Maximilian Dauser has done Nice freshly baked (9a) in Frankenjura. It shares the start and the middle section of Shangrila (8c+) which he did in 2021. (c) Thomas Dauser

"The start of my big 9a project was after sending Shangri-La, as it didn't feel like my absolute limit and I was curious about that process. Previously, my sole goal was doing Shangri-La, which itself was a new level for me.

The process of about 1.5 years around sending Nice Freshly Baked is very special to me because I could prove to myself that I can still push my limit at climbing whilst having a family with a toddler and a baby and pursuing my career as an attorney. The greatest challenge was to create a proper balance between those three goals in life (and deal with being regularly sick - as probably all parents of little kids). Sometimes you want to put a goal last, like I didn't climb outside for about half a year around the birth of my daughter last September. And sometimes you want to prioritize the climbing part, so I tried to create enough time for a second day of climbing per week at the project when the conditions were good in the last weeks."

"The route itself starts with a hard boulder problem and continues with about 12 moves of power endurance climbing up to another boulder problem with a low percentage large move to a hidden hold and two more hard moves. Afterwards, it is basically done. I already got up to that large move regularly last year but couldn't stick it in most attempts. I even fell a couple of times at the next move. In the end, all pieces fell together and I could climb Nice Freshly Baked."

Oriane Bertone, who has won 17 IFSC Youth competitions and been runner-up in the World Cup five times, won in Prague ahead of Janja Garnbret. Both scored 34 but Oriane used only four attempts for her tops meanwhile Janja needed six tries. The French competitor easily flashed the slab, which the Slovenian athlete was not close to sending it. On the more powerful boulder, it was the opposite situation. Flavy Cohaut from France got the bronze in her first World Cup of the season. Previously in 2023, she has done three Euro Cups winning twice and getting the silver in one. Complete results (c) IFSC

Bertone commented to IFSC: ”I knew I had to take the zone to win[on W4], and when I did, I saw my coaches go crazy, but I wanted my competition to be complete, so I had to stay concentrated. It was amazing, one of the best feelings I ever had. I love Flavy, she’s my friend and my teammate, and I’m so happy to be on the podium with her!”

Outdoors, the 18-year-old has one of the best female ticklist, having done her first 8c+ route and her first 8B/+ boulder at age 12. Her is an 8a interview from this spring.

William Bosi sent Alphane (9A) last November after projecting it a dozen sessions. "A few sessions back I was unsure as to whether Alphane would go on this trip, the temperature has been unseasonably hot, some rainy days had made it really humid and the route was damp in places. However, the crew out here managed to keep the psyche really high and the problem came together quickly. The moves on this line are so good and after a lot of time on the wall, I was really happy to claim the third ascent!"

Bosi stopped a successful competition career in 2021. His best boulder result was a bronze in the World Championship in 2016 and in Lead, he has twice been #4 in the World Cup.

Dohyun Lee from Korea, #7 overall last year, got his first World Cup victory by winning in Prague, needing only five attempts to do all four boulders. The runner-up was Adam Ondra (CZE) who used 13 attempts for all problems competing in front of his home crowd. Mejdi Schalck (FRA), who won the first two events this spring, got the bronze flashing three boulders. Interestingly all six finalists represent different countries. The fourth spot was claimed by Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN), followed by Yannick Flohé (GER) and Jan-Luca Posch (AUT). Complete results (c) Jan Virt/IFSC Ondra commented to IFSC: "It’s been so nice to be back on the circuit, especially in my home country. It’s been 13 years since the last World Cup event in Czechia, and the only one I participated in was in my hometown of Brno, when I was 16 and I barely missed the final, it was so frustrating, so this is a good revenge!"

Lilli Kiesgen, who last year sent her first three 8A+'s, has over two days in Zillertal managed to send five 8A's; Clockwork Orange (8A), Analdin und die Wunderschlampe (8A), , and . The 26-year-old is a former competition climber who was #9 in the World Championship in 2016.

Can you tell us more about the five 8A ascents?
We spent two days in Zillertal on our way from Innsbruck to Prague. I’m just on vacation in Prague and cheering for Yannick ☺️. The day didn’t start that well, we parked the van in the wrong parking spot and were pretty lost for an hour. When we finally reached the crag I started to warm up directly in the moves of Clockwork Orange. Surprisingly they didn’t feel hard and I could climb the boulder on my second try from the bottom. Afterwards, we went to Analdin - a real gem in the Forest! The holds and the line is just perfect. It took a bit until I figured out the moves around the sloper in the middle section, but I was still able to climb the boulder within an hour.

We were tired of walking around (and climbing!) so we did a break, cooked some tortellini and napped a bit. In the afternoon I just wanted to take a look at mother firestarter. I got hooked and climbed it after a really short warmup. I think two essential things got together yesterday, I was in the right mood and the conditions were good - not too warm and not too cold.

True romance is right beside the river and has mainly crimps. I figured out a beta with a toe hook so I don’t have to do the powerful extension move. Jam Session is a roof with some heel hook moves and a crimpy top out. The main crux was for me the far move with a bad foot over the edge. None of the boulders I did took long- I think that is essential if you want to climb a lot in a day.

Why do you think you are in such excellent shape?
I think my fitness increased so much because I started to train my weaknesses - steep walls with far moves on good or slopy holds. In the last year, I mostly trained on spray walls and on the Kilterboard and I think that is paying off now.

Janja Garnbret, who missed the first three Boulder World Cups in 2023 due to a broken toe, was the only female to top all five qualification boulders in Prague. Garnbret commented to IFSC: ”I didn’t feel like I just came back from an eight-month break. I couldn’t stop smiling all the time, because I felt very comfortable on the mats, I felt myself. It was incredible!”

The other group was won by Futabo Ito. Noteworthy is that five of the Top-7 ranked after three events did not participate; Brooke Raboutou, Natalia Grossman, Anon Matsufuji, Hannah Meul and Anastasia Sanders. Complete results

Ritsu Kayotani from Japan, who last year became the Boulder Youth Champion, was the only competitor to top the five qualification boulders in Prague. The other group was won by Mickael Mawem. Adam Ondra was #13 in his first IFSC competition for two years and commented to IFSC. "I definitely felt the pressure and I’m going to need the crowd behind me tomorrow, in the semi-final round. My goal is to be at the top of my shape in Bern, at the World Championships. That’s the most important goal of the season for me."

The big names that did not make it to the semi were; #23 Alex Megos, Sean Bailey and #27 Jakob Schubert Complete results

Matty Hong has sent Biographie (9a+) in Céüse. This was the 19th ascent of Chris Sharma's iconic route from 2001 which was bolted by Jean-Christophe Lafaille in 1989. (c) Alex Aristei

”I first tried the route in 2017 with Margo Hayes and Daniel Woods. We all tried Biographie together for about a month but were unsuccessful. Falling after the crux on my last day made it hard to leave but the season was clearly over. Since then I’ve been dreaming of trying the route again. I planned a trip with a friend from the States to climb in Spain. When we arrived it was too hot so we came to Céüce. I’ve been here about 4 weeks now trying Biographie. It has been a challenging season with a lot of rain but I knew I didn’t want to leave again without completing the route.

I was very strategic this time with my attempts, I learned a lot in 2017 and felt l had to take a new approach. Balancing skin, fatigue, and weather is one of the biggest challenges of climbing here. Sometimes everything can be perfect except for a small cut on the finger which stops any attempt. This year I really enjoyed the process climbing on the route and when I finally did it, it was a surreal moment for me. Something I’ve dreamt about since I was a young climber and certainly since my trip in 2017.”

How did you prepare for the Euro trip?
Most of my training came from bouldering the past few months and then the time I spent learning the route this season. I didn’t prepare specifically for the route as I thought I would be climbing in Spain.

How did you warm up before the redpoint attempts?
Typically as a warm up I would start on a hand board, this gets my fingers ready without compromising the skin. I would then go up Biographie to brush the holds and get reacquainted with the movements. I find warming up on my project useful as it gives me a good idea of how I am feeling that day. Typically I could give two good tries per day, following the 2 on 1 off schedule. Although weather quickly because of the determinant for our schedule.

How come you think Biographie has become such an iconic route?
This route is not only iconic for its history but also for its notorious difficulty. Despite 15a [9a+] being a commonly climbed grade these days this route has certainly challenged some of the best climbers. I believe the route also presents a unique balance of difficulty which requires bouldering strength, endurance and a strong mind. These aspects all together make the route so amazing.

What's next?
I have another few days here and I’ve begun trying , the moves feel good and I’m excited to return.