Natalia Grossman reports on Insta that she has done the route Positive Vibrations 8c and three hard boulders; Halfway Crooks 8A+, Jeremiah Low 8B and Wheel of Fortune 8B. The 18-year-old got two silver in the Youth World Championship last year and among the seniors, she was #7 in the Boulder World Cup in Vail.

Interestingly is that five years ago she made her whole family move from California to Boulder so she could start to train with Robin Erbesfield-Raboutouand the ABC team. As a matter of a fact, her dedication came already at age 4 when she for the first time did see a climbing wall but she had to wait for her sixth birthday when she for the very first time was allowed to start climbing. Until the lockdown of the gyms she has almost only focused on competitions.

Toni Arbones the godfather of Siurana, started as an alpinist in the 80's but quickly also begun competing in the World Cup. Later he moved to Siurana where he put up many of the hardest and most classical routes and opened up a refugio. Since 2000, he runs Camping Siurana accommodating some 15 000 climbers every year. Toni has also over the years developed big walls in South America, Madagascar, Marocco and China where he currently lives.

"In the last years I have kept the motivation high to climb and explore many new places around the world. I am a passionate climber and I like to share with the community. After developing Siurana and the area of the Priorat, (Montsant And Capçanes) and positioning it like a world-class destination, I understood that my passion did not stop and I decided to build a crazy amount of routes in many different countries. In Taghia in Marrocco, I made 5 multi-pitches and a refugee for climbers in an amazing location. After visiting China for eight years putting up more than 200 pitches, I proposed to my family to move to China and try to build another world-class destination! Maybe if the situation is stable next year we will move all the family, to Le ye, Guangxi province, for bolting !

This is our future or maybe just a dream? Local government helps us to make everything easier and we take this chance... I like to keep dreaming about the vertical world, about movements and sequence of rock holds when I go to bed... I like to show the nicest places to my daughters, and build paradises, building rock destination, to make this crazy world better, more sociable, more sustainable, and easier to live in...

In the last years, I still manage to climb a lot, maybe fewer expeditions, but I live closer to the rocks and I can go nearly every day for a little session. Just before the quarantine, I climb again 8b+ and I was so closed to finish with another FA of an 8c but now after this period of confinement I need again to be used to this powerful climbing style... I hope asap I can do, but until I don’t succeed I keep dreaming about it."

Laura Rogora, who has qualified for the Olympics, reports on Insta that she has done Pure Dreaming 9a in Arco in just eight tries. "It is an endurance test. The hardest moves are after 20 meters of sustained climbing (8b+). The key to send it is to climb fast and exploit the rest point on that part in order to reach the boulder with enough power."

In total, the 153 cm tall has now done 10 routes graded 8c+/9a or harder which is most out of all females. Last year she moved from Rome to Arco.

How does the climbing scene differ in between Rome and Arco? The crags around Rome are 1.30-2 hours from the city and almost everything is already bolted. There are still a few interesting projects but in Arco the situation ss totally different. There are more hard routes and still a lot to be climbed and bolted just nearby.

Stefano Carnati has done The Party's Here 9a in Valbrona. "I first tried it one day last year when it was still a project. Then Gabri Moroni did the FA in October! Last week I decided to get back on it, despite warm and humid conditions. It was a great project to test my shape after quarantine and I’m really happy it went down!

Stefano Ghisolfi continues to show great form after the lockdown having done the FA of Beginning 9a/+ in Arco. "It is a connection between St. Anger and Zauberfee, the two historical routes." More info on his Insta. (c) Laura Rogora. Next for Stefano is to start bolting a new route which he has never done before.

Some 20 years ago, Chris Sharma added a new style to the scene by being more dynamic and by sometimes campusing the cruxes. The old school guys were not so impressed and some said that once he learned to be precise and using the feet like the older guys he would have faster progress.

Some eight years later, Adam Ondra entered the top-level scene climbing much faster then everyone was used to. Still, the pace of Ondra is unique but many more, especially the successful Japanese competition climbers, are closing in.

In the last few years we have been used to watching amazing videos by Oriane Bertone (15) who is already one of the best female boulderers in the world. Part of her success might just be her amazing flexibility and her unique spider heal hooking style. Furthermore, often she places one foot like 50 cm above her hands. This spider style seems to be the new trend and the one being most extreme is Oriane. 8A+ video by the spider women.

Jernej Kruder, Boulder World Cup winner in 2018, has done his second 9a in May, Halupca 1979 in Osp/Misja Pec. "No comps- time to crush old projects...incredible fight." (c) Suzana Aursic

Once you have pushed through the crux coming up to a good hold by the clip, it is very important to first rest, then chalk and possibly 30 seconds later do the clip. The reason for this is that you would like to minimize the intensive periods with no blood circulation. Let say you have spent 20 seconds with full power doing the crux moves. If you carry on clipping directly your blood circulation will be relatively poor for another 10 seconds.

Beginning to rest on good holds after the crux means you should go from one extreme in your mindset to the opposite. You should focus on your breathing and relax your hold body like in a yoga position. After some shakeouts, you could chalk up and continue resting. Once you are fully back you could do the clip and if that in any way includes some effort, you should rest again and fully recover before continuing upwards.

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Colin Duffy participated in one IFSC comp in 2019, when he was #2 in Lead in the Youth World Championship. In 2017 and 2018 he won. By winning the final Lead event, as he was the fastest to top out, in the Pan American, he got a ticket to Tokyo. We sent over some questions to the 166 cm 16-year-old and got some interesting answers.

I started climbing when I found the sport at a local recreation center around 4 years old. I fell in love with the challenge of the wall and would beg my parents to let me do it again. From there I practiced the sport periodically until I started taking it seriously at age 8. I'd say my coach Robyn Raboutou has meant the most for my career. When I started on team ABC in 2012, she has always believed in me and motivated me to try harder and perform better.

The thing I love most about comps is the opportunity to try creative and well-set boulders/lead climbs, and hang out with other talented athletes from all over the world. The competition atmosphere is always super exciting and there is no other feeling like the adrenaline you get pre-climb.

I didn't really have my eyes on the Olympics until the start of 2020. Since I didn't compete on the adult circuit last year, I didn't know I would even have the chance to qualify until the finish of Toulouse. Also, to get to compete at the Pan American Championships I had place first go through the American Combined Championships. I'd say I gave the same effort for Olympics as I would for any big competition. I made sure my skill was peaking at the right time and I was mentally prepared. I'd say my parents had the biggest impact on me making it. They've supported me every step of the way and I was glad to have them by my side when I qualified.

During lockdown I have been mainly training on the climbing wall I have at my home, and doing virtual workout sessions with a personal trainer. While it's hard to find the motivation to train during quarantine I've tried to make the most of my sessions at home. Also, in Colorado restrictions are starting to ease up so I'll likely be able to climb in a gym regularly very soon. Just this last week I was able to get in my first session at ABC since the start of quarantine. Outdoor climbing is also an option for me but I haven't had the opportunity to get out as I've been focused on my studies.

If no comps are held this year, I'll just spend my time training specific weaknesses and working each individual discipline. Most notably I'm excited to try to make more improvement in my speed climbing. While it would be unfortunate if no comps are held this year as I lack experience on the international stage, I'll make the most out of my training.

While I still don't have as much outdoor experience as I'd like, I've gotten to go to some of America's best climbing spots in the past. My hardest boulder at this point is "The Grand Hustle" V13/8b which I did in Red Rocks, Nevada at age 11. My two hardest sport routes are "Pure Imagination" and "Southern Smoke" both located at the Red River Gorge, Kentucky and are both 5.14c/8c+. I actually did both of these routes on the same day during my short trip there. While I haven't nearly reached my potential outdoors, I look forward to getting outside in the near future and testing my limits. I'd say my goals for the next few years are to climb a V15/8c boulder and a 5.15a/9a+ lead route.