Sarah Kamf (born Seeger) has done her seventh 8c Intercooler in Frankenjura. The 38-year-old mother of two is having her best year with three 8c's the last year and this time she only needed five sessions to take it down. So what is the secret? How can you explain being stronger than ever? There is no secret. Climbing in general and particularly Frankenjura and the people I'm climbing with keep inspiring and motivating me, I'm a lucky girl enjoying what I do. I think I have reduced my weaknesses (finger strength) by specifically looking for routes or boulders that target them from time to time or by doing some hangboard training when time is short. In general, I have been climbing a lot for the past 10 years which sure had some improving effect. And maybe I am climbing a bit more strategically nowadays and approach projects more focused than in the past. 24 years of climbing experience might have left their marks. What about trying an 8c+? Sure I am psyched to try other hard routes, but I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. There are some routes which I am curious to try but projecting is time and energy consuming so the whole setting needs to be compatible with family and work. If I find a route which fulfills these requirements .

For the first time ever, following the male, the Japanese female dominated the Boulder qualification. Also USA got their best result by having four in the Top-15 and further more Brooke Raboutou was #21 and Ashima Shiraishi #23. Complete results It should be mentioned that only four of the Top-10 ranked did participate and also that Janja Garnbret, who won one group, was the only Slovenian participating. In the last WC in Munich, Slovenia had five girls in the Top-8!

The sixth and last Boulder World Cup in 2019 starts on Friday in Vail with the qualification. Among the male, overall it is a battle in between Adam Ondra and Tomoa Narasaki although in theory also Kokoro Fujii could win. If Narasaki wins, Ondra will secure the overall victory being runner-up. Janja Garnbret has won all five events and she just might be the first in the IFSC history to have won all during one season. In 2018, she just participated in three events out of which she won the last two. Interesting is that only four out of the Top-10 in the female ranking participate. Among the male, Anze Peharc and Jakob Schubert, who in theory could have won, will not participate as well as Alexey Rubtsov, currently ranked as #3. The major reason for all these absents is probably that the athletes have given the Olympic qualification a higher priority. The season is very long and they need to rest and train Speed. Shauna Coxey is the one having taken this to the extreme having just participated in two events in 2019. The Combined overall ranking is based on the two best results in the three disciplines. The ones desperately needing a good result in Vail are; Miho Nonaka, Kyra Condie, Ashima Shiraishi, Brooke Raboutou, Margo Hayes, Alex Megos, Sean Bailay, Mickael Mawem and Sean McColl. Friday June 7: Women’s Qualifications - 10am ET Men’s Qualifications - 3:30pm ET Saturday June 8: Semifinals - 11:30am ET (LIVE) Women’s Finals - 5pm ET (LIVE) Men’s Finals - 6:45pm ET (LIVE)

Barbara Zangerl was on her way to Yosemite but a bad weather forecast made her opt for plan B to Pine Creek with her partner Jacopo Larcher. After six days of climbing she could do Ethan Pringle's Everything is Karate 8c+/9a, which also Jacopo did. (c) Benjamin Ditto - The Bishop Area Climbing Coalition (BACC) works to educate visitors about responsible use of our beautiful landscape. "The original plan was to go to the valley to try the Nose free. But due to the weather we needed a plan B. The climbing here, around Bishop is amazing. Fun routes in every difficulty! I had a hard time on the last long move....got a really small mono edge and from there extended to a bad 3 finger crimp....I had to go dynamic....that felt really insecure and hard to me! More info on her Insta. Ten years ago, Barbara Zangerl was one of the very best female boulderers in the world. In 2009, she got an herniated vertebral disc which made her stop bouldering. Including one 9a and several 8c+' she is also nowadays among the best in sportclimbing and the same goes for trad, where she has done several 8b+' and 8c. Even so, big-walls and multi-pitches should be her best discipline with three FFA's in Yosemite up to 8c. So she is the best female multi-discipline rock climber out there, and in fact, a rather superior #1.

Nicholas Milburn has done Chris Sharmas' Dreamcatcher 9a in Squamish. (c) Matty Hong "This route took me about 10 weeks of work over three seasons. I came really close last year, but ran out of time. I trained hard before returning this year to make sure I would be strong enough to send. The weather was also the best I have ever seen in Squamish. The day I sent was super windy which made a huge difference. Matty taught me some advanced sport climbing strategies and I finally caught the dream. I'm psyched that such an iconic route is my first of the grade."

New to Spring 2019 is the ALEON, developed by Fred Nicole together with Five Ten. Fred’s passion for design began at art college with sculpture work, however his transition into shoe design was self taught, saying it was simply a “natural & instinctive process”. What is the best & worst part of the design process? I find it all interesting, however the hard part is when people critic a shoe you’re proud of. On the other hand it's great when people are psyched about what you have produced. If you could go and re-climb any of your problems in the world, in the ALEON to make the problem easier, what would it be? It would be great to re-climb Amandla (8B+), Slashface (8B) & Terremer (8C) in the ALEON, as they have really small footholds and require a very precise shoe with good heel tension.

Jonatan Flor, who previously has done two 9a's, reports on Insta that he has done Dani Fuertes' No Pain no Game 9a+ in Rodellar. (c) Ignacio Mulero The two times Spanish Bouldering Champion has also done several hard core boulders including Crisis 8C (+) in Crevillente. "It is a very demanding route. During the first attempts I did not understand many sequences of the route. It seemed very hard with a lot of resistance. It was a great challenge to try this route. For days I was deciphering and worked the route. As the days were passing, attempts were becoming better but a very hard section of resistance high up always threw me off. In the last attempts I did not know if I could do the route. It's an amazing line and being able to make it has been very satisfying."

UIAA has presented a map with known corrosion locations and interestingly almost all spots are crags very close to the sea.

Giuliano Cameroni has done Dave Graham's Topaz 8C in RMNP in just one hour on his second go from the start and first giving it a personal down grade. "After climbing Jade I realized that Topaz is more complete and a little harder." (c) Keenan Takahashi One week later he continued showing great form by doing two 8B+' in a day; Jade and Domestic Cat. Earlier this year he put up two 8C+' and in the 8a ranking game the 22 year old Swizz is #3. Mofe info and pics on his Insta.

Seb Bouin has done the FA of Beyond 9a (+) in Pic Saint Loup where he previously has opened one 9a and one 9a+. "I hope, one day, there will be some guys motivated by these world class routes.​" (c) Raphael Fourau "This project Beyond is going straight in the most overhanging part of the crag until the top (50 meters). There is a first anchor. The first part (the one I did) is an incredible route. I was thinking the crux almost impossible at the beginning. It's almost roof climbing on bad crimps. After finding some micro betas for the first moves, it was missing me the last hard move to go on a good tufa. I was thinking to give up until I found the tufa dyno. This move is incredible, you are falling on the crimps, and you have to jump on this tufa. This route will be for sure a hard classic of Pic Saint Loup. About the grade it could be hard 9a, or 9a/+. Next repetitors will confirm it.​ About the second part of this route, there is a hard boulder problem straight after the first anchor. After four goes in, I am still not able to do the move."