Natalia Grossman from the USA won each stage in the Boulder World Cup in Seoul, topping out all 13 boulders. Oriane Bertone from France got the silver and Brooke Raboutou from the USA the bronze. Complete female results. (c) Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC

Among the male, Kokoro Fujii did all four boulders in 11 attempts meanwhile Tomoa Narasaki needed one more attempt. The last boulder Narasaki did on his fourth try which also was the first time he made the zone. Yoshiyuki Ogata, who was in the lead before the last boulder which he could not do, got the bronze. Noteworthy is that Japan had five in the Top-6 final and France had two Top-7. Complete male results

Paul Jenft and five from Japan made it to the final in Seoul. Among the female, Natalia Grossman won the semifinal and is accompanied with Moroni, Aoyagi, Raboutou, Bertone and Gejo to the final. Complete results

Japan had nine men competing in the qualification round of the Boulder WC in Seoul and eight qualified for the semi-final. The lowest ranking of the nine placeded 21st, thus missing the semi by just one spot. Tomoa Narasaki was #10 and had five others from Japan in front of him. France had three men qualify in the Top-6 and a handful of stars like Adam Ondra and Jakob Schubert chose to not travel to Seoul and take part. Complete results
(c) Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC

In the absence of Janja Garnbret, Natalia Grossman won the qualification ahead of Stasa Gejo, Camilla Moroni and Oriane Bertone. The big names that did not make it to the Top-20 semifinal were; Fanny Gibert, Chaehyun Seo and Mia Krampl. Complete results

Ana Belen Argudo reports on Insta that she has done El Intento 8c+/9a in Cuenca. In total she needed some 24 tries spread over a dozen days. (c) Javi Pec

The 20-year-old started projecting it one month ago directly after she did her first 9a, commenting. "I will go for routes that inspire and challenge me and I will try to leave nice footage that could inspire the next generation. This is just starting."

In the Speed qualification in Seoul, Kiromal Katibin from Indonesia and Alexsandra Miroslaw from Poland set new Speed World records with 5.17 and 6.64 respectively. Miroslaw continued winning the female division at the same time Katibin made a false start in the final which made, the previous world record holder Veddriq Leonardo, from Indonesia, win the gold. It should be mentioned that first, both made a false start so they had to race again. Also, the race of the bronze was a bit anticlimax when Rahmad Badi, also from Indonesia, won as his opponent Lodovico Fossali was unfortunate to fall. Complete results

Seb Bouin, who previously has done three 9b/+, reports on Insta that he has done the FA of DNA 9c in Verdon. "I'm happy to have completed this project. After having equipped and discovered it in 2019, tried it for 6 months in 2020, and for 6 months in 2021, I finally managed to clip the belay this spring during my second trip. I've spent over 150 days in it (close to 200 I think), and tried the route over 250 times. It's the most challenging project I've ever done. It's the hardest route I've ever tried and climbed in my climbing career. This route marks a milestone in my climbing life." (c) Lena Drapella/Black Diamond

"It is clear that it is a risk to say 9c. There is always the risk that someone will downgrade the route later. Especially with the idea that there is only one more roiute in the world with the same degree. It is difficult to be categorical then. I have never climbed a route that is as difficult as DNA and therefore my degree proposal is 9c, but other climbers must give consensus. That is exactly what makes our sport so wonderful, we do not need judges, we are judges ourselves. It is wonderful but also sensitive in situations like this, at the absolute highest level. That is why I would like other top climbers to come here and test DNA", says Seb.

Alex Megos reports on Insta that he, beside doing his "nemesis" 9a, Victimas Perez, also has done three 9a+ routes. "One of the 9a+'s was the FA of "Carlota's Journey". It's a combination of Carlota (8c) into the top of a new line bolted by @tom_bolger. Crux is a deadpoint into a mono. Margalef at its finest👌🏼." In total, the German has now done some 100 routes 9a and harder which is second most in the world after Adam Ondra. (c) Esteban Lahoz

What were the other two 9a+ routes you did?
The first one was Samfaina and the third one was another combination. It's called Carlota la Colombiana.

Did you try any other harder lines that you plan to return for?
Always. 😂 But I didn't try anything harder very much. I focused on a few 9a and 9a+ (routes).

What is the next comp you plan to do?
The next comp is not decided yet. Innsbruck I'll do for sure though. Bouldering and Lead.

The second stage of the Boulder World Cup takes place this weekend in Seoul. South Korea has 20 athletes participating, followed by Japan with 16 and USA and France 10. The big stars missing out are: Janja Garnbret, Andrea Kümin (injured), Jakob Schubert, Adam Ondra, Colin Duffy and Alex Megos. The semi and finals take place on Sunday, (UTC+9).

11:00 AM Men's and Women's Boulder semifinals
5:00 PM Women's Boulder final
Followed by Men's Boulder final

Also, the second stage of the European Boulder Cup takes place this weekend in Brixen, Italy. Some big names that would have had great chances for at least semi in Seoul, but have chosen to compete in Brixen, are: Stefano Ghisolfi, Jernej Kruder, Simon Lorenzi, Nicolas Collin, Martin Stranik, Yannick Flohe, Sandra Lettner, Eliska Adamowska and Ievgeniia Kazbekova. The latter is from Ukraine and they are sending seven athletes to Italy. The semi and finals take place on Sunday, (UTC+2).

10:00 AM Men's and Women's semifinals
4:00 PM Woman's and Men's Finals

Advertorial: Global fashion brand Zara and climbing shoe company Tenaya are teaming up for a product collaboration, slated to launch 5 May 2022. The limited-release women’s capsule includes clothing items, an approach shoe, and a climbing shoe. Tenaya athlete Svana Bjarnason is the model and image of the campaign.

From Oscar-winning documentary films and reality shows to competitions and the Olympic Games, climbing is experiencing a surge of events that bring it closer to the masses. This collaboration points to a growing trend of rock climbing becoming “fashionable” in the mainstream, particularly for large retailers such as Dior, which partnered with climber Margo Hayes to promote their new Dior Vibe athleisure line, and Agent Provocateur, which used climber Sasha DiGiulian and other athletes in a lingerie advertising campaign.

Now, Zara embarks into the vertical realm with this new release. Previously, Zara has collaborated with Everlast, Kappa, Kassl Editions, Susan Fang, PlayStation, Purple magazine, Ader Error, and TRX, among others, but this is the first time the brand—or any large fashion retailer—has presented a collection of climbing products, actually designed for climbing.

Millennials (ages 25 to 40), particularly women, are fueling the growth of climbing, and the generation now accounts for 65 percent of climbers. While once viewed as a male-dominated activity, climbing demographics are also shifting to become more even. More women are interested in climbing than ever before, and will continue to be a larger proportion in the years to come.

Svana Bjarnason, the face of the collaboration, represents these shifting demographics. The 30-year-old French climber, with Icelandic origins, started out as a youth competition climber before shifting her focus outdoors.

Since its inception in 1997, Tenaya has experienced steady growth to become a globally-recognized climbing brand, now available in over 60 countries. Tenaya has pushed the limits of possibility in recent decades, from Josune Bereziartu becoming first woman in the world to climb 9a (5.14d) to Alex Megos making the first 9a onsight and first ascent of Bibliographie (9b+/5.15c).

For Tenaya, this collaboration is recognition of the constant effort in product development, and the consistency and coherence of many years. Tenaya has become a world reference on climbing shoes and a brand that embodies the essence of climbing. It is thanks to the authenticity of the product and the brand that Zara collaborates with Tenaya to set the trend.

Dylan Chuat, who was #11 in the Euro Championship in 2020, has repeated Adam Ondra's Super Finale (9a) in Rawyl and it took him just three sessions. "Just amazing as a route! Small crux at the bottom with a small arch then big movement not hard with only pleasure until a second major physical crux on a flat grip and then two jumps after some ruler to tighten at 35-40m from the ground it's just ouffff." (c) Rémi Degenne