Please describe Rainman 9b FA and when you started working on it? It's a real power endurance route. Basically it's 8c+ into 8c+ I think, split by a rubbish rest. Individually the sections are only 8c+ (only). But together they seem so much harder. I started working it a little in 2010, then more days each season, maybe 10-15 a year by 2013, lately more like 20 a year. Some years I was just playing, I knew it was not happening. This year and last I was putting in the effort and it was coming together. How do you think it is possible that in climbing you can keep progressing 45+? Progression is relative. As we age things will decline, its inevitable. Recovery is slower, and there are injuries. But with effort we can maintain power and strength that is already there. But its well known that endurance gains can be made later into life. However, I think the key is to look to where the weak links are. Often the 'older' climber may not have trained, or stuck with one style, leaving a huge gap in potential physical gains. We have to identify these and work on these. With fingerboarding, a one arm first joint edge, I managed to go from 0kg weight to 8kg weight in a few months. Its also likely that the older climber will end up with more structure and more focus due to time pressures; those endless trips away are gone with 2 kids and a job and mortgage. This leads to gains simply because of the structure. But still, as we know, climbing is more than just how hard you can pull. I had a great talk with Dave Graham, and we both agreed we were getting better, but mainly because we were getting cleverer. It's down to the 'micro beta'! The finding of those tiny efficiencies, and how long it takes to find them. the more climbing we do the more moves we cover; it's all logged, we just move better. With this route I wonder about my 100 days on it, and if I'd been presented on day 1 with the sequence I have right now just how long would it have taken? This year I spotted 3 or 4 really crucial beta changes, crucial in that they maybe only made 5% difference to that move, maybe only 1/2% overall, but it all adds up. I was left wondering how the hell I didn't spot them. 100 days of not seeing what seemed obvious now. Would another person see them? Or does it take that long to find them? Many were found out from necessity, a sequence that was OK on link just somehow didn't work on RP, but it took 50 days to get there on RP to find that out! Photo - Ian Burton

National Geographic reports that Alex Honnold has free soloed the almost 1,000 meter El Cap via the 30-pitch Freerider 7c+. Alex did not use or bring any safety equipment, and it took him approximately four hours. The historic event, that set a new standard in big wall climbing, was documented for an upcoming film by NatGeo. Last November, Alex attempted the route, but backed out after one hour due to poor conditions. "With free-soloing, obviously I know that I’m in danger, but feeling fearful while I’m up there is not helping me in any way."

Nathan Phillips, #14 in the Boulder WC in Nanjing this year, has done his first 8B flash, Ropes of Maui in Llanberis Pass/North Wales. Here is the uncut video. "I had planned to give this boulder a good flash attempt. We got up at 5am to drive to North Wales and I watched a few videos of the climb when I woke up. I tried to focus on all the foot placements as much as I could. When I got there I could remember most of it, but as it's quite a long boulder I had to improvise on some of the foot placements. When I climbed it I did everything exactly how I had planned and it worked out somehow! I don't normally focus too much on flashing stuff but occasionally I like to put the pressure on. My previous hardest flash was Jacks Broken Heart 8A+ in Magic Wood." (c) Eddie Fowke

Alex Puccio, the vice World Champion from 2014, has done Dead Meadow 8B in Wild Basin. In total she has done 20 boulders 8B and harder which makes her the #1 female boulderer sending most hard core outdoors. "Was suppose to be a rest day and went out to spot Joel. He got me all psyched to try it and surprised myself with a send. First day on it as well. Psyched! :) Now time for Vail WC!!! The season is just starting up now and since it's been snowing in the alpine and too hot at the lower elevation stuff we have been climbing mostly inside. But after Vail we plan to mostly climb outside! People have started going to RMNP and digging things out so let's see how fast stuff melts out." (c) Joel Zerr

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk has done The Pursuit Of Happiness 8B (A+) in Redhill outside Cape Town. (c) Jimmy Webb " I had two sessions in 2014 and then three more sessions this year, it was really satisfying to come back stronger (I did a lot of strength training over the winter). The next plan is to head to Rocklands for June, hopefully try some more hard boulders!" So what kind of strength training have you done? Lots of things but a big focus on max strength fingerboarding. Up to three times a week fingerboarding, lots of board climbing, also weighted pull ups and other conditioning exercises too. I did some anaerobic capacity work too but mainly relied on my fitness from route climbing and previous training. I had training plans from David Mason and Alex Barrows (they worked together with David mainly doing to strength/power stuff and Alex doing the fitness stuff).

A bolt placed on a lip above a roof where you continue climbing diagonal might be a death trap as several sideway and inward falls might break the sling. If it does not break but did wear down significantly, against the rock, you might be carrying a death trap quick draw in your rack. A Swedish climber was lucky, some days ago, when his 18 months sling broke after 5-7 such sideway and inwards falls. All bolts where the sling is at risk for such breaking should be removed.

From the city center of Göteborg, with almost 1 million inhabitants, you can reach 2 000 climbs divided equally into boulders, trad and sport, within 30 minutes on a cycle. This makes Göteborg the most urban climbing medium city in the world. The amazing thing is that there just the latest few years more than 100 new sport routes have been developed, including a four pitch 6a and also the first beginner crag right in the epicenter of the famous trad area. Last year, Alex Megos did a a nicely located superb 8B+ which you can reach within nine minutes in the train and three minutes walk from the city center. "One of my greatest boulder FAs ever". (c) Daniela Ebler Equally amazing is that there are still great potential for at least 100 sport, trad and boulder FA's. Last August we moved to the center of the sport climbs and during the autumn I started projecting some 30 routes, with 500 meters from our house, out of one is a very nice five pitch 6a. In practice, I just rappelled down next to my first MP, which is also the only sport MP within 700 km, and started to climb, no brushing was necessary. All these projects will be finished within a fortnight after coming back from our big travel 1/6. Anybody interested to climb in Göteborg should also bear in mind that within one hour, there are another 500+ sport routes often located just near to the sea. One hour north does also "Bohuslän" starts which is a trad granite area in world class. In this area you can also find Granitogrotta, 17 meters overhang up to 8c+ FA Ondra, and Lysekil, beginner and kids friendly crags, with totally some 250 very well protected sport routes. Please post questions as a forum comment.