NEWS

Confusing dilemma with the new 4 min rule
Two weeks ago, I published, "A boulder final can turn into a horror show with the new 4 min rule", explaining that a boulderer might reach the top within the 4 min but might not get an OK. The IFSC rule says that in order to get an OK you should within the max 4 min, "Controlled the marked finishing hold of the Boulder with both hands." Ask can be seen on the picture, Alexey Rubtsov is dynoing to the top hold when there are two seconds left but even so he did not get an OK. It took him some three seconds to control the last holds with both hands as, his feet cut loose, to move his left hand, his feet cutting loose again. Imagine if this had been in the Olympics and he had been one second earlier and most would have believed he made it and then it would have been up to the judge estimating split seconds, in order to give him an OK. At the very least, the new 4 min rule must be changed so it is good enough to get to the last hold within the 4 minutes and then you are allowed to establish the controlled position for some seconds.

Floclimbing, famous for almost closing a three year live-streaming contract with IFSC, has run Tuck Fest DWS. Carlo Traversi and Kyra Condie won the USD 5 000. In order to see this comp live you had to pay a monthly fee of USD 20 as would have been the case also for the World Cup streaming.

Floclimbing, spoloฤnosลฅ znรกma pre nedรกvnu afรฉru s platenรฝm live-streamom svetovรฝch pohรกrov, bola organizรกtorom sรบลฅaลพe v Deep Water Sรณle (DWS) Tuck Fest. Vรญลฅazmi sa stali Carlo Traversi a Kyra Condie, ktorรญ si odniesli hlavnรบ cenu 5000 USD. Na sledovanie tejto sรบลฅaลพe live bolo treba zaplatiลฅ mesaฤnรฝ poplatok 20 USD, ktorรฝ bol temer aplikovanรฝ aj na Svetovรฉ pohรกry.

Eric Hรถrst je znรกmym lezeckรฝch trรฉnerom a v tomto ฤlรกnku vysvetฤพuje, preฤo na sile prstov zรกleลพรญ. ฤŒlรกnok mรดลพe zรกroveลˆ vybalansovaลฅ prรญspevok chalanov z Cafรฉ Kraft, ktorรญ sa sรบstreฤujรบ na skoro vลกetko ostatnรฉ okrem sily prstov. "V skratke: zvyลกovanรญm silovรฉho limitu a posรบvanรญm hranรญc tvojej maximรกlnej obลฅaลพnosti sa zvรฝลกi level a mnoลพstvo ciest pod tvojou maximรกlkou, ktorรฉ dokรกลพeลก preliezลฅ na istotu a s relatรญvnou ฤพahkosลฅou. Tรฝm pรกdom, ak si zaumieniลก dlhodobo trรฉnovaลฅ a zvyลกovaลฅ svoju silu (ako aj techniku a psychiku) mรดลพeลก jednรฉho dลˆa zistiลฅ, ลพe obลฅaลพnosลฅ, ktorรบ teraz povaลพujeลก za maximum, je pre teba "normรกlnou" a vieลก ju liezลฅ aj vo vรคฤลกรญch objemoch."

8c+ by Philipp GaรŸner (16)
Philipp GaรŸner, who did his first 8c+ when he was 14 years old, has done his second, Pain makes me stronger, every day! in Frankenjura. "The route fits my style pretty well because it's short and bouldery with pockets. I just needed a few tries to stick the crux move that is a little dyno to a good pocket and to send the whole route. After my finger injury in 2016 I want to climb outside as much as possible. In summer my plan is to travel to Rocklands and the psyche is already high so let's see."

Klemen Becan (34) enjoys late blooming
Klemen Becan did 60+ WC before he won in Kranj 2008 being 26 years old. On rock he has also enjoyed late blooming and with three 9a+' the last year. With several 8c onsights he is already among the Top-3 in the world. One was actually 8c+ but has gotten down graded and he has been close on several 8c+'. "Still my main goal is to onsight 9a hopefully also this will come one day as well, if not I will just enjoy the journey. I was close to one 9a in Cuenca some time ago.", where he actually placed the quick draws. (c) Anja Becan How many sessions did you need for La Rambla and how was the process? I gave it one try 10 years ago and now I was trying it since the beginning of the year. Could maybe have done it faster if I would be focused only on this one, but where is the fun in that? Too many cool routes around here to do only one at a time :) How can you explain your late progress on comps and rock? Well I never thought I was a bad competition climber. Yes, I could have a better results but that is another story. Also I think the focus was never a big problem since even if I was "just" climbing I was still "training" more than many people. Not with written program and blindly following someone but with many tests and trying what is best for my body. Now I still don't have a training plan. It's all in my head and apparently it works. I know enough to train myself.

Convincing victory by Chon and Garnbret in China
Janja Garnbret, the Lead overall winner in 2017, was superior in the Boulder World Cup in Chongqing, winner of all three rounds and topping all 13 boulders in a superior style. Runner up was Shauna Coxsey who overall did ten boulders. Among the males, Jongwon Chon #4 in the Boulder World Cup last year, won both the semifinal and the final and in fact he had to do the final boulder twice as he misunderstood how to top out in his first try. 1. Janja Garnbret SLO 4t11 4b7 - Jongwon Chon KOR 4t6 4b5 2. Shauna Coxsey GBR 3t4 4b5 - Tomoa Narasaki JPN 2t2 3b3 3. Akiyo Noguchi JPN 3t13 4b13 - Aleksei Rubtsov RUS 2t2 3b3 Complete results (c) Eddie Fowke

1. Alexsey Rubtsov 145 - Shauna Coxsey 180 2. Kokoro Fujii 137 - Janja Garnbret 147 3. Jongwon Chon 128 - Stasa Gejo 102 4. Keita Watabe 120 - Miho Nonaka 102 5. Tomoa Narasaki 89 - Petra Klingler 94 Complete results Interesting fact is that Japan has four guys within the Top-6. Only Shauna, Stasa and Keita have made it into the finals in both events.

Kaplov set new Speed record at 7.46
Iuliia Kaplov won the first stage of the Speed World Cup and in the semifinal she set a new Speed record by 7.46. Among the males, Vladislav Deulin won but the fastest time was done by Danyil Boldyrev at 5.62, just 2 split seconds after his world record. It might be that a new auto belay system is part of the reason for the very good times also in general. High light video Interesting fact is that no Boulderer, besides Sean McColl, at 8.45, did any fast time. (c) Eddie Fowke