Irmgard Braun has set a new standard for 69-year-old women by doing Open Box 7c+ in Gorges du Tarn. The German author started climbing in the 80'ies and was later part of the German national team.

"Don't believe you are too old to improve! It took me six days to check out the moves and I sent it on day seven. I am not ascetic and not a training beast. But I am an enthusiastic climber and like testing my limits. And I am very grateful my body doesn't grumble when I am trying hard. I want to motivate other senior climbers to project routes - they will discover they can do a lot more than they ever believed. Even if there is no send, the process is fascinating: what seemed impossible in the beginning becomes climbable after several tries - and makes you stronger. For old climbers with bad knees or other niggles, bouldering with a rope is better than bouldering and jumping down. Come on, it’s fun!"

How much and how do you train?
When not on a climbing trip, I climb 2-3 times a weak, do stretching 2 times/weak and 1/weak core/ antagonists (about 1 hour). In winter I usually have 8 weeks of training for raw power (fingers and upper body) and do not climb. It seems to help, I can hang on the smallest crimp of the Lopez training board.

What are the hardest routes you have done before?
I have climbed 7c/7c+ when I was about 50. After I had several injuries and was busy with my job - journalist and author of crime stories about climbing. In those days I climbed max 7a (sometimes onsight). When I was 65, I had a broken wrist, a complicated operation and after this, I could not even lift a pan. But I did not want to become a sometimes a 6a-slab-climber, so I set the goal to climb 7c again and started to do projects. I was successful: One year later, when I was 66, I did two 7c's.

What about going for an 8a?
8a seems very far away – but if I discover a very beautiful looking climb that fits my strengths, I might have a look at it next year.

Angie Scarth-Johnson, who has stayed in Europe since February, becomes the first Australian woman to send a 9a by Victimas del Futur in Margalef. She did her first 8c at age 11 when she had a three months homeschooling trip with her non-climbing parents in Spain. From that old interview we have some interesting quotes. "I don’t have a trainer, I tried for a couple of months having an online trainer but it didn’t work out, so I just went back to training myself. I write my own programs and have done this since I was 8. I find that this really works for me." (c) Jan Novak

How was the process taking it down?
Well it started last season here in Margalef. I started to break it down bit by bit. Victimas has a crux section right at the top which cost me so much endurance. My body and especially my mind needed time to adapt to having to pull hard right after 8c+ climbing into the final crux. I’m happy to have sent it finally at the beginning of this season and I hope to try another 9a project 😃.

How long have you stayed in Margalef, what about homeschooling and when will you return to Australia?
I stayed last season and I will stay again and maybe travel around! At the moment I have no plans for returning to Australia because of the COVID restrictions! I have finished my homeschooling 🙏😃

Dedicated redpoint climbers may spend years trying to send a chosen route. The way to get there often includes specific physical training, diets, stretching, visualization and the search for perfect friction and patient belayers. Most people don't bother struggling with optimization like this. Here are 10 quick tactical tips for the lazier climbing population.

1. Avoid getting pumped during warm-up/training
Warm-up on very easy routes or in the gym. Make sure to always keep good blood circulation in your forearms even though this means resting every 5th meter in the beginning.

2. Recruit specific strength needed for the crux
The more you practice on the crux moves the stronger you will get. You can also do a quick hang board session. The muscle fibres will adapt to the specific gripping position used. If the contact time for your fingers is longer than 10 seconds you should divide the crux into two or three parts. Rest at least 60 seconds between every hard effort.

3. Link and train on the last part of the route
Prioritize training on the last part of the route, this way you will feel comfortable and confident on your way to the anchor.

4. Prolonged quickdraws/brushing of holds
Decide the best position to clip from, even if this means prolonging the quickdraw. If the clip still is hard decide whether the gate should be to the left or right. Brushing the holds will make you take a thorough look at them and perhaps discover a better gripping position. Don't forget to also brush off your tick marks after your climb.

5. Describe the crux and your plan to get through it for your belayer, don't forget your feet
By describing and discussing your plan with the belayer you will get prepared to tackle the hard parts of the route. IF you are thorough you include where to clip and chalk. Don't forget to go through the safety!

6. Cheering (-breath, good, crimp, come on)
Get your friends to cheer and remind you of e.g. gripping positions and your breathing etc. However, please if there are other climbers around make sure you do not disturb them.

7. Wait, rest and get the urge to climb
If you don't feel 100 % ready, wait a bit longer. Eventually, you will get restless and totally focused on challenging the route and yourself with adrenaline.

8. Chalk up, breathe and start without tension
Make sure you have enough chalk and that your shoes are clean. Get rid of every indication of anxiety or tension, focus on your breathing and visualize the moves for a minute or two before starting your redpoint attempt.

9. Climb fast and take chances
The faster you get through a hard sequence the less time you spend accumulating lactic acid which may give you a couple of extra attempts the same day. Note that faster should be interpreted as efficient and without hesitation, we are not talking about speed climbing. You should also challenge yourself to take chances or climb with very small margins to save strength for the hardest parts of the route. If you have beaten your personal record by climbing in a passive and careful way you set the goal too low.

10. Go for a new personal record and the adrenaline rush
The worst thoughts for a climber are the negative ones like - I climbed badly in the beginning, and - As tired as I am now this is never going to happen... Try to see every climb as good training where the reward is a good dose of adrenalin and maybe also a new personal best.

Daniel Woods has repeated Andy Raether's Manphibian 9a and Spyfiction 8c+ in Mt Charleston. "I did Spyfiction my first day in three tries. It ends halfway up the wall and to the right. Two days later I came back for the extension which is Manphibian and that took three tries." (c) Eric Fallecker

What is next?
Mm only have two more days left here. There is a left entrance into Manphibian that starts with an 8A+ boulder. Gonna see what happens with that then back to CO. I will start getting ready for this boulder project I have in Eldorado canyon that is the same difficulty as ROTSW (9A).

A knee pad can turn a crux into a no-hands rest. Just some weeks ago, Jonathan Flor did the first repeat of an old Dani Andrada 9b calling it 9a due to kneebars. This January Adam Ondra said, "I believe professional climbers should try to reflect these facts (kneepad when it wasn’t used for the FA, new beta and others) into the grading even though they only repeat the routes and should not just take the guidebook grade for granted."

When it comes to steep climbs below 8a, kneebars are often found all over the place but very few intermediate climbers use knee pads. In other words, there is a big potential for setting grade PB for the not advanced climbers investing in a knee pad and becoming a kneebar expert. Sure, in the long run, there is a risk that the skill of using kneebars will go down in grades but then you probably have advanced to higher grades, :) Lasr year we published the story about Tor Johnson who have sent several grade PB and also suggested downgrades as he have become a kneebar expert after also having trained it in the gym.

"When I climb I always look for kneebars just as much as I look for holds. Finding a kneebar is often a game-changer when you try to send a climb that is on your limit. Kneebars is not just about resting and making moves easier. Sometimes you can do totally new sequences using a kneebar. Some people say that using kneepads are cheating as they make the climbs easier. And they are right. That is the point! The same thing was said about climbing shoes and chalk when they first came around. Nowadays it seems very strange to climb without chalk! I'm sure kneepads are here to stay and I think they should be part of any climber standard setup just like climbing shoes and chalk bags. I train my kneebar skills at least once a week. Some people say they only use kneebars when they have to. That is strange to me. Technical kneebars require a high level of skill and specific strength just like heal hooks or drop knees. If you don't practice it, there is no way you will get the most out of the kneebars when you really need them."

Dan Mirsky has done his third 9a, out of which the second in 2021, Planet Garbage in Rifle. "My hardest route to date, in my opinion. Very bouldery, dynamic and sustained, a hard style for me. The real action is connecting two boulders. One is a huge and low percentage dyno V 10? (7C+) The second is a sustained and more technical section with bad feet V10? Last year I was 1 for 30??? on the jump from the ground. This year I stuck it 5 times and took it to the top on the 5th on a perfect afternoon supported by good people and belayed by one of my oldest buddies, Unbelievably psyched!!" (c) Dylan Alvarez

The day after you did Waka Flocka Flame 8c+. How have you been able to level up your game being 39-years-old?
Simply put, I have been eating better, drinking slightly less Hazy IPAs beer, meditating daily and frequently holding on to my hang board with my feet on the ground.🤪 I’m a pretty serious beer geek🤓 so I am always on the hunt for new and more delicious beers. Sometimes that doesn’t help the sending…

Hangboard with your feet on the ground?
The idea is you do the minimum amount of work to create the desired response. By doing less you recover faster and can “train” again sooner.

Laura Rogora reports on Insta, with a picture by Stefano Ghisolfi, that she has done the FA of Iron Man, 9a in Bus De Vela. Stefano comments, "I tried it a couple of time and I can say it's hard!"

When it comes to rock climbing, the 20-year-old is superior among the female having done 20 routes 8c+/9a and harder. When it comes to competitions, the Italian has won two Lead World Cups and in the last World Champion, she got the bronze.

Gio Placci, Italian Boulder and Lead winner in 2021, has done Coup de Grace in Ticino after just three days. "Coupe de grace has always inspired m. I watched a lot of videos of the route and it seemed amazing. After the finish of the world cups, I decided to try it. Two weeks ago I came there two days to check the route. For me, the harder part was the lower one because of the longs moves but the upper part felt easy. This weekend I returned. The temperatures were good and on the first day of the weekend, I sent it!"
18 months ago, you were #77 in the Italian Boulder Cup. How can you explain your amazing progress in the comp scene?
This year I trained a lot for the comp and I climbed less outside. The first part of the year I was focusing on boulder comps, but they didn’t go as expected. The last comp was the Italian championship in Bologna. I didn’t have any expectations. My training for the lead comps had already started and I did that comp just for fun. Sometimes to not have any pressure is good and somehow I managed to become the Italian boulder champion!

Then the lead season started and for me, this was my first year as a Senior, in the first World Cup I couldn’t show my potential, too much pressure. Then I worked a lot in my mindset and in the last one I managed to make the semifinal (Kranj) and after one week I managed to win my first Italian lead cup!

Yves Gravelle has done the FA of Low Miall's 8C at Kanata Tremblant. Video of the intense roof on his Insta, where you also can find some amzing training videos. ”3 months of battling conditions and psychological barriers on this line. The direct Sit start to Miall's ahead, Add a 4 moves V11 to the V14. The line is very physical, 15 moves long , a true power.”

Could you please say something about being a ”3x APL World Champion” as it says in your Insta?
The APL is the Armlifting world federation. I completed in the world championship in 2019 in St. Petersburg. I won gold in The rolling Thunder, Axle and Saxon bar in the 66kg weight class and established class WR in both the rolling thunder and Axle.

I think climbers would be amazing at armlifting and gripsport. Thats why I chose to compete a few years back and give climbers some exposure in the sport. I think climbers would do very well in pinch deadlift events (Saxon Bar) and the hub.

Most climbers have a preferred gripping position which is constantly trained. At the same time, the weak gripping position is avoided as much as possible meaning it is almost never trained. With some specific finger training of the weakest position, you can get 100 % stronger in 1 hour, i.e. 100 % more muscle fibres will be in use. The most effective way to recruit your muscle fibres is to just hang on your weak finger position and then gradually increase the load until you can do long campus moves. Here is a recipe on how to quickly get 100 % stronger in your weakest finger position, which is normally a 3-finger open crimp, using a campus board.

1. Start by hanging for less than a second 8 times and then rest for 15 seconds. Repeat 5 - 10 times.
2. Use your feet and jump up to rungs 4 times and hang for less than a second, with each hand, and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
3. Make moves upwards with both hands and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
4. Make two double hand moves upwards and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 - 10 times.
5. Make two double hand moves downwards and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

Once this session is finished, you will most probably have become 100 % stronger in your weakest position. If you continue to climb you will notice that you will suddenly start using your weakest position and in the long run, your muscle fibres will also grow and you will become much stronger. Note, campus board training should not be done until you are 18 years old and you are an experienced climber. It should also be mentioned that closed crimps are only for the advanced climbers and it is also the position most get an injury from.