Chuck Odette continues to progress being 61-years-old doing the FA of Bulletproof Monk in Logan Canyon which was his tenth 8b+. "Linked Shaolin into the Monk finish. Soooooo good... sooooo pumped! Still pumped a day later :)" Interview follow up to come. (c) Heidi Baxter

Iva Vejmolova has done her first 8c, Nordic Flower in Flatanger which actually was set up as an 9a. (c) Pavel Blazek Adam Ondra comments on Instagram,"I cannot be happier to lose the bet. We made a bet who is going the climb the "c" first (8c for her, 9c for me). My sweetheart Iva found Nordic Flower and ticked her first 8c! The most dramatic and emotional belay I have ever had. So proud of her, especially doing it 2nd go of the day in total shit conditions. Let's pick more "c's" in September."

Arjan de Kock reports on Instagram that Nalle Hukkataival and Shawn Raboutou have repeated James Webb's KhoiKhoi in N1 and the interesting thing is that both suggested an upgrade to 8C. Webb is known for grading hard and also giving personal down grades and here is his comment after the FA in 2014. "Absolutely stunning boulder problem. Potentially one of my proudest first ascents. Perfect compression on just barely there slopers leading up a pristine 20 foot tall boulder. This one sits right off the N1 about 20 kilometers before Worcester. Named it after the original inhabitants in the Cape area called the "khoiKhoi". Absolutely loving this place..."

Grades are supposed to reflect how hard it is to redpoint a route with the best optimal beta. At the same time, the grades should assist a beginner who is searching for a 4a to warm up on, irrelevant of how hard it is to redpoint. Further more, if we are talking kids or people who are trying out climbing for the first time, also length, reach and potential pendulum swing etc have impact on the perceived difficulty/grade. In other words, a 25 meter route climbing a bit diagonal on reachy granite will never be perceived as grade two even if an expert never need to use their hands. On the other hand, a seven meter straight up where you always need your hands to pull, could be graded two. Nevertheless, in practice, the grading for both the 8a as well as the 4a, are done based on the same idea. The success rate and time invested for the community! The only difference is that, the lower you go down in grades, the more the grade should reflect the onsight and flash difficulty.

There are already 287 athletes signed up for the Bouldering World Cup in Munich 18-19/8, out of which 175 male and couning. The deadline is on the 13th. This is very good news at the same time it means that some guys will have to stay in isolation for possibly eight hours starting from 07.30, without getting any proper meal. At the same time, it could be that the last female will compete until 24:00. Then the semfinal isolation on Saturday closes at 09:00. Including the additional European separate semifinalist, the last guys out might spend another four hours in isolation. In between the final isolation closes at 17:00, there is also a award semifinal for the European Championships so it just might be that one or two athletes will spend some 10 + 10 hours in the arena before the final starts. In the future, IFSC need to limit the number of competitors from each country. There are 19 males from Germany and several countries have 6 - 10 guys participating.

Sasha Digulian and Edu Marin, some of the best multi-discipline climbers in the world, have made the first repeat of the 700 meter Mora Mora 8c in Madagascar. It was bolted ground-up by Francisco Blanco and Toti Valés and in 2010, and Adam Ondra made the FA. Full story including more great pics by Francois Lebeau. Sasha: I am excited to have arrived at a point in my fitness that I could send my hardest big wall climb yet! We each sent every pitch from the ground up and both lead the Crux. Edu: It has been a tremendous challenge with a very technical style and really small holds. One of the most incredible and beautiful experiences of the last years.

Jernej Kruder is one of the leading multi-discipline climbers in the world who was #2 in the Boulder World Champion in 2014. Last year he did the DWS Es Pontas 9b and he has also done several hard multi-pitches. In the video he does an old bolted 8b+ on trad gear. Next is the Lead World Cup in Arco, followed by the Boulder World Cup in Munich. Later he will also start training Speed in order to try to qualify to Tokyo 2020.

My 19 kg son tried belaying me at 67 kg for the very first time and thanks to the OHM it worked great. Olle was really pleased to have full control and I had to climb up two meters several times so he could lower me down. - Dad! This is cool. How does it work? - The OHM in the first bolt assists small belayers by creating friction. - I want to try again. Now I can work as your belayer when you are drilling. It should be noted that the official Edelrid manual says, "Recommended weight difference (lead climber > belayer): 10 - 40 kg Minimum weight belayer: 40 kg". The OHM is first of all produced to assist lighter belayers when their partner takes a fall. Often in a gym or even outdoors you see smaller belayers attached to some kilos of sand or so. It says that the OHM does not increase the rope drag for the lead climber but when we tested the device on a slab, sometimes it rotated and some ropedrag was created. On steeper terrain we noticed almost no increased ropedrag. I do think this will be a smashing success especially for families with kids. I will certainly not allow my kid to belay me climbing for several years but in order to get everyone more involved, I will let Olle, under my careful supervision, belay his little brother. I am very sure they will be both very proud and it is very good for them to learn the safety protocol and how to trust each other.

Climbing presents an interesting article in regards how a study has showed how indoor bouldering could help against depression. Some hospitals in Germany have started using bouldering interventions. "For one, it requires mindfulness, which can break people out of negative thought cycles, which can reinforce depression. Social support is a big part of climbing too, and the sport can also grant an immediate sense of accomplishment upon completing a route or challenging move."