Margo Hayes created history in February 2017 by becoming the first woman to do 9a+, through La Rambla in Siurana. Later she did another 9a+ classic, Biographie in Céüse. (c) Matty Hongy Here is a high class 28 min documentary - Do not miss it! Now she is in Innsbruck for the World Championship and her next goal is Tokyo 2020. Here is an 8a training interview after she had done La Rambla.

The World Championship in Innsbruck will be the first big test prior to the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. The good news is that almost all the top names will try out Combined*. First they compete as normal in the three disciplines and based on the overall multiplicative ranking, the Top-6 will move to the final and do all three disciplines again. Here is a speculative ranking. Who is missing and who should be higher up? 1. Tomoa Narasaki - Janja Garnbret 2. Jakob Schubert - Miho Nonaka 3. Adam Ondra - Akiyo Noguchi 4. Jongwon Chon - Claire Buhrfeind 5. Alex Megos - Jessica Pilz 6. Yushiyuki Ogata - Jain Kim Contenders: Kokoro Fujii - Stasa Geio Jan Hojer - Brooke Raboutou Mickel Mawem - Ashima Shiraishi Manuel Cornu - Alex Puccio Bassa Mawem - Petra Klingler Jernej Kruder - Manon Hily Domen Skofic - Sandra Lettner Meichi Narasaki - Laura Stöckler Kai Harada - Anna Tsyganova* Aleksei Rubtsov - Margo Hayes William Bosi - Vita Lukan Rei Sugimoto - Mei Kotake Yannick Flohe - Ekatarina Kipriianova Sean McColl - Sol Sa The only big stars that will not do the Combined is Stefano Ghisolfi, Romain Desgranges, Anak Verhoeven and Fanny Gibert. *Anna is a Speed specialist who has been #2 in a Speed WC in 2018 at the same time she has been #23 in Lead and #29 in Boulder. Her Combined results, among the ones doing all three disciplines, in Innsbruck could be 1 * 20 *30 = 600, which probably would get her in Top-6. If she makes the final, she would probably get 1 * 6 * 6 = 36 which beats 3 * 4 * 4 = 48. As a matter of a fact 36 points could actually be enough for getting a medal, but first she has to make it to the Top-6 final which is less likely.

Kim Marschner, who previously has done just one 8B+, has in just six sessions taken down Spray of Light 8C in Rocklands. More info on his Insta. Part of the reason why he is lacking ascents in his grade pyramid is probably due to his focus also on competitions the last years. This season, he once made it to the semifinal in a Bouldering WC.

1. Janja Garnbret 2 - Jernej Kruder 3 2. Miho Nonaka 3.1 - Tomoa Narasaki 3.5 3. Akiyo Noguchi 3.2 - Jakob Schubert 4 4. Fanny Gibert 4 - Jongwon Chon 5 5. Alex Puccio 10 - Adam Ondra 6 6. Stasa Geio 18 - Rei Sugimoto 10 Contenders: Katja Kadic, Petra Klingler, Ekatarina Kipriianova, Jessica Pilz - 15 Gregor Vezonik, Kokoro Fujii, Yushiyuki Ogata, Alexsei Rubtsov - 12

Aidan Roberts reports on Insta that he has done Monkey Wedding 8C, four 8B+ including one FA, as well as 16 8B's including the flash of Master Key in Rocklands. Remarkably, the 19 year old had previously just done one 8B+. ”I think the reason for this was simply I did a lot more training and was stronger than before. Rocklands compliments this as the problems tend to be a little more simple, if you are physically strong enough, you will do the problems pretty fast. I've been getting back into plastic mode for Innsbruck now and feeling like I'm getting into the flow a bit more. Rocklands wasn't ideal preparation for this comp but i had such a great time, it was totally worth it! I plan to keep on competing next year but in the mean time, get back into training and go on some trips around Europe to get some good hard boulders done.”

Jernej Kruder, the overall Boulder World Cup winner 2018, reports on Facebook that he has spent the last three days projecting a new five pitches mix climbing without success. "The hype is high, but I guess I'll have to focus on World Championship first. Line is going to wait." It should be mentioned that Jernej focused more on rock climbing and less indoors this year, which made him go from a Top-10 boulder competitior to become #1.

Pirmin Bertle has done his second 9b FA, La Barrière in Jansegg, which is a link-up made of four different routes. Video from a similar link-up which he later down graded to 9a+ due to new sequences have been found. From the full detailed report. "I scared the chamois below already before when I screamed out load three times unwillingly after having done the second boulder. Now as I prepare the jump, peeling myself out the hook, onto the two minuscule foot holds, crimping both the two finger pocket right and the open pinch left in order to fly closer to the wall, and as I fly and as I hold and than control: The chamois run again. I am sorry to the silence. But this is just too UNBELIEVABLE!" In total. Pirmin has done 15 9a's, 4 9a+' and 2 9b's, out of which all but five 9a's, FAs. Including also three 8C's and two 8C+'s, all off them FA, he has one of the most impressive ticklist in the history of climbing. In the 8a All time Combined ranking game, he is runner up after Adam Ondra. It should also be mentioned that Ondra has suggested a down grade of Pirmin's other 9b. How have you training wise been able to step up to 9a again? Since the ascent of La Cène du (Roi) Lézard in November last year with an ultimate “after-Altiplano-weight” of only 64kg (compared to 67kg now) I again reached another level, though my “advanced” age of 33 (and the 3kg more), can’t be really be related to training. In the ten months since I have been three times in a gym, and only from time to time on the tree-boulder in my garden. And normally only for active regeneration than for hard boulder sessions. (And not a single unit of more specific training, no campus, no weights, no stretching, no antagonists, no I-even-do-not-know-the-names-of-all-these-devices…) What brings me directly to the more recent preconditions of my shape: Slight height training in La Saume on 2200-2500m, walking a lot with a lot of weight – Céüse with my daughter and gear comes close to 40kg (good for the endurance), again sending a lot. In this case one day projects. The preparation in La Barrière then is based a lot on skin management. I passed on the way to France and on the way back four and two weeks before the sending and each time cut the important spots on the fingers, let them heal and had them reinforced like this. The last two sessions then I had in a Via Ferrata style on a fixed rope, all alone up there. This is important because it permits the ideal preparation rhythm independent from the availability of other climbers. One day on, two days off. A lot of repetitions in the new jump beta to ensure precision even in a tired state. And in the end the perfect point of time, the self handicapping and the courage to believe in it despite all this.

James Squire, who previously has done four 8B+' and 30 8B's, has done his first 8C by the FA of The World Is Yours in Biblins Cave. (c) Tom Maidwell "We were lucky enough to have Biblins Cave unbanned five years ago and this mega project was the obvious line through the middle of the cave from sitting at the back, climbing to the lip of the roof. It involves 18 powerful and beta intensive moves. I have spent over 30 sessions on this roof in total with 8 of them being in the last two months after I was finally able to work out beta for the top section. It ended up being a massive mental battle after I dropped the easier top moves a few weeks ago and couldn't reach that high point for a few sessions after. You have to climb an 8B to get into the crux meaning you don't have loads of attempts each session and it caused a number of skin problems. I am both very psyched and very relieved to have finally climbed this! Still can't believe it!"

Camilla Moroni has done her first two 8A's Supersupernova and The right hand of darkness in Magic Wood. (c)Pietro Biagini Camilla has won one Euro Boulder Cup during the last two years and in the World Championship this year, the 17 year old was #7. This weekend she has travelled to Brussel to compete in the Euro Youth Championship.