Based on some 1 500 unique votes, "Best climbing rope 2019?", we can see very small changes in comparison to the 2016 results, shown in brackets. 19 % Sterling (21) 18 % Beal (19) 17 % Mammut (18) 15 % Petzl (12) 14 % Edelrid (13) 10 % Tendon (12) 06 % Other (5)

Cathy Wagner, who did her first 8a in 1994, has done her 8a+ #155, Da Lineking in Rodellar. "Sooo happy! Fell at the last move on my first go 2 weeks ago totally pumped and today, despite the wobbly warm-up, I felt steady. IMO, the right knee-bar in the middle of the 3rd part of Maskoking makes the route easier, so I'd say a soft 8a+." The 53 year old teacher did her first 8b in 2001 and yesterday she did her 17. Interesting is that she has never started off a year as good as in 2019! If Cathy would have taken part in the ranking game, she would have been #2 in the Age & Gender ranking game, after Adam Ondra.

From the starting list to the Boulder WC we can see only four of the female Top-10 will participate. Among the male, the winner in Munich Jakob Schubert and Anze Peharc skip it. In practice this means that in Vail, like also in Munich last week, many of the best do not participate. Most probably, the reason for this is that many think the Olympics is more important. The season is very long and will be finished with the qualification event in France.

Matt Fultz has done the third ascent of Peter Würth's Unendliche Geschichte 1+2+3 in Magic Wood, video. First you climb the boulder roof and then you clip in finishing with four bolts in order to climb and stand at the top of the gigantic bloc. "Soft 8C? Or 9a? Either way, might be Earth’s best rock climb." In the Combined ranking game, Matt is #5 and actually with just one 8c+ route he will be #2. (c) Nevin Rajen

Daniel Fong, who did three 8B+' last year, has done his first 8C, Paint it Black in RMNP in just four sessions. Video on his Insta Daniel Woods put up the 65 degrees overhanging. "Really cool to get on a hard climb that is also high quality. 4 sessions, first two were basically figuring out the second move aka my crux. Had a ton of support from the homies and tried hard, psyched to get it done before the heat comes. Out of my depth in this grade range so I’m going with consensus."

Toni Lamprecht, who previously has set up 14 boulders 8B+ and harder, has done the FA of Muttertagsdach 8B+ in Kochel, actually twice and there is still an extension. "I'm working on the "Stoamatz-Projects" since last winter. The lower start in the roof is sometimes wet, that's why I climbed the "Muttertag"-version first. Then I moved some stones on the ground and now it is possible to start 2 hard moves lower. And there would be the extension. Next to this roof-project I have some 5 other hard projects around Kochel and of course the same number of route projects. And there's more in the pre-alps of Bavaria, so it never gets boring..."

Matt Fultz has had a great start of his Ticino trip. Five days ago he did 28 boulders up to 8A in order to celebrate his 28th birthday. Yesterday, he did his first 8B flash, Steppenwolf in Magic Wood. (c) Freddy High In total, he has done 11 boulders 8A and harder including two 8B+' in the first ten days. In the 8a ranking game, he is now #6 after having had ten years of almost straight progress.

In 1995, fred rouhling put up Akira at Le Périgord as the world's first 9b in 1995, when 9a+ did not exist, after several months of projecting. It starts with an horizontal 12 meter boulder roof and then you tie in and finish an eight meter 8a, video. Previously he had done some 9a and 8B+ out of which some are still not repeated. Back then and until Climbing.com presented an article in 2004 most thought he was a liar, although 8a had backed him up. Still, he has not gotten the full credit for taking the biggest grade step in the history of climbing. Insta with pictures from his work as an artist. Chatting with him you understand that possibly it would have been best to suggest 9a+ or even better 8C in 1995 and indicate that it could be harder waiting for an upgrade. "For sure now it’s obvious but at that moment there was nothing comparable. There was not even any crash pads and no roof boulders in Fontainebleau or elsewhere. Fred Nicole open the first 8B+ Radja in 1995 the same year of Akira. If I have said 8C+ it would have been the same problem." Fred has done a total of six FA 9a or harder including Salamandre 9a+ and the three unrepeated; De l’autre côté du ciel 9a, Mandallaz drive 9a, pictured, and Empreintes 9a+. "I was quite obsessed with the limit between the possible and the impossible. It’s only in the first ascent that we can have this sensation. It is not funny to have detractors but on the other hand to have done things that other consider impossible it’s a consecration especially if these climbers are supposed to be among the best." Many of the best including Alex Huber (who was right about that 9b+ for Bernabe Fernandez) and Dani Andrada, said they did not believe Fred. Today he thinks he is more poet than a sport climber. "I enjoy spending time in contemplate nature, reading books and picking stones. I kept a lot of strength and I can still do 8A without training or tiredness, just happiness! I prefer do small boulder with only one or two hard moves. There are not so many in this style which are more than 8b. La Proue, one move 8B, is incredible. It was a nice opportunity to open Akira and I'm grateful for that."