Allanah Yip from Canada, #14 in the Hachioji, is the big favorit to win the Pan-Am Combined Championship in Los Angeles, getting an Olympic ticket. As a matter of a fact, as USA has already filled their country quota, it is good enough to be the #1 excluding the ones from USA. Among the male, Sean Bailay or another one from USA is likely to make it to Tokyo, meaning also that they will their max two country quota. Rudolph "Drew" Ruana from USA, #13 in the Combined World Championship, will not participate but he should get the tripartite ticket as long as USA does not win and fill their quota. The Tripartite is supposed to go to a micro Olympic nation but as no such athlete did participate in the Combined event in Hachioji, Ruana is next in line. So Ruana from USA might hope for a Canadian winner. Michael Piccolruaz, on the other hand, hopes that USA will fill up their country quota as then the Italian is next in line to get the Tripartite ticket. However, if an Italian (Stefano Ghisolfi) wins the European Combined then Italy has filled their country quota and Jernej Kruder will get the Tripartite ticket. In practice, as most probably the male winner in Los Angeles will come from USA, Piccolruaz should have like 67 % chance to get the tripartite ticket. Runner-up is Ruana with 25 % and then Kruder has the remaining 8 %.

Edu Marin, one of the best climbers in the world the last 15 years, has published some interesting thought on Insta in regards the use of knee pads, ethics and down gradings. "If we all use knee pads, at some point we will have to re-graduate the vast majority of the routes in the world. We will need to give them lower difficulty as they were graduated without the use of the knee pads. Another option is to graduate with the use of the knee pad, for example : Catxasa 9a (KP) - kneepad used. The third option, and in my opinion maybe the most valid one, is to respect the difficulty of the routes that were made without knee pad, repeating them without this tool to maintain the original grade. I think that we cannot look the other way because this is a very current issue that is revolutionizing the way of climbing. What do you think?" It is great that Edu takes up the subject trying to respect the grade and the style of the old-school FAs. I do agree that when it comes to ground breaking ascents, possible down grades due to better equipment like kneepads could be mentioned. On the other hand, it would bestrange to say that anyone trying to repeat Action Directe can not use the new formula chalk or better shoes in comparison to what was used in 1991. OK, knee pads have a much bigger impact but I am sure there exist old-school boulder problems which have been much easier just because of better heal hooking possibilities nowadays.

Cathy Wagner has done Le Coq 8a in Mejannes, giving it a personal 8a down grade, and Soltitud in Pratdip, on her second go. "Another amazing route! A great line, some physical moves but weird bolting." In total the 54-year-old has now done 748 routes 8a to 8b, which should be most by all female. Interesting is that she has done like one third of them on her second go.

Jonathan Siegrist has done his tenth 9a+, by doing the FA of One Hundred Proof in Mt Potosi. On Insta he reports, "I’ve been inching my way higher and higher on this monstrous route over the last 2 weeks, but the process really started over a month ago trying hard on its easier sibling ‘Smoke Wagon’." The latter is a 9a is another FA by him, meaning he has done a total of 47 routes 9a to 9b. In he 8a ranking game, he is #3. Next up is a one month trip to Italy. "I've never climbed there. Very excited."

In 2011, a part of Hampi village, the biggest boulder area in India, was destroyed by bulldozers. Last week the supreme court decided that the whole village will be destroyed and that all inhabitants will have to move out. Sign a petition and more info.

Toni Lamprecht, who did his first 8B in 1997, has done two more, 60 watt sonne and Postsexueller sog ins nix, both in Kochel. "The two 8B's are basically sections of a project I'm working on. You could combine the start of "Real Absurdistan" (8C) with the exit of the "60 watt sonne" It is 18m through an 8m roof. A nice goal when I'll be back from ten days skiing and bouldering in Italy. Maybe I'll try Ziqqurat 8C, if the weather is good and the snow is not too high."

Gambaro Matteo, who has put up close to 200 routes, has done the FA of Resilienza mecanica 8c+ in Albenga. "It is a line I bolted two years ago. Hard roof and exit in my 8c, Resistentia Mecanica I bolted the year before. Interesting is that the 45-year-old had his best year ever in 2019. His next goal is to finish his big long term 9a FA project, a combination of two 8c's.