally open to new sponsorship I just don't know how to approach the brands). Last year I was competing in the youth circuit, and now that I've aged out, I'm coaching the kids who are still competing in it, about 20 hours a week and on top of that I do private lessons here and there.

On Ard's Instagram he has a gofund.me link to help support his international competitions.

Ainhize Belar Barrutia completes Parasitorik ez (8c)
Ainhize Belar Barrutia, who has already completed 16 routes 8c to 9a, has sent Parasitorik ez (8c) in Araotz/Oรฑate. Pictured is the 18-year-old sending Honky Tonky (8c).

โ€It was the first time that I went to Korea [the sector] this year and I wanted to try something to get used to the climbing style again. It is a route that very few people try, even though itโ€™s one of the best routes on the wall, without many tricks and quite a lot of resistance. Finally, I was able to do it on the third try.โ€

Autumn Lloyd climbs Euro Trash (8A+)
Autumn Lloyd has ticked Euro Trash (8A+) in Little Cottonwood Canyon (UT).

Can you tell us more about the ascent and your climbing background?
I live in western CO and I went to LCC for the first time on June 16th to take advantage of some unseasonably cool temps. Euro Roof (7C+) went down pretty fast so I checked out Euro Trash and managed to work out the beta and get it done in a couple hours, which was honestly really shocking given that Euro Trash was only the third V12 Iโ€™ve ever tried and the first Iโ€™ve done. The movement was great and it was nice to find a hard boulder which suits us shorter climbers. Pity about the glued crimp, but it's still an incredible line.

I am 19 and Iโ€™ve been around climbing my whole life through my parents but have been climbing seriously since I was 13. I grew up in Lander WY until I was 12 and have lived in Grand Junction CO ever since. My dad, David Lloyd, and I spent many years climbing established lines and developing bouldering around WY, CO, and UT, which was an incredible introduction to the sport.

Lukas Mayerhofer does the FA of Anam Cara Low (8C)
Lukas Mayerhofer, has added to his previous three 8C's with the FA of Anam cara low (8C) in Silvretta which adds four [hand] moves into Anam Cara (8B+).

How much difficulty is added with the new low start and how much effort have you put in?
I would say around 7C or 7C+, itโ€˜s not super hard but it adds quite a bit.

I actually did the original start back in 2020 and shortly after I figured out the lower moves but was too weak back then. Since then it was on my mind for some years and I tried it every now and then but I was hopeless. This year I came back with a better mindset and three sessions were enough to finish it!

Lucile Saurel ticks Jackโ€™s Broken Heart (8A+)
Lucile Saurel, who this winter did her first 8A+, has completed Jack's broken heart (8A+) in Magic Wood. โ€I loved this boulder so much, powerful and crimpy movements, all what I love!โ€ (c) Aurele Bremond

The 23-year-old is an active competition climber who was #4 in the Youth World Championship in 2019. This year she has made the podium in one European Cup.

What is your next plan?
For climbing, I wait for the French sรฉlection to see if I can participate at the European Championship at the end of Augustโ€ฆ and maybe go to Fionnay to climb outdoors and in Magicwood maybe!

Shauna Coxsey sends Superman (8B)
Shauna Coxsey reports with an Instagram video that she has sent SUPERMAN (8B) at Cressbrook. "A Peak classic I was almost sure I'd never do. A true finger strength test-piece for sure. Proud of this one!"

Paul Houghoughi took the picture and reports that, as part of her warm-up, she sent Bizarre Ride (8A) on her second go and that she did Superman on her fourth go from the start.