Angela Eiter, the very best female lead competition climber in the history having won three World Cups overall and four World Championships, has become the first woman to climb 9b. Today, Angy sent La Planta de Shiva 9b in Villanueva del Rosario, Spain. (c) Red Bull Contenpool/E. Holzknecht The route was FA'd by Adam Ondra and Jakob Schubert did the second ascent. It should be noted that in regards the grade, it was Ondra's fifth 9b and he commented on his scorecard, "one of my hardest so far, pure endurance climbing with few rests, continuously hard with minimum of rests". Schubert said it was his hardest route so far when he did last year. She has worked it during several trips the last two years and she has also trained specifically at home in order to do it. The 154 cm tall has previously done four 9a's. Angy's husband, photographer Bernie Ruech, says that they plan to take pictures tomorrow and their plan was to keep silent until then. "It seems someone was faster :) Angy tried the route two years ago. She did the first pitch (8c) on her fourth try. She knew that the second pitch (mainly crimps) which is a pure power endurance route could suite her well. That’s why she tried the moves and after she told me she really loves that style and if there’s a 9b she wanted to try then, this is exactly what she’s looking for." More info to come...

Lukasz Dudek has done his 16th 9a by repeating Adam Ondras's Climb For Life in San Vito lo Capo. Adam named it in order to support Climb For Life - Give Bone Marrow - campaign where Ondra signed up as a potential bone marrow donor.

Matty Hong in Spain from Petzl-sport on Vimeo.

Tom O'Halloran, who previously has repeated one 8B and two 8c+', has raised the bar by doing The Wheel of Life in Grampians, giving it a personal 8B+ grade. The 65 mover, was put up by Dai Koyamada in 2004 as the world's first 8C+. It should be noted that it is link-up of four boulders out of which all had inflated grades at the time, so Dai used them as the reference. (c) Amanda Watts "So a bout 5 weeks ago I made the 12hr drive down to the Gramps from the Blue Mountains with some friends, with the intention of just working on the Wheel. We only had two days due to work and family life, but it was very worthwhile! I was working it with a friend who is also trying to send the whole thing. He had a lot of beta he was able to unload to me. I did all the individual problems that weekend but felt along way from it being achievable. The 12hr drive home we were all just talking training! Five weeks later I’m back down here with my partner and three year old daughter for the Grampians Boulder Festival. Our first day here we got up to the cave for a quick 1hr session. I redid all the section and did a couple of links of the middle 2 and last 2 problems. Then yesterday I did it from my first ever try from the start. It was a surreal experience."

Tom O'Halloran - The Wheel of Life from Tom O'Halloran on Vimeo.

Prilep in Macedonia, with 1 404 ascents in the 8a database, is said to be the best bouldering area in Eastern Europe. In this moment there are 700 boulders from 5A to 8C but that is just 30% of the total potential. Here you can buy the topo. The route climbing potential is like 500 climbs from 15 to 150 meters length out of which half has been developed. The quality if the rock is granite conglomerate​. The picture from Luka Fonda shows an amazing 8c+ project that was established by Dani Andrada during a Petzl Climbing Festival. More detailed info from Vladimir Trpovski, who has put up some 100 routes in Macedonia, at his webiste. Climb-Macedonia

WOW! "Mastermind" is a very impressive mental training book that legend Jerry Moffat, the world's best climber during the 80-ies, has written. It is both very simple and complicated at the same time, combining theory, practical exercises with great stories and thoughts from Ondra, Sharma, Hayes, Megos, Stöhr etc. To get a mastermid you have to train your brain by visualizing, setting goals and reflect. It is not about setting just one quantifiable goal like being #1 or doing 9a. Such goals are just the cherry on the cake. Instead it is about focusing on all the ingredients, how they should be mixed and enjoying the process to also make the best cake in the world, prepared for that #1 cherry on top. This book is one of a kind and it actually puts all top climbers in a different light. They are not just guys who have trained physically hard to become the strongest. You understand that equally much mental training has been done. I am amazed. I have to stop. I have to pick up that very high quality and nice looking book again... You can buy it here.

1. Tomoa Narasaki - Janja Garnbret 2. Adam Ondra - Claire Buhrfeind 3. Yushiyuki Ogata - Ashima Shiraishi 4. Stefano Ghisolfi - Margo Hayes 5. Jan Hojer - Elena Kravsoskaia 6. Jakob Schubert - Jain Kim 7. Sam Avezou - Akiyo Noguchi 8. Filip Schenk - Shauna Coxsey It should be noted that we think male Japanese will dominate the qualifications but only two athletes form each country is said to be allowed to participate.

Waltus Burger has done his first 8c+, Livin AstroGlide in Rumney and as he commented, "Makes the 3am start before class worth it." We followed up and got an amazing dedication story culmination after some 50 days, including five hours driving/studying. "I got up at 3am, left about 3:15, stopped in Rumney at the local coffee shop, then 25 min approach up to the cliff. After I sent on my second try at 8pm I supported my buddy Michael on his 8a project and he absolutely crushed it! Then I cruised 2.5 hours back to Portland for a nursing exam in older adult health, than celebrated with ice cream and cookies! Normally I do the drive solo. I'll listen to podcasts for school and books on tape to help me study, so it works out well. That's my most productive study time, haha. I'm all about the last minute study cram. Its worked so far, so I'm not gonna change anything yet. My time schedule is super heinous. I'm in a full time accelerated nursing program, so I'm currently taking 20 credits this fall, and work about 10-20 hours a week at the Salt Pump Climbing gym as the head coach--which leaves basically no time for training. I get up most mornings at 5:30 to do homework and squeeze in any training I can before school--mostly just campusing and bouldering, nothing structured."