Jakub Konečný, #6 in the Lead WCH in Innsbruck, reports on Insta that he finished off 2018 by doing Catxasa 9a+ in Santa Linya. This means he has done four 9a or harder just the last two weeks. (c) Vojta Vrzba "Last possible try of the day, last climb of this year. I’m glad to finish this already great season by clipping the chain of my dream route."

Jernej Kruder, boulder World Cup winner in 2018 and famous for his multi-discipline focus instead of training indoors before the comps, reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Dugi rat 9a+ in Vrulja, Croatia. Old projecting video. "Incredible line! Bolted it 3 years ago and had to spend 5(6) visits to finish it, including one month trip that was too rainy. Braking some holds made it way harder during the tires, but so happy it remained climbable. Had a huge fight with a bit easier upper part because of numb fingers. Still dreaming about the line <3." In the 8a Combined ranking game, the Slovenian is #5 including 8b+ DWS FA, 8b+ MP, 8b+ trad and 8C Boulder FA etc. In the 8a Climber of the year, he is #6.

The easiest way to measure progress in climbing is to try to repeat the same boulder or even try a new campus board move. Sure it feels great to be stronger on a specific move but, in reality, it does not make you a better climber. In reality, the same thing can often be said even when a new personal grade have been sent. Any coach or experienced climber would instead "measure" you based on multiple styles and factors. In order to improve as a climber you should focus to widen your skill base of your pyramid. Many of us are pretty optimized when it comes to max power so only limited improvements are found there. Becoming a better climber means often to focus on our weaknesses that are seldom trained like technique, tactic and flexibility. Focusing on each challenge instead of trying to do the short cut by finding a specific route in order to set a new personal best. Technical improvements can be done be climbing more dynamical by doing moves with three contacts using just one foot or one hand. Other options could be to focus on knee drops or cross over moves. Tactical skill are easiest done by route reading before climbing, trying to find resting points etc, and then analyse your climbing together with a friend afterwards.

Adam Ondra has been chosen 8a Climber of the year for nine straight years and in fact, there has not been much of a competition from the runner ups. In 2018, Ondra has again done many astonishing ascents like a 9a+ flash, two 8c+ onsights, two 9b FA's and an 8C boulder. In the Comp scene, he was #2 in both Lead and in Combined in the World Championship. These great performances would have been enough in any of the previous nine years but in 2018, there is a great challenge from Jakob Schubert. Double World Champion and World Cup winner in Lead and three times Top-4 in Bouldering speak for it selves. Then he has done two 9b's and two 9a+, out of one originally called 9b/+. When it comes to bouldering Jakob flashed Catalan Whitness the Fitness giving it a personal grade of 8B+ and the same down grading suggestion for two more 8C's. Clearly, Ondra is a superior #1 when it comes to outdoors and the same goes for Schubert on the competition scene. So the big question is who should be considered Climber of 2018? Only measuring redpoints outdoors, Schubert should be #1 but then Ondra has his remarkable onsight record as well as having done ten 9a to 9b FA beside also impressive multi-pitches and trad climbs.

Iker Ortiz has done his first 9a, La Negra in Gandia. "What an illusion! A good physical and mental struggle, third ascent after Pedro and Jonatan."

Some 15 years ago, very few climbers downgraded climbs and even if everyone did know that the grades were too soft in general, for example on Kalymnos and in Ticino, very few reacted. As 8a wanted to present correct news we said the situation was like in the Fairy tale 'The Emperor's new clothes'. Downgrading, aka screaming that the Emperor is nude, was quite controversial and it had not started before David Graham put up The Story of Two World's as an 8C in combination with an article on 8a where he talked about the grade inflation. Later, 8a started to use the term "personal grade" instead of saying, "downgraded it", which now is actually the way the whole community defines it in order to reduce controversies. Still, most stay away from giving personal grades and instead sometimes use the words "soft" and "hard" and that is just fine. On the other hand, it seems that some use personal grades to show off or just in order to be disrespectful to the FA-ionists and repeaters, which happens especially in Bouldering. If you honestly feel that a Boulder is more than two grades wrong and you do not say it in a nice way, you can imagine that you are stepping on some toes. Sure you might be correct but when we are talking about three grades differences, maybe you should try to write it in a polite way in order not to offend some. Maybe you did not do the same Boulder, you found new beta, some holds have gotten bigger or you did not start in the same way etc. In the 8a system you get the score and the news is based on your personal grade, which hopefully makes the provocative people calm down. We also think that it is good enough to say "soft" if you are not just sure if the line is clearly one grade easier for you personally. What I am critical towards is that in some databases you can downgrade a boulder with three grades but you still get the fame for having done the original grade! I mean that this system creates unnecessary and sometimes unfriendly controversies.

Oriane Bertone is as usual in Rocklands during the Christmas break. Although fighting 30-35 degrees, the 13 year old has quickly done two 8A+', Leopard Cave and Green Mamba. In the 8a ranking game, she is #2 after Isabelle Faus. Nice video showing her amazing feet over the head technique.

Starting 14th January in Stockholm, the celebrated documentary Free Solo that has received 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, is on a tour around the Nordic countries. Free Solo is a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of the free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock ... the 3,000ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park ... without a rope. The New York Times writes: "Alex Honnold’s Free Solo climb should be celebrated as one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever." Dates: 14th Jan Stockholm SOLD OUT 15th Jan Stockholm SOLD OUT 15th Jan Malmö 16th Jan Norrköping 17th Jan Göteborg 22nd Oslo SOLD OUT 23rd Oslo 24th Stockholm Bio Roy More cities and dates will be updated on www.strang.se Requests to screen Free Solo at other cities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, please contact [email protected] Photographs © 2018 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.

Christof Rauch has done his third 8C in 2018, Der mit dem Fels tanzt 8C in Chironico which Martin Keller did put up. In total, Christof who works full time, has done 144 boulders 8A and harder this year which should be most in the world. In the 8a ranking game, based on the Top-10 ascents, he is #5. The pic is from Big Kat 8B+ which he did three days ago. (c) Largegon Damien "Already tried it when I did „Insanity of Grandeur“, back then it felt way to hard to link it from the bottom, this trip it was different and I managed to do it on my third day of the trip. Great problem with sick moves, especially the feet first part and the compression at the end. Syked!"