Three years ago we asked some speed experts how fast they thought the non-speed specialist could do it. As they thought it would take a year of physical training and getting the sequence optimized to go below eight seconds, we now know they were wrong. One reason for them getting dead wrong might be that Sean McColl had been struggling for years without doing any sub eight seconds run. With Yushiyuki Ogata doing 6.71 and also Tomoa Narasaki getting sub seconds without any proper physical training at the same time many struggle getting below ten seconds, it is clear that climbers have different talent. Talking to some coaches and athletes this has also been confirmed. The Norwegian coach Reino Horak says that he thinks standing long jump and sprinting 20 meters are good indications of who can be the fastest. Possibly this means that if you can jump 2.80 cm, without any training, you can go below seven seconds?

Nicolas Collin was #10 and #12 in the last two Lead events in China. Including also relatively good results in Speed at the same time as only a dozen Combined athletes competed in China, the Belgian was #6 overall. Most probably this will mean a new life for the 20-year-old and full nurse student as he will get an Olympic candidate salary from the state. How can you explain your very good results in China? It was easier to go to the semi because the low number of participants. I am better in onsight compared to flash. I was also well prepared. What is your goal now for 2019? it is special, haha. I still do not know what to think about that? I am super happy of this #6 place because the season was really long for me. It was also my first year in the university so it was hard to manage both competition and study. My shape varied a lot so the system of calculation just the two bet results was good for me. My goals for next year is to reach a final in Boulder and Lead and also to go under 7 seconds in Speed. I will finish my exam in May so I will go to Innsbruck for training in June.

Philipp Gaßner, who did his first 8c+ being 14 years old, has done his first 9a, Working class in Frankenjura. "Tried it two days last year and one day this year; striking line with one hard bouldery section near the top." The 18 year old is #6 in the 8a Combined ranking game having done also ten 8B boulders in 2018.

Placing gear on lead is what counts in trad climbing in order to make a valid ascent even on redpoint. This means sometimes a route is much harder and dangerous as you do not reach a placement from a good position. If you had reached just 10 cm further possibly you could have gotten a bomber solid nut placement but instead the only solution might be to either do a dead serious run-out or place the nut from bad holds, creating another crux. In sport climbing, such situations are rare but you might end up in the same out of reach to place the quick draw on an onsight. The solution is then to carry a stiff quick draw with open gate and voila, problem fixed. As trad ethics is pretty conservative, most probably the trad community would not give credit placing gear with a stick-clip or even using one of these 45 cm stiff dog bones quickdraws etc. But what if you just squeeze in the cables in the rubber normally stabilizing the lower carabiner. By doing so you could gain some 10- 20 cm, resulting in a safer and easier trad experience even if the objective difficulty remains the same. Safety: Please not that once the nut has been placed pull the quickdraw and clip it into the wire.

Stefan Scarperi has done the 25th ascent of Wolfgang Gullich’s classic from 1991, Action Directe in Frankenjura after six days of working it during the last two years. In total the Italian has done four 9a’s out of which two the last two weeks. In 2015 he was #3 in the Euro Championship. ”It is just amazing and Wolfgang did it the same year when I was born. I think this is my hardest although Biologico took me a lot of effort.”

Nicolas Collins from Belgium traveled to China totally under the radar and did come back as #6 in the Combined overall. Most probably this means that he now will get a salary from the state being an Olympic athlete. Interview is coming up. Another example of an athlete suddenly becoming an Olympic prospect, due to only a dozen Combined climbers participated in China, is Speed specialist John Brosler. His best Speed result over the season is, including the last two in China, #13. In Lead and Boulder he is normally among the very last but anyhow he was #13 overall. Another way of showing the impact of the few Combined athletes competing in China is Gregor Vezonik. If he had traveled to China and ended dead last in all events he would have been #9 overall. As a matter of a fact, if I myself had done two Boulder WCs and also traveled to China I could have put #35 in the Combined World Cup. Not bad for a 53 year old that currently struggles topping out the Speed in a sport that is Olympic. I am sure many similar stories can be found among the female. The 2019 season will be long and a good portion of strategy for which comps to do will be as important as how well you climb. Saving energy for the end of the season when the selection will be done in the qualifying Olympic event will be crucial.

Moritz Welt, who the last two months have done two 9a's, have done the FA of Midas 8c+ in Frankenjura. The 17-year-old is #2 in the Combined ranking game after Daniel Woods. "New line starting with the first two bolts of Triebwerke and ending in the upper part of Fürther Freiheit. Pretty much my style with technical moves on tiny holds, hard to grade though... pumpy 8a into 8A+ boulder into another pumpy 7c/+ with a few medium rests in between. Loved to try it!"

Daniel Woods reports on Insta, with many great pics by James Lucas, that he has done the FA of his 4th 8C+, Box Therapy in RMNP up at 3 169 m elevation. The 10.5 km hike took 2 - 3 hours depending how much snow it was and he did it seven days. As can be seen on the picture, there were plenty of snow and projecting also involved rapping in and shoveling away snow and ice on the top out. Some of the days he worked it it was 1 degree and windy conditions. "18 moves out a 50 degree roof, micro holds that make your pulleys feel like they are gonna pop after every attempt." More on Climbing. The 29 year old has been one of the leading boulderers since he was 16 years old and in practice, he has the most impressive bouldering tick list out there. In 2010, he won the Bouldering WC in Vail and this year he did his first 9b.

Said Belhaj has done the 23rd repeat of Action Directe in Frankenjura which Wolfgang Gullich opened in 1991. Today it is considered the world’s first 9a. Ray Demski ”First time I went to the Frankenjura was in -96 but AD was not even a fantasy to climb at the time. Then in -15 I went up to check the moves for the 1st time. Everything seemed possible exept the jump in the start. This spring I tried for 1 week and managed all the moves. On this trip, with 1 month of preparation I was back. I felt weaker than in the spring and the progress went backwards in the end during a 3 week period. I was also very warm for the season which didnt make it easier for me as some moves were in my limit. After a 5 day break from AD, climbing in Margalef, I came back. The temps had dropped and I felt well rested. I sent the same day on my 2nd go. To be honest I never thought I would do it this season but hoped that resting and better conditions would make miracles -and so they did. The route and its history was the only true reason I wanted to do it as its somehow been a part of my life since I started climbing.”

1. Jakob Schubert 48 - Janja Garnbret 36 2. Tomoa Narasaki 54 - Akiyo Noguchi 360 3. Kokoro Fujii 960 - Miho Nonaka 450 4. Yushiyuki Ogata 1 440 - Jessica Pilz 1 050 5. Sean McColl 4 860 - Stasa Gejo 12 960 6. Kai Harada/Nicolas Collins 11 520 - Anna Tsyganova 15 600 The calculation is based on multiplying the two best relative ranking results, for each discipline, among the ones doing the Combined. Janja Garnbret 36 score is based on 4 * 9 in Speed although her best results has been #24 and #32. Jakob Schubert's score of 48 is based on 1 in Lead, 3 * 2 in Boulder and 2 and 4 in Speed. The big surprise is #6 Nicolas Collins from Belgium. Previously to the last two comps in China he had participated in this year, his best Lead result was #42 and in his two Boulder WC's he was #12 and #67. In China he stepped up dramatically as he was #10 and 12 in Lead (2 and 3 relative ranking) and in Speed #27 and 31 (5 and 5). Interview is coming up.