Jernej Kruder, one of the very best competition boulderers the last ten years, also known for preparing on rock rather than plastic for the comps, has started vlogging. Last week he was in Ticino where he among other things put up an 8B.

How much indoor training the last month before the first WC in Meiringen?
Approximately, two team trainings a month and a few other sessions when the weather is bad...Still planning to go back to Ticino and also planning to do some route setting by the end of the month.

How has Covid-19 impacted your training?
We're all slowly adapting to the situation. luckily I could travel a bit around Europe, so my training ritual remains the same

Thilo Schröter is on his way back to Norway from road trip to Albarracín, Font and Switzerland; Brione, Val Bavona, Cresciano and Chironico. On Insta he reports that he has done Dreamtime 8B+/C in Cresciano in just four sessions. His tick list also includes four 8B+'s, ten 8B's and a flash of Salamander 8A+.

How long have you been on the road and which areas were your favourites?
Brione is still the favourite in Switzerland and Bavona, which was new for me, is also super nice.

How did you prepare for the trip?How did you prepare yourself for the trip?
I trained how I always train before this trip. 90% spray-wall, 10% strength training, something like that. Access to gyms was limited, so I’ve trained slightly less than normal.

Petra Klingler won the Boulder World Championship in 2016, and many say that her surprised smile after sticking the crux on the final boulder was one of the most emotional moments of competitive climbing ever, video clip. (c) Eddie Fowke

The 28-year-old Swizz has been an active competition climber since 2006, and she must be considered a late bloomer as the first time she finished Top-5 in an international youth or senior event was when winning a Boulder WC in 2015. Interestingly, she has also won an Ice World Cup in 2015 and later have gotten another seven podiums. She qualified for the Olympics by being #8 in the Combined WC in 2019.

How did you handle 2020, which must have been a difficult year for any athlete?
I have always tried to see things positive and find little or bigger things that I could hold on to. In 2020, this was not easy and there were times where my motivation was low but generally, I can actually say that I gained an extra year. I gained a year to train and develop new skills to focus on other stuff as well and to have a little break also before 2021. As an example, throughout the lockdown, I had the time and focused on my flexibility weakness so I did a lot of mobility stretching and really worked on that, which helped me a lot in climbing. I really see how I progressed there.

In general, I think I handled 2020 really well. I learnt a lot about myself, about training and relaxing and I had time for my social life a little bit more, which was really nice. I look back and I am happy how I dealt with it and see how valuable this year actually was for me.

What is your season plan ahead of the Olympics?
We have all learnt that with Corona nothing is for sure. Planning is still really hard so my focus is to train my best and stay healthy. It would be really bad if I would get injured. I really try to rest enough and sleep a lot to be able to perform in my training. For the season, I am really psyched for the kick-off for the first World Cup of the year in Meiringen. Every time really special to have the kick-off in Switzerland. It is nice to see how hard they work to make it possible. A huge thanks to the whole organization of Meiringen who are working double shifts preparing two competitions; scenario A and B.

After that, I will take a little break, before we then get to the "end-zone" of the Olympics. Train hard and get back into competition mode. I plan to do the WC in Salt Lake City as well, of course, the WC in Villar. After that, it is already July and I really try to take it step by step, day by day and week by week. To stay as flexible as possible and to adapt to give my best every day. My goal is to just have fun and to enjoy this journey to the Olympics.

What do you expect will be the biggest challenge at the Olympics to get a good result?
To not get lost with all these emotions. Getting too nervous for nothing, too excited, too distracted by all other sports and athletes. I mean, we have never had an event like that. It is the first time eyes will definitely be on climbing. I have heard that it can be challenging to stay focused, especially as our event is rather at the end of the Olympics. We have to stay focused over a longer period and maintain our fitness.

For my team, I guess it will be a huge challenge to organize everything under these circumstances. To get all the necessary information prepared and organized so they can kind of take as much from my shoulders as possible. So teamwork will be necessary and a new challenge.

Are you doing special training to prepare for the heat in Tokyo?
Yes, of course. It is a subject we are looking at. We are trying to put our training a little bit in the afternoon when it will be really hot. But generally, I am really lucky because I kind of handle the heat really well. For sure skin is going to be an issue and we are dealing with that trying new things. We are also talking with the Swiss Olympics and athletes from different sports. Of course, also nutrition and hydration are important. I also think it is a mental thing also. Luckily we had a chance to climb in Tokyo in 2019. We have experienced the heat and we know about how hot it can get and already knowing it will be a challenge will hopefully help to deal with it.

Who are the strongest contenders for the gold medal in your opinion?
Janja and Miho, who are contenders for the gold. For the guys, of course, we also have the Japanese athletes who are super strong. We have Jongwon and we have Ondra, who of course is a super candidate. But we also have young athletes with the male and the female who can surprise. I am really excited to see climbing evolve in the Olympics and wonder who will take the medals.

For all the climbers who have only done hang boarding etc this winter, it is crucial to avoid getting pumped during the first outdoor sessions. Most probably, the blood circulation capacity in the forearms is reduced meaning that once the artery starts pumping blood into the capillary system, it will have a hard time circulating out from the veins. Your forearms will get "flooded" and it will take time to get the lactic acid out of the system. In the longer run, getting pumped during your first outdoor session will quickly make you lose part of the strength you have gained on the hang board this winter.


During your first sessions, you should start super easy and possibly also hang in the drawers until you are fully warmed up. Focus on shorter climbs and as soon as you get pumped lift the arms up to improve the circulation. If you do not get rid of the pump, stop climbing! It will take you between 5-10 sessions before your blood circulation is back to normal.

Here is a longer article discussing also; A pulsating or tickling gripping technique, Hands up and squeezing and Running - Dilution and Purification of lactic acid.

Florian Wientjes, who previously has done four 8B+', has done the FA of Bokassa's Fridge sit 8C/+ in Kochel. Originally the line is an 8c bolted route which starts with an 8A+ boulder. Later a low 8C start has been added to the elimination problem

"Due to the pandemic I searched for a project close to home for the winter months. So I decided to spent my time at my closest crag: Kochel. I started with the classic Antonator (8B) which took me 6 sessions. The boulder is basically the first part of Bokassa´s with one exception: you‘re not allowed to use the side wall. That makes the first part harder and more complex. After I did Antonator, I started trying `Bokassa´s Fridge Assassin - Monkey and Man‘ (8C) first ascended by Toni Lamprecht way back in 2009.

For me, Toni’s original start is a bit random so I went straight for the sit start. There are only 5 more moves, which on their own are pretty steady, but it makes an already pumpy problem even pumpier. There is no real crux in the 25 moves but the persistent compression climbing makes it into a real power endurance redpoint monster! I fell 3 times really close to the top due to pumped forearms, which turned the whole thing into a lot more of a mental game than I wanted.

Primarily, I chose this boulder as a challenge for myself, to see how I could handle my weaknesses, since normally I prefer short and basic power problems as opposed to power endurance on max span compression with lots of technical footwork! To help me get up it, I devised a time-efficient training routine, training mostly during the night so as to be able to juggle my job, the training, and the days I spent trying the project. I had access to a gym where I did some Campus training and climbing on my home wall. All in all, it took me 5 sessions to complete the original Bokassa‘s and 4 more sessions for the sit. I’m really happy now that all the energy I invested paid off and I’m already psyched for what‘s next."

Matteo Reusa has done his first 8c+, Bucking Bronco in Arco. "It is a short, boulder-style pitch on small holds and is solved with very difficult moves. I am aware that it is not the hardest 8c + in the world, but I am very happy with my performance. We were in Arco because we accompanied my brother to the national team meeting."

The picture is from an 8c+ project in a new crag called Ghëddo which the family is developing." It is located in Piedmont and we only started bolting it last year. At the moment there are about 10 routes, but we are still bolting new projects. It is 18-20 meters high and we will be able to put up around 30 routes, some of which are very difficult."

Anghelo Bernal has done Pal Norte 8c+/9a in Margalef after some 30 tries over ten weeks. The Colombian has lived in Margalef since 2016 (when 8a+ was his PB) and he works in the El Pont campsite. "The town is very small, but as a climbing park, it is huge, it gives many options to climb and not get bored. Going to each sector is like being in a different place, both for style, length and weather. This climbing season due to the covid issue there have been very few people, 80% fewer climbers compared to previous years, this has been very bad for the town since its economy is based on tourism." (c) Esteban Lahoz

"Yesterday, I didn't even feel like trying the route, I was very scared, but thanks to the positive words that Beto told me, I relaxed and tried one more time. On the send, I did everything perfectly, I just listened to my breathing and told myself that this time, I would chain. Without much thought, I am shaking and with tears in my eyes, plating the chain with inexplicable feelings of happiness."

What is your next project?
Era Vella and Victims of the future' are the two projects that I have been working. I want to be the first Colombian to do a route of the 9a level and it would be the 5th in South America. With my last send, I am already much closer to achieving my goal. (Era Vella did break and has now been confirmed to be 9a).

What about new routes in Margalef?
There are two people who equip constantly. I know that Vincent Palau and Joan Rivera have equipped about 100 routes each the last year. If we add the other climbers who equip sporadically, we could possibly add some 70 more routes. Although in a couple of years there will no longer be rock to equip. In the last climbing guide, there were 1429 routes in 82 sectors.

Please describe the Colombia climbing scene?
Colombia is a very large country and climbing in recent years has been growing and this has led to the beginning of exploring new places and equipping more routes, near the capital there are several climbing schools' Suesca 'is the oldest there is also' macheta 'and' choachi 'that are sport. towards the east of Colombia near Venezuela in the department of Santander we find the ‘Mojarra’ and ‘Florián’ and to the south close to Ecuador in Pasto we find small sectors that together there are between 300 and 400 routes. anghelobernalquintero's profile picture In all of Colombia there are only about 8 8b + routes approximately and there are several projects for that reason, in order to meet my goal of raising my level I decided to move to Spain since internationally it is known as the country of the rock and we know that it has the majority of the rough roads of the world.

Lukas Sager, who has been in Margalef with his father since December 26th, has done his second 8c, Mistic. During the last two weeks, he has also redpointed two 8b+'s and onsighted two 8a's. The 15-year-old has been alone since the end of February when his father travelled back to Austria.

"I'm in the Margalef Refugio. There is a communal kitchen. Once a week I go to Cafe Vernet, otherwise, I cook myself. I get to know so many nice people that I don't have time for loneliness. Of course, I sometimes miss my parents and my little sister. I go to the rock and talk to the climbers. Here they are all open, a community that holds together. I do school over the Internet, which is less fun. When I get homesick, I will come back. My parents are super tolerant in times like these.

I plan to leave Margalef on March 26th, if the Covid situation allows. hitchhiking to France if I will find some climbers who also go to France. Then I try to get to Vienna by train. When I get home I will continue to drill my project near Vienna. Several Multi pitches in the Wenden and Rätikon. Then there is the climbing competition, which is totally fun for me, depend the corona situation is developing. The Austrian State Championships take place at the beginning of May, so I definitely want to take part to defend my title. In mid-April, I hope to find a climbing gym where it is possible to train."

"I followed my gut feeling, and listened to what my body wanted to do in space..." Elijah Kiser finishing the crux dyno of Levity 8B+ with a helicopter move you haven't seen even on the modern parkour competition scene. The setters in the Olympics should aim for making a replica in Tokyo hoping the gold medal winner also star right in the camera! Fasten your seatbelt, it does not get any better than this!