BJ Tilden has done Black Sheep which is his fourth 9a FA and also his fifth 8c+ or harder FA at Wolf Point. "The route is actually a link-up. Each piece took a whole season on its own. The start is called Sheep Eye. It's a hard 8c that I bolted and climbed 5 years ago. It look the whole spring season to send. The Black Streak is a route called God of War 8c+. I climbed that route 2 years ago and it took the whole fall season. I started trying the link last fall. I spent about four weeks on it and fell off the last move 10 times. This spring the crag opened late due to lots of snow. We only had five days in there. I fell on the last move another 6 times. I'm pretty sure yesterday was the last chance before it got too hot."

The Lead World Cup starts 4/7 in Villars but Adam Ondra is not in the starting list, possibly due to the wrist injury he is taking about in the latest episode, Road to Tokyo.

Maggie Odette, who did her first 8b+ at 44, has done her fourth, Eulogy in Maple Canyon. "Surprise! Never 1- or even 2-hung it. Terrible day on it on Friday, then miraculously got through the Millenium portion for the first time of the season yesterday, sent 2nd go of the day. Super weird. Unheard of for me...second go is usually a disaster! Yay!"

Babsi Zangerl reports on Insta that she has done Pre-Muir wall which is a 30 pitch 8b in Yosemite. (c) Jacopo Larcher Babsi has previously done three other big multi-pitches in Yosemite and many others all over. In this discipline she is superior among the female and also one of the very best among the male. Including also 9a in Sport and 8B in bouldering, the Austrian is the best female rock climber in the world.

IOC has unanimously voted to approve the approval to include Sport Climbing in Paris 2024. The proposal was to have have two set of medals, Speed Climbing with 16 athletes per gender respectively Lead and Boulder with 20 athletes per gender in a new Combined discipline. The final decision will be taken in December 2020. Read more

When it comes to big walls and multi-pitches, Babsi Zangerl is totally superior among the female. In 2017, she made the first repeat of Tommy Caldwell's Magic Mushroom, a 30 pitch 8b+, together with her boyfriend Jacopo Larcher. The 30 year old Austrian has also done the first female ascent of the 900+ metres El Nino 8a+, Zodiac 8b and Pre-Muir 8b. It should be noted that grade wise these efforts should, in comparison to bolted one pitch sport routes (in spain), probably warrant at least two grades more. Lat year 2018 she did the FFA of Odyssee on the Eiger North Face, 33 pitches up to 8a+ (hardest free climb on the Eiger). She has also done the FFA of the Alpine trilogy; Kaisers neue Kleider 8b+, Silbergeier 8b and End of Silence 8b+. Adding another dozen big multi-pitches 8a and harder mainly in the Alps, she just might have the Top-5 most impressive ticklist out there, also counting the male. If so, Babsi might be the very best female athlete out there in the world, counting all sports, in comparison to the male? It should be mentioned that most of her hardest big wall/multi-pitches ascents, she has done together with Jacopo Larcher who is also among the best in the world in this discipline. Surely, he is also part of the success story of making Babsi an unique female in the world. (c) Heinz Zak

Chiara Hanke, who previously has done five 8c’s has become the first women to do a 9a in Frankenjura via, Sever the Wicked Hand, in just six or seven sessions. More info and pics on her Insta. (c) Hans Radetzki ”I started climbing at the age of 13 after a shoulder surgery. Before that I was passionate about wakeboarding. Actually I just wanted to get fit for wakeboarding again quickly. A climbing hall had opened around the corner from me at the time. That was so much fun for me that I stayed with it. Then everything went very fast: competitions, member of the national team, more competitions. I didn‘t get to really climb outside until the end of 2017, when I started climbing again after a knee injury lasting almost 3 months. That was a lot of fun for me and motivation! In 2018 I only climbed outside besides training. Wallstreet was certainly a highlight of it. For me it was and still is important to climb many routes and climbb in general. I really don't like to try routes to often. Then I have the feeling not to climb any more and I miss just doing moves."

Bernd Zangerl famous for being one of the pioneers of Magic Wood and many other areas around the globe explores more in Val di Orco including the Il Colonel sds.

Jorge Diaz-Rullo has done his fourth 9a the last three weeks, Leira in Cuenca. Adding also four 8c+ and one 9b in the same period, it is easy to say that the 19 year old is in the best shape in his life. In the 8a ranking game, the Spaniard is #4.