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!

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

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."

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.

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Sachi Amma, stopped competing after he won the World Cup in 2014. Next year he reached his goal to do ten routes 9a or harder. Midways in 2016, he took a another break from doing hard routes but now he is back with a new focus on doing hard FAs. Three months ago he did the FA of Maturity 9a+ and last week he did Soulmate proposing 9b. More info on his Insta. (c) Masaaki Maeda What have been the important aspects about your climbing and how have they changed over the years? There are so many aspects about climbing. It drags out myself from darkness. It makes connection with so many people. It is a social. It is the way how I live in this social. It is the way to express myself. Everything acts together. But the strongest aspect to me is that it is a tool to meet my existence. You can imagine that art, Yoga or meditation is the tool to meet your existence. Climbing is getting like those action to me. Why do you think they change over years? I spent so much energy in competitions. Then I shifted to hard routes in outside. I released all the energy. Then I started opening hard projects. Certainly if you see only actions in the real world, I keep changing. And my inside also transform strongly. But deep inside of me not change at all. Jens got a question about my changes and transformations. But many of my friends says that “Your spirit does not change at all.” I can say both is correct. But I would like to arrow myself to change and transform. And hope you feel really deep inside of me is taking root to my existence more and more. How do you see your climbing lifestyle will change over the coming years? I feel that life has some secret. Climbing has some secret. You know what I mean. All the changes and transformations are happening without my control. I do not know what I can do with it. Maybe I keep doing one thing for 10 years. But you must see something is changing and something is more rooted.

Alex Pucciohas done Beautification, 8A and Turbulence 8A+ in Leavenworth. In total she has done a total of 167 boulders 8A and harder which is totally superior among the female. (c) Joel Zerr "Sweet Line! Harder than most V11's, but pretty soft for V12. Went down pretty quick in the sun. First time ever trying it. Got to climb 3 awesome lines that I never got the chance to try on our last trip. :)" In two weeks, the runner up in the World Championship in 2014, will begin the World Cup season in Switzerland also with some Olympic interest. "I plan to do some Bouldering and Lead world cups this year, but not the whole seasons and I will be at World Champs for sure competing in at least Bouldering and Lead.