Nigel Armino skips 8c+ and does his first 9a (8c+), Coup d’état in Fleron. "6 sessions (around 25-30 tries including warmup/checking out the moves etc..). For sure my hardest route to date. 20 moves power endurance. Grade wise I would say soft 9a or veeeeeeryyy hard 8c+.... But I can't really tell. It was great to put some time in a route at my limit and to see the progression. I never had that feeling before in a route where I had to do everything perfectly. Click here to go to the video."

Tomoa Narasaki, the possibly best dynamic competition boulderer in the world, explains his four techniques he is using doing double dynos; Only swing once, Pull and then Push, Focus on lower foot, Wait - Jump

Gordon Anderson has done his first 8C by repeating Daniel Woods Dicktopia at Camp Dick. "Put in a lot of work for this beautiful line, I'm fucken psyched!!! Hardest climb so far. Classic one Daniel."

Linus Raatz and Stephan Vogt have repeated Peter Würth's Unendliche Geschichte 1+2+3 9a in Magic Woods. It is a seven-bolt extension to the boulder Never Ending Story 8B+ and also 8C has been suggested although clipping into a rope. In the picture by Vogt, he is also belaying meanwhile Raatz is climbing.

Vogt: "The End... too cheesy to be true. On the last attempt of the day when it was already pitch black, I decided to give it one more burn. Standing on the slab with a headlamp was one of the more rewarding feelings I felt in my climbing career. The key was running through part 1 and 2 in 40 seconds to escape the pump. Thank you Linus for being on the other end of the rope! It was super inspiring to see him send the day before. For sure a team ascent. Eight days over six Years.

So after climbing the 8B+ there is an ok rest. From there you clip into the rope. then you have 5 bolts to the lip of the Bruno Bloc. It is a 7B boulder in my opinion. The boulder has really polished holds and insecure body positions, very easy to slip out of. After a powerful move to the lip, there is a cool mantle and a spicy slab to finish it off. Falling on the slab would be really dangerous so after talking with the locals Marvin Rueppel and I placed two more bolts on top of the Bruno bloc right before I send the route that evening. Now no one needs to die while topping out this beautiful route."

Raatz: "The perfect line! I got obsessed with this climb for some time and now this chapter is over, this story is told. It's been a crazy ride. From pt. 1 to 1+2 to 1+2+3. Super happy, I enjoyed every single session on this climb. For me, it was very important to speed up my pace on the 8B+ boulder problem. In total, I improved from 1:15 on my send of the 8B+ boulder to 0:55 to the top jug of the boulder part when I sent the whole route. On that jug I optimized my rest position and rested for just over 2 minutes. On the send attempt, I could feel that I was about to send it, as I arrived with just a little bit more left in my forearms somehow. Earlier that day I fell on the move to the top edge. Topping out that line and standing on top of the famous "Bruno Block" felt amazing, an emotional moment for me. I'm so happy that Stephan and I opened and closed this chapter together, we wouldn't have done it alone I guess."

Working towards goals with motivation, discipline and a lot of heart and soul, taking on challenges and getting back up after setbacks... Hannah knows this all too well as an athlete in the German national climbing team! A lot of sweat, a lot of skin, a lot of training... Chris also fights for his dreams - not only in the competitions but also in the long periods of preparation! Hannah Meul and Chris Hanke are successful athletes of the German national climbing team. We followed them for a little while on their journey...

CHEER FOR THE ATHLETES AND WIN!
You are part of the climbing community too! Cheer on the athletes of the national team for their competitions in Tokyo and you can even win something for yourself! How? It's easy: Post a picture of yourself in a climbing fan outfit (on Facebook in the comments or on Instagram as a separate post) and feel free to add a few motivating words for the athletes. To help us find your entry, link to EDELRID, DAV and Bergfreunde and use the hashtag #climbtotokyo.

Among all entries EDELRID will give away ten very exclusive ropes: the "EAGLE LIGHT 9.5 MM GERMANY" is the climbing rope of the national team in the colours of the German flag. # Climb to Tokyo

Amandine Loury, who did her first 8c+ last year, has done her seventh 8c, Saoulé Sonné in Buoux. (c) Jeunet

"I’m super happy to be the first female to send this very physical route on one and two-finger holds typical of Buoux. But contrary to historical routes in Buoux that are rather vertical, this one is an endurance route in a big roof. The first routes in this roof were bolted twenty years ago, but "Le saoulé sonné" is a quite recent route sent by a few boys like Adrien Boulon, Manu Lopez and Mathieu Bouyoud. Yet it’s summertime, temperatures are very hot in the south of France. I'm waiting to finish my work in late June to go climbing in the mountains in better conditions."

What about that "Objectif 👉 9a" posted on your Insta?
I wanted to try a route this winter near my home, in Saint Léger du Ventoux, but finally, I had a different plan. So I will try this later maybe. I love too much climbing on different crags, different routes. I love the diversity of climbing. I don’t like to try a unique route for months and months.

Shauna Coxsey, who has stood on 30 World Cup podiums and won eleven gold medals, has announced on Insta that the Olympics in Tokyo will be her last competition. In the 2019 World Championship, she got the bronzes in both Boulder and Combined. The only other World Cup she has done after that was the first in Salt Lake City where she was #36 out of 49 competitors, which was her worst result ever by far. In between 2011 and 2019, her worst result during 59 Bouldering WC's and Championships was being #10. (c) Eddie Fowke

"After years of being ready, years of preparation, off seasons spent fighting to get to the start line, years of harnessing the desire, the determination and the belief it feels so wrong to admit I no longer want to do competitions."

The European Youth Cup in Imst, Austria, showed opposite results compared to normal. In Lead, Eastern Europe dominated with five golds at the same time Western Europe got five gold in Speed. Olympian, Alberto Ginés Lopéz from Spain won the oldest male category in Lead. France did not participate and Austria got just two bronzes, in Lead, which might be their worst result ever in a Euro Youth Cup.

01: Alberto Ginés Lopéz ESP - Michaela Smetanova CZE
03: Gergö Valyi HUN - Aleksandra Totakova BUL
05: Darius Rapa ROU - Barbora Bernadora CZE
Complete results

Thomas Salakenos, who had 8b+ as his personal best four months ago, has done the FA of Tatanka 9a in Trou margritte. "The route is located in Anseremme, 2 km's from Freyr. It has been bolted approximately in 1995 by Michel Vanheinde. I needed six sessions in total on a 3 weeks period. 3 sessions for working out the moves then 3 more to send.

Recently, I shifted my focus on routes, because of the Covid-19 crisis and the travelling restrictions, as there is almost no bouldering in Belgium. I became more and more relaxed about climbing on a rope and quickly managed to send most of Belgium's hardest short routes (all are my first of the grades)."

What are your next plans and goals?
My goals for the summer is to have two little trips to Magic Wood. One short in July to try to finish old projects and work out the moves of the next ones for the second trip in September. Maybe a trip to the USA next year, and of course Rocklands in the next two years!

William Bosi, who did six routes 9a to 9b+ during a one month trip to Spain this spring, has done Northern Lights 9a at Kilnsey, after just two sessions. He was belayed by Ben Moon who bolted it more than 25 years ago. "World class line with so much history!"

Moon actually stopped sport climbing and started bouldering in 1996, after tried it for 30 days without success. Then Steve McClure did the FA in 2000 and it has only been repeated by Adam Ondra in 2010 and Alex Megos in 2016. McClure is known for his hard grade and Moon has said that he thinks that it merits 9a+.

So what have you been doing since returning from Spain?
Since returning from Spain I’ve continued my training in preparation for the competitions later in the year.

How was the process taking it down?
As the route is only about 15 meters it is all about power endurance, so making each move as efficient as possible was key. So I spent the first day just working on each individual move and section. I did give a redpoint go at the end of the day where I fell just before the last draw. I knew it was game on at this point so I decided to rest and come back. Coming back I warmed up and then gave two redpoint goes, the first I fell on the second last move and the second I was able to fight through and clip the anchor! Definitely has to be one of the best routes I’ve climbed.