Roland Hemetzberger, one of the very best trad and MP climbers in the world, has done the FA of Mantra 9a in Achleiten. "I bolted the route 7 years ago. I think over a long period of climbing you get simply more strength in your fingers and and you involve as a climber. I tried it just in good conditions." (c) Bernhard Kogler The full time employee at Blck Diamond and kind of an under the radar climber has previously done at least a handfull 9a and harder FAs, mainly in Achleiten. Interesting is that most of them are unrepeated. 9a FA video from New Zealand and here is his an article from when he sent Wogü, one of the hardest MPs in the world.

Ingo Filzwieser has been an Austria Bouldering Coach the last seven years. He finished with a training camp in Tokyo last December which made great impressions. On the picture from Mumbai last year, Ingo is standing next to Jakob Schubert, one of the few Europeans that could challenge the Japanese boulderes last year. In the WC 2017, there were five male Japaneses among the Top-8. - There are some 200 boulder gyms in Tokyo and they run them with 12 levels of difficulty including some much harder than in Austria. The gyms have more different types of holds and volumes, even European ones, that I see in Austria. Rei Sugimoto (#6 in the WC 2017) was working on one where he could not do the single moves, then three local guys come along topping out. I think the Japanese domination will continue. You have so many dedicated guys that see bouldering as a way to get away from their hard working life and enjoy a bit of travelling and competing at the top level. Many seems to train eight hours straight like 5 days a week. They start by stretching for two hours, followed by doing hard boulders for two hours, which they later repeat once. It is hard for us to understand how they can continue this regime and still seem to be like children just playing around. I guess you can only understand their success if you fully understand their culture with team thinking, humbleness at the same time they are very goal oriented, hard working and pleased. Often they have coaches filming their tries or simulation of a competition which they later analyse together. My motto is that you can not train like the last winner... you have to train like the next winner. (We will follow up with Ingo's thoughts on this.)

Katie Malinowski has done her first 8A, Beefy Gecko in Bishop. "Sooo psyched to send my first of the grade and “Beefcake” (V10) over the weekend. Time to squeeze in some late season sends before summer!" More nice pics and comments from the 17 year old on her Instagram. (c) Jesse Weiner

Luca Bana started 2018 as a teenager with a personal best of 8c and now he has already done a couple 8c+' and La Reino Mora 9a (8c+) in Siurana. It was put up by Ramon Julian Puigblanque as an 8c but lately most have thought it is 9a. (c) Colette McInerney - I spent some days to figure out all the moves and try to link together the main sections. Then, i started to do 'real' attempts and after three good tries falling off the same crux at 2/3 of the route, i managed to clip the chain! Soooo happy. The ascent of means a lot for me: the line itself is the most logical of the wall and for sure one of the best in Siurana. It has been a very nice process working on it, moreover it's my first route of the grade, so it represents a good step forward and gives me great motivation to climb harder stuffs!

William Bosi has done the first repeat of Malcolm Smith's Hunger in Anvil which is a 25m link-up of an 8b and an 8b+ in 60 degrees overhanging terrain. (c) Photo by Hot Aches Productions "This is my 3rd 9a and all 3 that I’ve done have been so different. The Anvil is such a crazy crag with a 2-hour walking approach and this 60 degrees overhanging face basically over a bunch of boulders. It’s an absolute mission to get to, and even harder to get climbable conditions there, so it was quite tricky to try this route and luckily it only took me 4 days - 3 last June and 1 last Saturday. Hunger was first climbed by my hero Malcolm Smith as first of the grade for Scotland - I’m proud to be Scottish so to be the first to repeat it meant a lot to me. Last year, William was #4 in the Combined Youth World Championship and he is trying to make it to Tokyo 2020. "I’m attending some boulder, speed and most of the lead WC. I will also be competing in all three at the world champs."

Seb Bouin reports that he has done the 70 m long and 20 year old project Eyes bigger than the cave, with "amazing boulders problems on the top", where he fell four times. "<>If I compare this route with other I did or try, I can porpose 9a+/b. I think it's harder than Chilam Balam (9a+/9b) and Pachamama (hard 9a+, proposed 9a+/9b by Patxi Usobiaga). The first roof part is around 20-25 meters. After you reach a good rest and you can change your rope. Then you have a bouldery crux on one finger pocket to reach an other rest. Until here it could be 8c route. Then there is one resistant 9a to do. This 9a part is starting with big tufas, and after there is 7A boulder + 7A boulder + 7C+/8A boulder + 7B boulder. All these boulders problems are amazing."

Alberto Gines Lopez, runner up in the last Youth World Championship, jumps from 8c to 9a by doing Víctimes del Futur in Margalef. (c) Mario Martinez Munoz "I spent the last week climbing in Margalef. My first intention was to try some hard routes and to make some on-sight ascents. I started in the Sector called Racó de la Finestra with the purpose of trying some routes, as I said, on-sight, but, finally, I changed my mind and decided to try some more demanding project because I was feeling fit. With the new Margalef guide by Vicent Palau, I chose Victimes del Futur (9a). From the beginning I started very motivated because I really had very good sensations. After the first attempt, I talked to Vicent and he explained to me that when the route was initially equipped by Jordi Pou it was set as 8c +. But it seems that some holds had been broken in the crux and after the last ascents (one of them by Alex Megos) they decided to change it to 9a. In the next two days I continued trying it. The sensations were still very good and finally, on the third day of trying, I sent it."

Last year, 115 male and 78 female participated in the Meiringen Boulder World Cup which was an increase with 34 % to 2016. Already now, there are 96 are female and 101 male registered to compete 13-14/4 although Italy and some smaller nations have not signed up, so we are looking at a big increase also in 2018. With so many athletes, it is very important to be part of the World Ranking, i.e. having been Top-30 in an event in 2017, as you otherwise might end up with seven hours in isolation, and on top of that, bouldering on holds with less friction. Further more, the #1 ranked could have some five hours more rest before the semifinal. In total, you are allowed to participate with 6 + 6 athletes but due to extreme results in 2017, Japan will participate with 12 male in comparison to maximum 9 last year. In 2017, Japan had five guys among the Top-8 and that domination just might increase with more Japanese participating. (c) Eddie Fowke

Alex Puccio has done her fourth 8B+, Penrose Step in Leavenworth. "AMAZING!!! Revenge after getting robbed a year ago when I fell off the very end and then the rain came in. It went down second day this trip and I tried it I think 2 days last time. So took 4 maybe 5 days in total split over the two trips. What an AWESOME line!!! :)" (c) Joel Zerr In the 8a ranking game she is #17 among the guys which is the highest any female has had since we started with the scorecard in 2000. The runner up in the World Championship in 2014 is listed to do the first World Cup in Meiringen the next weekend. "I’m actually not doing the first 2 world cups anymore. This was a last minute decision. I decided that since I’m going to go to Europe this summer/ fall for 3 months to basically do Lead WC’s and Boulder WC with World Champs and others competitions on top of that. I also didn’t feel 100% prepared to try and win a WC yet and during/after our Lead Nationals I was and still am dealing with a couple little finger injuries. They seem to feel a lot better on rock which is nice! I will be in Vail WC for sure and then a TON of comps all the ways till December after that! If I didn’t take care of my body now and take a break from indoor climbing I would really feel it later this year! A break now and then is really needed and I’m not only a indoor/ competition climber. I would go crazy if all I did was competitions still."

Jonathan Siegrist has made the first repeat of two Joe Kinder routes; The Re-Up in Cathedral from 2008 and Bone Tomahawk in Fynn Cave from 2016. "Super steep and seriously tenuous with essentially no rest. My anti-style for sure but still it felt a little too hard for 9a. Respect to the Kind Kid!" (c) Tara Kerzhner In total, Jonathan has done 34 routes 9a and harder excluding a couple he has given a personal down grade for. In the 8a ranking game, he is #2 after Adam Ondra.