Natalie Bärtschi has been on a four week trip to Rocklands ticking almost 30 boulders where the highlights grade-wise were Mintberry Crunch (8A) and Cinquième soleil (8A). In the picture, the 28-year-old is doing .

"I was very pleased to find myself in better shape than the years before and finish off some classics like Caroline (7C+) and Pinotage (7C). My personal highlight was climbing Cinquième Soleil (8A) in a single session. It's a comp style dyno with a foot stab into a tricky and committing end which took me a lot more tries than the actual jump. It's rare to find these kinds of moves outside and therefore hard to compare grade-wise but I think the style of this one suited me particularly well. Another one that went down surprisingly quick was Mintberry Crunch (8A) in Echo Valley (near Cape Town), which I had already spent one session on 4 years ago. Definitely not the hardest for its grade but still tricky for me since I was pretty much climbing at full span on the crux moves. My main goal this year was Black Shadow (8A+) which I had already tried on previous trips. I could consistently do it in two parts but unfortunately couldn't quite put it together, so this will have to wait for next time."

What do you think has been the key to being stronger this trip?
Well, it‘s been four years since my last trip and I‘ve been training a lot, mostly for competitions which I think made me a more well-rounded climber in general. In climbing there are so many variables physically and mentally but probably the biggest difference I‘ve noticed is improved finger strength, mostly through continuous hangboarding and climbing on a spray wall (35-45 degree). However, I would still consider finger strength one of my biggest weaknesses, especially when climbing outside. I‘ve also struggled with heel hooks (which are oftentimes crucial, especially in Rocklands) because of some minor knee issues but this year it seems like my legs are finally strong and healthy, never skip leg day I guess 😉 Last but not least, I decided to reduce my workload as a chiropractor and I have been working part-time since last autumn which allows me to put more time into training and climbing in general. Sorry for the long answer but it‘s hard to pinpoint exactly what made the difference, I guess consistency is key!

Sebastien BOUIN, who in the last week has done one 9a+ and one 9a+ (b) in Flatanger, has sent Change P1 (9a+). Adam Ondra did the FA ten years ago and it is the first pitch of the 55m long Change (9b+) also established in 2012 by Ondra. In total, it took the French climber eight goes to send it although he was close already on his fourth go but opted to stop after the crux as he was risking a ground fall not being able to clip two quickdraws. Full story on his Insta.

His next plan is to work on the 9b+ and also on the 130m long route, in one pitch, to the top of the amazing cave. In total, he has done 76 routes 8c+/9a and harder meaning that he just needs two more in order to pass Dani Andrada who is #3 on that list after Ondra and Alex Megos. (c) Marco Müller

Jonathan Siegrist has done Resisting Arrest (9a) in Robber's Roost. "Great movement, nothing weird or too cruxy, big resting spots, comfy holds, proud line, IMHO entry for the grade, and all just a 5 minute walk from the car... for sure this will be a much loved classic!"

Could you tell us a little more about your ascent? The process was kind of tough! I had not so much time at home between trips, and I was really motivated to try this line because it looked awesome. After a month in Ceuse I knew it would be perfect training for me to get into shape for my summer goals (roof climbing). But unfortunately I got Covid on my way back from France, and the weather here has been super hot. I’m quite stubborn though, and I tried my best with the time I had anyways. It’s a great route just because it’s really fun moves, super consistent - nothing too cruxy or painful - and it’s broken up with rests so it feels easy to digest. No bad holds… one of those routes that’s just fun and encouraging to try hard on!

William Bosi has done the FA of Beautiful Mind (8C) in Peak District. "The obvious link of the Trance start into Dandelion mind, I found this harder than Trance." (c) Sam Blackwell

On Insta he says, "This is my 10th and maybe hardest 8C boulder I’ve done this year, although it’s more of a link I think it still climbs really well 😊". The Brit has taken one year off from the comp circuit and he is #1 in the 8a ranking game.

Janja Garnbret, who topped all four routes in the Chamonix World Cup and won on countback over three other girls, who also topped the final route, has posted some critical comments on Insta in regards to the route setting. “... the disappointment of the route setting is still more dominant than the joy about the win.”

Talking about how much training she has put in she says it “feels disrespectful towards everyone's investment to push the sport.

The dilemma for the route setters seems to be that the Slovenian is consistently able to perform at a level above and beyond her fellow competitors. In Innsbruck last month, Janja said she was challenged by possibly the hardest route ever and she fell just a few moves from the top. The runner-up reached just over midway on the wall, 12 holds below Janja.

In the male Lead event at the World Games in USA, the medalists were the three last qualified to the finals. Sasha Lehmann and Masahiro Higuchi were tied #8 and last qualified to the finals. They started first in the finals and Lehmann topped the route and Higuchi got very high up and scored 32+. Then it was Mejdi Schalck’s turn to climb, as he was #7 in the qually. He got 24+ which was good enough for the bronze as five of the remaining finalists got 22+ and one 18+. In the end, Jesse Grupper was #4, on countback, as he had won the qualification.

Among the females, Jessica Pilz, #2 in the qualification, got seven holds above Natsuki Tanii, who won the first stage. Lana Skusek got the bronze ahead of Ignacia Quinteros.

It should be mentioned that several of the best did not participate as the World Games were scheduled right in between two World Cups in France.

Alfons Dornauer reports on Insta that he has done Stefan Fürst’s 1996 test-piece in Geisterschmiedwand. Stefan first graded it 8c+ but as nobody could repeat it, it become a 9a. Then Adam Ondra made the first repeat suggesting 9a+ which was confirmed by Roland Hemetzberger who did the third ascent. (c) Misha P

” I started to work on the route in the autumn 2021. Already on my first sessions on the route I made some good progress. The crux section definitely suits my style so I continued to work on the route this spring season. However I broke a tiny and a crucial intermediate hold in the crux section. I was still able to do the crux quite solid but didn’t made good progress from the ground. Since the little rest before the crux is not as comfortable as expected it was crucial to climb the first part of the route which is around 8c/+ as efficient as possible. Somehow I lost a bit of motivation and decided take a few weeks off from trying it…So after 2 to 3 weeks I came back with full motivation and was able to send it within a few sessions.

One of my greatest weakness is definitely to be persistent when it comes down to finish off a project. Before I wasn’t really impressed by someone sending a route or boulder by projecting it for such a long time. But it’s definitely an ability not really easy to learn when you are impatient. Moreover it was great to see how little adjustments can be decisive to finish it off. Personally it’s an ascent I am definitely pretty proud of.”

Sebastien BOUIN reports on Insta that he has done the first repeat of Adam Ondra’s Thor's Hammer 2 (9a+) in Flatanger. It starts by jumaring to the anchor of Thor’s Hammer (9a), bolted by Magnus Midtbö.

The big plan is to do it from the ground creating a potential 9b+ but there are also easier and harder link-up possibilities. Seb is also talking about the possibility to bolt and continue another 50 meters to the top above the amazing cave. However, as it stands, bolting new routes is not currently allowed. Marco Müller

This is an opportunity to combine your passion for climbing with your professional expertise. You’ll get to design interfaces that tens of thousands of people rely on in a wide range of situations, many of which are related to climbing.
As a Senior UI/UX designer, your job is to create designs that turn innovative ideas into reality. You will work on sketches with the product team and turn them into wireframes and eventually designs that are ready for implementation, before closing the circle by joining in on the QA. You’ll be in charge of building and maintaining our design library in Figma to make sure that we achieve consistency in our features across different platforms. You’ll go beyond making wireframes pixel perfect, you will be part-product-owner, part-UI-designer. To manage all of this, you will rely on your ability to work methodically and to think analytically, as well as your deep understanding of how humans interact with software to solve problems. Whether that is a climber lost in a forest without reception, or a gym owner trying to set up a boulder circuit for a friendly competition amongst a training group.

Requirements:
- You like to think hard so that people who use your interfaces don’t have to. You understand that an interface is between a human with emotions, and a piece of software with logical constraints. You like to find ways of making that relationship as simple as possible.
- You have the proven ability to build off of, and create from, roughly staged ideas and requirements across products to identify patterns, and create simple user experiences.
- You are committed to quality, that’s why you see details in implementations that no one else catches, and point them out.
- You are able to work in an international, partially remote, team.
- You are experienced with Figma and enjoy working with it.
- The ability to write CSS and/or HTML code is a big plus.
- You are fluent in German and English and able to communicate clearly.
- You are willing to travel to South Tyrol in regular intervals (min. 6 times a year).

Sound like you?
Great, we would love to hear from you! Please send the following to [email protected]:
- Your CV in English or German, highlighting your most relevant professional experience, as well as a short list of your favorite climbs.
- Either a one-page write-up (Cover Letter) in which you briefly introduce yourself and tell us why you would like to work with us, or an interface that you have designed with a brief description of what motivated your choices in that design.

About us:
We are a team of roughly 35 people from more than 12 countries that share the common goal of creating software and digital solutions that express our passion for climbing. Our office is located in Brixen, South Tyrol, but some of us work remotely and visit sporadically. We have five main products - the Smart Climbing Gym software, NO-Q, the result service, 8a.nu, and the Vertical-Life App. While we’ve been focused on the first two in the last two years, we are now expanding our team and itching to better connect and improve 8a.nu and Vertical-Life. Join us to make it happen!

See other job openings at our website.