Here are the results based on some 1 000 unique votes.

Niki Rusev, who last year did two 9a's, has done Hip Hop 8c+ in Karlukovo. The Bulgarian is also a very successful competition climber who in 2021 has won the Youth World Champion in Boulder and in the European Championship, he won in both Boulder and Speed. In Lead, he has gotten one silver and bronze in the European Cup. (c) Vladimir Pekov

"Hip-hop is a mega classic route in the Prohodna cave. The first I tried the route the weather was hot and humid, so I couldn’t send it in these conditions. I trained what I missed to feel comfortable on the route. I made a simulation of the main crux in the hometown wall and was more focused on fitness exercises. I don’t know, the feeling of being a winner again came back very quickly to my mind and the rocks are the closest to that feeling. The day was windy without sun, about 10 degrees. Perfect for sending. It was in my style for sure, climbed it in eight tries during three sessions. So happy to see it worked out so fast. There are three boulder problems in the route and after each crux there is a good rest and that helped me to figure out the whole fight up to the end!"

As you start trying a new climb, you often get set down by not being able to do a certain move although it is within your grade level. The reason for this is mainly that you have not recruited your maximum finger- and general muscular coordination strength for the move. Until you have spent 15 minutes trying it, there is no need to be frustrated. Just keep a positive mindset and you will see that once you are fully recruited, you can do the move.

Of course, you also might need to go through the same process trying moves you have already done before. If the hard move is a steep open hand challenge and you lately have done more vertical climbing on crimpers, the crux might seem impossible in the beginning. Stay calm and think positive and with some 15 minutes of recruiting, you will do it again with that big smile.

Here is a draft of who have been the best competition climbers in 2021. It should of course be mentioned that it is totally impossible to make an objective ranking combining all events especially when most have only done half of the competitions. The list is just my personal subjective opinion. Please feel free to comment in order to change the list.

1. Natalia Grossman USA
2. Janja Garnbret SLO
3. Jakob Schubert AUT
4. Tomoa Narasaki JPN
5. Brooke Raboutou USA
6. Alberto Gines Lopez ESP
7. Kokoro Fujii JPN
8. Miho Nonaka JPN
9. Laura Rogora ITA
10. Nathaniel Coleman USA

11. Chaehyun Seo KOR
12. Adam Ondra CZE
13. Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN
14. Sean Bailey USA
15. Akiyo Noguchi JPN
16. Alexey Rubtsov RUS
17. Jessica Pilz AUT
18. Alex Megos GER
19. Michael Mawem FRA
20. Vita Lukan SLO
21. Colin Duffy USA
22. Viktoriia Meshkova RUS
23. Martin Stranik CZE
24. Jan Hojer GER
25. Oriane Bertone FRA

Steve McClure, who did his first 9b at age 45, reports on Insta hat he has repeated Neil Gresham's recent FA Lexicon 8b+ R trad (E11 7a) in Pavey Park. "One of the best hard trad routes I’ve ever done. And certainly the scariest." E11 is the highest grade ever in the UK trad scale, which is based on how difficult and dangerous it is to onsight trad routes. Neil has said that it merits 8b+ difficulty and an R added means that it is dangerous. (c) Neil Gresham

Wow! So what did go through your mind falling and how many sessions did it take to send?
Reckon I had about 4 sessions on the line and a lot of info from Neil. And what went through my mind in that lob? Absolutely nothing!! It was SO quick, like an instant. Kind of unnerved me as I expected I’d have time to think or right myself.

Only 4 sessions, amazing! So you took that fall only on your third session?
This route was VERY my style, I could tell as soon as I saw it. Just off vertical, completely continuous, tiny holds and lots of them. Could not have been better. Plus, and for me at the moment, its in just the right place. CV19 obviously messed with travel, and The Lake District is so beautiful. That crag is way up there with a perfect view. I could not think of a better place to be climbing. I did try and lead it fairly quickly, but perhaps was a bit greedy. I knew I had a good chance, but also that I could still fall. I'd analysed the fall and felt it should be just OK.... it was, but only just really. Even the next day on lead, I didn't fall, but I was so close to falling even higher. I think I've a bit to learn!

How long was the fall and how close was it?
The fall was probably about 20-22m. I bounced just a meter or so above the belayer to rest maybe 3 meters above ledges. Fairly close...some margin... maybe plenty for the bold but not so much for a 51 yr old dad.

What about the 8b+ grade?
I think the grade of 8b+ is probably about right, to lead the whole thing placing the gear. There is a few moves I found really hard towards the start of the run-out section, a jump to a sloper, which taller climbers can easily reach... this may effect the grade, I can't tell for them... but maybe their bigger fingers would struggle in the crimps higher up.

Here is the Combined Boulder and Lead World Cup ranking 2021. As during the last few years, Japan won but most impressive is again Slovenia with just 2 million inhabitants. USA had their best year ever since Lynn Hill and Robyn Erbesfield winning most of the comps in the 80'ies. It should be noted that several of the Olympians did not do all events.

1. Japan 1235 + 1041 = 2276
2. Slovenia 798 + 1244 = 2042
3. USA 1088 + 906 = 1994
4. France 636 + 594 = 1230
5. Italy 191 + 797 = 992
6. Germany 403 + 547 = 950
7. Austria 498 + 364 = 862
8. Czech Republic 200 + 397 = 597

Adam Ondra has had another productive weekend in Frankenjura doing two 9a's; Nice freshly baked and House of Cards, for which the latter he gives a personal 8c+ grade. The newly married 28-year-old did also onsight, One Whore’s Town logging it as an 8b. Furthermore, "retro-onsight" of Dr. Kimble auf der Flucht 8b and Odins Tafel 8a+, which he both had tried the beginning of many years ago.

Yesterday, Adam reported with a video on Insta that he has done the FA of 9a in Býčí skála. "Probably on the upper end of the grading scale 👆" The 28-year-old has now logged 188 routes 9a to 9c but it would be around 200 without all his personal grading. We all know about the grade inflation in climbing but thanks to Ondra and a few other top climbers, there is no "hyperinflation".

Adam is featured in La Sportiva - Climbing Sparkling Moments.

IFSC has announced that also the World Cup in Seul has been cancelled meaning that the WC season 2021 is over. The Boulder season started in Meiringen and then there were two WCs in Salt Lake City followed by the last in Innsbruck. Here is the Boulder 2021 WC final ranking. It should be mentioned that both Adam Ondra and Tomoa Narasaki did only two events and that Janja Garnbret did three.

1. Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN 255 - Natalia Grossman USA 345
2. Kokoro Fujii JPN 255 - Janja Garnbret SLO 280
3. Adam Ondra CZE 200 - Oriane Bertone FRA 235
4. Sean Bailay USA 166 - Brooke Raboutou FRA 207
5. Mejdi Schalck FRA 157 - Miho Nonaka JPN 192
6. Tomoa Narasaki JPN 145 - Stasa Gejo SRB 173

Alex Megos reports on Insta that he has flashed Klem Loskot's Intermezzo XY gelöst 9a in Plombergstein. "I got beta from a local, (Roland Wagner) who climbed the route some years ago. He went up, brushed the holds and gave me very detailed beta. 👌🏼"(c) Tobi Ebner

How was the flash? Robot mode with full control?
Oh yes. Total robot mode. You'll see the video in a few days 😉 Pretty much full control. Two moves were a little sketchy.

What are your autumn and winter plans?
It'll be around Europe. Maybe Spain. But let's hope Corona will allow 🙏🏼

What about competitions in 2022?
I don't know about comps yet. I don't think I'll decide until next year. Might do a few...but not sure yet 🤷🏼‍♂️