The organizer's live-streaming from the male qualificalition in Meiringen is up and running, with french/german commentators. You can follow the results on IFSC or via the IFSC App. Based on an 8a poll with 1 200 unique votes, Adam Ondra is the big favourite to win.
39 % Adam Ondra
17 % Jakobb Schubert
15 % Alex Megos
08 % Yushiyuki Ogata
06 % Jernej Kruder
05 % Others (Nikolai Uznik most mentioned)
05 % Kokoro Fuji, 3 % Nathaniel Coleman, 1 % Alexey Rubtsov

The female start their qualification 16.30. Tomorrow the semis starts 11.00 and then the male final 19.15 followed by the female final.

Antoine Girard, who previously has done eighth 8B+', has done his first 8C, Longue promesse in Le Pertuis, video.

"It’s a overhanging wall with slippery edges with a very nice dyno at the end. The hard part is to do the first move of the stand and manage to keep the tension in the heal hook till the last move. The sit start adds a 7C+ to the 8B stand. Nothing really hard but enough to make the upper part much harder. I spend five sessions on the stand start and I spent three sessions more to succeed in the sit start. It’s actually my first 8C. I made the first repetition three months after the FA of Nathan Michel. For the grade I think it’s a real 8C because I spent five sessions more than my other hard 8B+."

Climbing reports that three 3a routes have been bolted over 1 000-year-old Petroglyphs in Moab. "“Put it this way:, the native people soloed up and stood there for hours on end, pecking at the rock with another rock,” said Reay." (c) Darrin Reay

Darrin later removed the bolts and have been in contact with the bolter who first said the Petroglyphs were just graffiti. Stewart M Green has also reported the story on his Facebook. "As climbers, we need to be aware that it is illegal to climb on or near cultural resources like rock art panels and archeological sites as mandated by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966."

In a new article, Climbing reports that the bolter has received death treaths and that he regrets his mistake.

Gonzalo Larrocha, who did his first 9a at age 30, has done the FA of PanHaters 9a in Alquezar. In total, the 36-year-old has now done 20 routes 9a and harder. It should be mentioned that some of his 57 recorded 8c+', the first nine years ago, are considered 9a by most. "I started equipping this route before the pandemic. Sometime later I finished it. Thanks to David, Beto, Eugenia and other people who accompanied me. Of the grade, I am very lost. I think it's very tough for 8c+. One good thing for me during the pandemic is that I could bolt at least 12 new routes in Alquezar, between 6c+ to 9a."

So you did your first 7c at age 21 and then have had a rather slow "late bloomer progress" at the same time you have a very wide grade pyramid. How can you explain this and when will you do your first 9b?
I'm motivated with climbing and I'm good at endurance but really bad at powerful moves. I don't think 9b is possible for me. I don't feel that I could progress more. But nevertheless many other times I have been confused😀.

Daniel Fuertes, who did his first 9b last autumn, has done his 13th 9a, Borrachos libres in Rodellar. Dani Andrada did the FA of the big roof in 2016.

How have you been training during the pandemic?
I have trained on a small campus board at my house and in La Caverna boulder gym, but it has been difficult in Spain this winter.

Geila Macia, daughter to famous Spanish climbers Berta Martin and Israel Gacia, has done her first 8b+ as well as her fourth 8b, Brujo in Sadernes. Berta, several times Spanish Champion as well World Cup semifinalist, gives us the story.

"It was my first 8b+ too. It is not one hard so much more endurance with some of cruxes. I knew it would be a good route for her size being still 13-year-old. She could do all the moves on the first try. Even at the end of the route, from the last quickdraw, she went straight because she was afraid of a long fall. I must say she found a harder beta just to go straight. On her fourth day of attempts, she fell there in the end being exhausted. The next day, she warmed up and found better feet to not fall again, even though she was feeling so nervous and tired because it was 3rd day on a row in the route. She said it was impossible to finish the last part to the anchor and I just told her to not be stressed or nervous and we could come back after a rest day. - Go and try to make a good endurance try and keep going... and she did it.

After a day of rest. We climbed a little more in some other areas she did an 8b in just four in a day, Brujo. It was her fastest 8b ever."

How does the family train and is Geila strongest in the family now?
We are both training together between 3/4 days every week and also try to go outside rock climbing. She can train all days, I don't. Those days, I am just her trainer. I can try 8b but I’m not as strong as her. She can train in all kind of boulder but I can’t try those kind of parcuour ones. She is the strongest in the family now. Her father doesn’t train just climb in the weekends.

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Laura Rogora reports on Insta that she has repeated Stefano Ghisolfi's Terapia d'urto 9a+ in Padaro.
(c) Sara Grippo

The 19-year-old has now done 19 routes 8c+/9a to 9b, meaning she is superior among the female. As a competition climber, the 153 cm tall, won three golds in the Youth World Champion and in 2020, she qualified for the Olympics in Tokyo.

Adam Ondra exlains his strategy of working out Perfectu Mundo 9b+. "I set myself challenges trying the route from a certain point and then going to the top of the route... I would just climb up to the 5th bolt, take a good rest while hanging in the rope and start my “attempt”."

Nicolai Uznik from Austria and Mailys Piazzalunga from France won the first European Cup in 2021, held in Klagenfurt. Both were, climbing-wise, quite superior in the final and Uznik also won the semi. Uznik, who did two 8C's last month, lives only 15 minutes from the gym.

"I must admit I was pretty nervous especially before the semifinals. It was difficult to stay focused and because climbing at home makes you wanna show your best performance even more! I‘m so glad it worked out. The route setting overall was good except maybe the semifinal round was a bit too hard. The finals I enjoyed the most, really cool boulders and also kind of my style!" Besides Uznik, it seemed like a disadvantage to start last in a bouldering round. None of the only three males to top all four in the qually, including Jakob Schubert, made it to the final. Among the females, it was pretty much the same in both semi and the final. The two best in the semi, Franziska Sterrer and Leonie Lochner, who also started last in the final, were the two last in the final.

Why do you think it is like this and how did you handle this?
I think in this situation you need to stay calm and show strong nerves. Many climbers feel like it‘s easier for them to climb in finals if they are not leading but for me, I must say it‘s different. I like coming out last because it gives me more confidence!

It can be mentioned that Uznik, even if he won the semi, did just manage to do one boulder and that you made it to the final by just doing four zones. Overall, only three climbers were able to reach all zones. In other words, when Schubert started last out in the semi, as he won the qualification, the holds had probably been used like 100 times each meaning that the friction might have been worse for him.