Tanguy Merard and Yannis Gauthier, both age 16, have done La prophétie des grenouilles in Fournel. It is a link-up of an 8c and an 8b with a hard boulder traverse in between. Both actually think it is very soft for 9a but as Ondra and Bouin have done it, they do not want to downgrade it.

Yannis, who previously has done one 8c+, needed six sessions to take it down."I think my next plan is La moustache qui fâche a 9a+ in Entraygues and another 9a." Tanguy, who previously has done one 9a, did it in just one session but he had done the 8c before and he is #1 in the Junior ranking game. Next project to finish for Tanguy is Biographie, where he already has made it to the second last hold.

Domen Škofic, Lead World Cup winner in 2016, has done the FA of Umetnost 9a in Ter. "I believe it’s the best hard line in Slovenia to date. Very cool and spicy finish, you got to keep it together until the very end. Thanks to Rajko Zajc who bolted and also named this beast." (c) Nase Gosnik

What are your summer and competition plans?
Basically I have no plans because everything is unstable at the moment. Spending time in my gym working and training is the most important thing for now. I definitely miss comps and I wanted to compete the lead world cup season this year but if the comps are made without the right atmosphere and just because they have to be done I’m not sure if I’m psyched to compete. At the moment I will find another project in Slovenian rocks and try to finish it.

IFSC informs that following the decision, and in accordance with the Chinese Mountaineering Association, there will be no World Cups in China in 2020. When it comes to the Asia Olympic qualification, no decision has been made.

Further more IFSC report that they have received financial support "from the International Olympic Committee, in order to overcome the many challenges that derived from the COVID-19 pandemic."

Laura Rogora, who has qualified to Tokyo 2021, reports on Insta that she has done The Bomb 9a in Collepardo. (c) Andrea Donato The 19-year-old has now done 13 routes graded 8c+/9a or harder, which is most of all female in the world.

As can be seen in many videos, portable ventilators are getting popular in the hardcore bouldering community. They cost around 50 Euros and can often blow wind for several hours. The best use them especially during warm conditions to dry up the skin and increase the friction.

The next step could be to bring a portable AC, connected via USB into your power bank, to lower the temperature on both the rock, in the air and in your fingers to create better friction during hot summer days. Anybody who already has tested them?

Eva Hammelmüller, #2 in the Austria Series last week, has done her fifth 8c during the last six weeks, Passport to Honesty in Ötztal. (c) Tobias Lanzanasto

"When I first tried this route, I thought it would take me quite a long time to send it, as the jump felt hard, and climbing in the jumping position felt even harder, not to mention the boulder problem at the top. In my second session, however, I stuck the dyno, and in the third session, I did the whole route! What’s funny is that I never really intended to try this route, but as everything else was wet, I didn’t have much choice - and it turned out to be a pretty good decision!

Yet although rock climbing is very important to me, I kind of missed the excitement of competitions. I didn’t lay my focus on the bouldering competition of the Austrian Summer Series, but the problems suited me well, and I am really happy with my climbing and the result. Most importantly, I enjoyed competing and had so much fun trying hard on cool blocs. Seems like rock climbing is pretty good preparation for comps! ;-)"

It should be mentioned that Eva did beat several high profile boulderer like Petra Klinger in the Austria series and as a matter of a fact, she won both the qually and the semi.

Jan Hojer,who did his first 9a ten years ago (Action Directe), has done House of Shock in Frankenjura. "I checked it out at the end of a session a couple of weeks ago. It felt alright but I thought it might take me a little while. Today (two sessions later) I found myself clipping the chains."

How much comp training have you done lately and what about summer plans and comps?
The last two months I spent 80% of my sessions on rock. When I’m indoors I focus on hard board climbing. I might go to Céüse like everyone else. Other thann that I just see where the weather is good. Maybe I will compete in Briancon or not at all this year.

Stefano Carnati, who last week did a 9a+ in Céüse, has done a three bolt extension to Geremia 8c+, creating the FA of MegaGeremia 9a in Valbrona.

"50 moves, with no real cruxes but really intense and continuous without any rests. The first time I tried I underestimated this new upper part, but then I started to fall again and again. After passing the first anchor over 12 times, eventually, I was able to make the FA. Definitely good training!

I’ve always said home crags are where I’ve climbed less, but this season it’s been all the other way round! And I’m thankful to the people who have invested their time in developing these playgrounds!

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Davide Picco has done hos first 9a+, Pure Dreaming Plus in Arco. It is a link-up starting by doing the hardest part of Underground and then continuing with Pure Dreaming. (c) Luca Rigo

”started trying the line on the first weekend after the opening of the region. The lockdown period in Italy was tough and long and my only training chance was on the Beastmaker 2000 😅. The first tries were a real surprise because I was able to reach the last meters of the route. Given my presumably poor endurance, I wouldn't have expected that at all. From then on it was a fight against the arrival of high temperatures and summer. Luckily this past week there was a slight breeze from north (25 degrees still) and I could happily clip the chain.”

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Tip: One of the Great Lines – the ‘Number One Direkt’ climbing route at Schleier Waterfall – is located in the Wilder Kaiser region. It is considered one of the most beautiful of all sport climbing routes in Tirol.