Hannes Huch has now written a new Insta saying that I defend Said Belhaj, which also Grimper did. I contacted both and the latter changed this as he understood my point of view. Huch has not changed although I posted on his Insta, "I do not defend Said. On the contrary, I have said that sure there are some doubts." I do not think that if Huch has just reasonable doubts he should not go out in public accusing him. In fact, in at least Sweden there is a law against that. It should be mentioned that Huch now has added in the first article, ""I know that this accusation is very serious." So once again, what is important for me is not whether Said did it or not. What is important is that you can not go around attacking a person just based on reasonable doubts. If this will become a trend, the whole climbing scene would change in a very bad way. This is my concern.

The last Olympic tickets will be handed out after the Continental Championships the next spring. As the European CH will take place just two weeks before the Boulder WC 2020 starts and actually the Asian CH, three weeks after, it is a hard decision to make. Fanny Gibert and especially the other boulder specialists are probably asking themself, is it really worth it to continue training Speed the whole winter. Furthermore, as a boulder specialist, should you actually start the Boulder beeing weaker then the rest of the crew? What are your odds for you making it and how much more do you have to sacrifice? On the other hand, if it turns out that most do not think it is worth it, your chances of succeed increase. However, what must be taken into consideration is that everyone who have already been invited to Tokyo will most probably participate and be in good Combined shape. We are talking, 9 female and 8 male from Europe respectively, 3 female and four male from Europe. It should also be noted that Japan will probably send their full team as they hope the Asian CH will act like a qualification event for them. Add to that, that the Speed specialist have nothing to loose. They do not have to make one single session of Lead or Boulder, by being Top-2 in the qualification in Speed they have good chances to grab the last spot to Tokyo. My bet is that Fanny and the other doubters will not go full in but anyhow compete in Combined and hope for some luck. In the end, at least one of the tickets in Europe will be given to another Speed specialist. The reason for this is that for the Speed Specialists, who did not qualify, will act like the Speed qualification event is the most important event if they can make it to Tokyo. They will go full tilt meanwhile the once already made it will think the Speed CH itself, is more important. In Asia, Chaehyon Seo and Jongwon Chon both from Korea will get the invitations to Tokyo.

Hannes Huch did earlier in the week accuse Said Belhaj of lying in regards to his ascent of Action Direct. Huch has also said that other climbers have mentioned that also his ascents of Papichulo 9a+ and TTT are suspicious. Lacrux did get the exclusive interview where Belhaj gives out all details including the name and numbers to two belayers. When it comes to AD, the belayer is unknown and Belhaj says he most have deleted his Insta page.

Alex Honnold started Honnold Foundation, focusing on Solar Aid, in 2013. One reason was simply to bring important issues to the world rather than to only have interviews about death and risk-taking. "The foundation is based in Salt Lake City. One of the really good things about the film is that fundraising is easier. Next year we will give away 1 million dollars. We have been trying to focus on the Americas again. We continue to support Ethiopia and East Africa but now more in countries like Puerto Rico. I'd like to climb harder grades but I don't think I will only focus on that because I find it slightly boring. I have done so many crazy expeditions, travel, work with my foundation. I am doing so many other things so sport climbing is kind of pleasure for me. I know I will never be a great sport climber. You know what I mean. People onsight as hard as my hardest grades. That is not my contribution to climbing but there are other places where I feel I can contribute to. I like a little bit of everything and part of it is that it is fun to be a beginner. I like the steep learning curve. You start with something new and you learn quickly. For me alpinism always feels that way. Part of the best thing is feeling like you improve. This is one of the most satisfying things in climbing but as you get better it is harder and harder to improve." In the future, getting older, he might continue the family tradition getting a professor degree. As we stop the interview, Alex immediately tries to follow up who has the next interesting talk at the Nobel Week Dialogue, in Göteborg. - You know, tonight we are flying to Stockholm in a private plane and I will be at the Nobel Prize ceremony possibly talking with some of the prize winners and your king. That would be cool.

Alex Honnold is in Sweden for the Nobel Week Dialogue talking about his Freesolo documentary and the risk involved. The film producers finished their great presentation by saying Honnold's girlfriend thought it was 30 % that he would fall before the subject was raised. 8a met up Honnold with an interview. "I think we are talking less than 1 % risk and it relates mainly to a mental issue. Climbing on a 7c you just don't fall when giving it 100 % and you climb at your best." During the first attempt, Alex stopped in a "blink" as he did not have a great feeling. He is talking about walking up to the crag very early in the morning and it is really cold and dark when you start. "I made it up to the slabs but I couldn't feel my feet. The shoes were too tight and in a moment it was too much. The second time was better although feeling nervous. I know it was as prepared as I would. It was that moment or never. I was able to go into robot mode. I did not need to think about anything. I could just perform. There have been tons of situations where he says being scary needing to take a deep breath and carry on. Once a hold broke and he actually did fall two meters into a tree fully covered of snow on a ledge. So do you think you will come in a situation like this again? Over time I am probably losing the appetite of it a little bit. Part of it is the classic, it is a little bit of a young man's game to prove himself. At a certain point you do not want to push as hard. We will see. You now the last year has been crazy with traveling and working nonstop so I have been tired. I have soloed all the best routes in the Western US. El Cap always represented the end of a very long road. On the other hand, Alex finishes our risk assessment talk by comparing his free solos with the risks the astronauts take. "If it was once in a lifetime for the one achievement that would mean the most to you for your entire life. If I had a 3 % risk for death I still might go for it. You only have one life anyway. It is what matters the most and you are uniquely capable of doing it. I am sure the astronauts are probably throwing around numbers near 3 %."

Toni Lamprecht, one of the best climbers in the world since the mid 90'ies, tells us his story about his latest 8C FA and adding a possibly 8A+ extension. "Of course you can have the story about "Real Absurdistan". It is a part of the so called "Stoamatz-Project", which I am trying since more than 2 years. "Real Absurdistan" is the lowest start of the roof part. It is 17 moves long, moves that afford besides maximum span a lot of body tension and good coordination. I tried it at least 60 to 70 days. This spring 20-30 and another 15 sessions this autumn/winter. The full "Stoamatz-project" would ad another FB 8A+ traverse with very tricky moves on slopers that need good conditions. That would be a nerve reckin' extension, 33 moves in total. Sisyphus was a guy in the greek mythology. He spends his time rolling up a stone to the top of a mountain, but the stone never stayed there. It rolled down on the other side and he had to roll it up again ad again. The philosophical aspect of the Sisyphus tale is whether he was unhappy with the result (never reaching the goal, that the rock is staying on top) or he was just happy by rolling itself. I think we climber have a very Sisyphus-sense of doing what we love. It is kind of a strange fate to try a route over and over again and even if we reach the top we go on to the next route or boulder. Are we unhappy never climbing THE route or is it just being happy to try something? Absurdistan is total in that dilemma because I climbed a higher version in spring and could have stopped, but there was the lower start and now there still would be an extension and so on and on. AS long as I keep projecting I seem to be happy even if I never climb the route of my life. But maybe that's not even important. Not to Sisyphus nor to us climbers..." So how can you still be going for progress beeing 48-years-old? Not getting injured might be the main key. As long as you can do sessions with a high intensity for the muscles you can have progress. Maybe not a progress powerwise but in combination with the maturity. However, I definitly need longer rests and have less good days with 100 % of power. It takes much longer to progress. Stay healthy and happy is the secret. How have you been training lately? Usually 3-4 days per week or 2 days and one hard training boulder or board in between. bouldering 1-2 hours with only little breaks in between moves. In the board it is mainly hanging, 10 and 5 seconds break hanging again and again until I get sort of trashed. Reapeats by 20 times.

Alex Garriga has done an old Dani Andrada link up project, Climbing obsession 9a in Cuenca. You start with an 8c+ then traverse some 12 meters, "which ends with a hard and strange block where you have to hang on the insteps and downclimbing" continuring with another 8c+. On the pic by (c) Darek Kaluza, the Building Engineering University student is doing Volando Voy 8c. "This season I have returned to training but I try to climb everything I can in rock. I climb like 6 days and one day rest."