IFSC has created a new Media Policy and based on one person who showed the qualifications live on Facebook and was told to stop. "Level 2 (press) may NOT film Semi-Finals/Finals. However, Level 2 may film Qualifications, provided that o Total footage used is no greater than 5 minutes per discipline; o Videos clearly state from which IFSC event, discipline and round they came. Event media desiring additional footage of the competition must negotiate license fees with the IFSC at least 1 week prior to the event. Filming, LIVE broadcasting or uploading footage of IFSC events without prior authorization is strictly prohibited. The IFSC reserves the right to claim for removal and/or monetisation of this content." In practice this means that Udo Neumann will not any longer be allowed to put together analyses from the events. It is not yet known if coaches are still allowed to film.

There will be normal live-streaming at Youtube from the semi and final on Saturday at 11.00 and 18.30, according to IFSC. This is what Floclimbing have posted. "UPDATE: Due to circumstances beyond our control, we will no longer be able to provide live coverage of the IFSC World Cup event in Meiringen on April 8. We apologize for the inconvenience. Visit the IFSC website for details on the event."

More details to come but the live-streaming will be free tomorrow from the semi and final from Meiringen.

79 female and 116 are registered to compete this weekend in the first Boulder World Cup of 2017 which can be compared with 59 and 84 participants last year. This means an increase of 36 % for athletes competing. The live streaming starts 11.00 on Saturday with the semifinals followed by the finals at 18.30. However, you need to pay USD 20 per month for watching the World Cups during 2017. In the world ranking, the first European male is Jeremy Bonder #7. 1. Tomoa Narasaki JPN - Shauna Coxsey GBR 2. Kokoro Fujii JPN - Miho Nonaka JPN 3. Alexey Rubtsov RUS - Akiyo Noguchi JPN 4. Jongwon Chon KOR - Melissa Le Neve FRA 5. Rustam Gelmanov RUS - Petra Klingler SUI

Stephan Vogt has after some 23 days of projecting done the 19th repeat of Wolfgang Güllich Action Directe 9a in Frankenjura. Last year his hardest route was 8b as he almost only focused on AD. Already last summer he fell on the last move and his hardest challenge was not to put too much pressure on himself going for it again. (c) Vaidotas Monstavičius "On a rainy day with terrible conditions, the first mono, first important foothold and the entire topout being completely soaked, it happens. I was so sure that I wouldn't send it that day but I guess that was exactly what I needed. It is such a rewarding feeling to have a goal for so many years and then finally succeed! I am so grateful to have such great people around me! Thank you for supporting and believing in me! I couldn't have done this without you!!!!"

A hétvége nem telt eredménytelenül a pesti bandának, avagy hát igen... "külföldön is összefújja a szemetet a szél" - ahogy mondani szokás. A homeless lifestyle-t élő Barabás Gábor és a jelenleg életművészkedő Fidy Marci csaptak a lovak közé félúton Zürich és Innsbruck között; Bürs festői vidékén. A közös mászás eredménye Gabótól két 7c+ second-go a mászónapok végén (Black Orpheus és Quadrophenia). De azért a MarCi sem hagyta el magát, két nappal később Berglsteiner See-n lecsűri a Move it 7c+/8a nehézségű utat - harmadik próbára! Nice! Szlovéniában is forrt a vidék. Pár napja mióta megtudtam, hogy van 'gyerekes mászók' facebook csoport azon is agyalok, miért van az a felfogás itthon - hogy a gyerkőc megállítja a sportkarriert és utána már csak a chilles mászásra marad erő és energia?! Mivel nincs tapasztalatom nem üres szavakat szeretnék vaktában dobálgatni, csak ha egy országgal nyugatabbra tekintünk akkor mégis a szektorok nagy részében látni a kis csemetéket amikor anyu és apu épp szuperhősöset játszik a falon. De tisztelet a kivételnek; pl. az ország legnehezebb útjátnak számító Zed is dead-et (8c/+) Áron már kis családjával maga mellett tette oda! Most pedig a tavaly 8b nehézségi fokozatot elért Bán Tamásnak sikerült javítani egyet a personal rekordokon és megmászta az első "egy nap alatt" összerakott 7c+ nehézségű útját Kotecniken, az Oboki szektorban található Misija-t.

Jacopo Larcher and Barbara Zangerl have opened a 15 year bolted project by only using trad gear. They have graded Gondo Crack 8c R meaning there is risk for injury if you fall at the wrong place. (c) Richard Felderer Jacopo reports on Facebook: "Maybe it's not as safe as with bolts, but for us it made more sense to climb it in this way. We called it 8c (or 5.14b R). The bolts are obviously still there, so you can choose the rules of the game you want to play. You should go and check it out: it's really cool! Thumbs up to Barbara Zangerl for doing her hardest trad climb up to date!" Barbara comments to 8a, "We didn't open a new route, it was there bolted since 15 years ago and you can't take the bolts off; it is not our route. People have been trying that route on bolts since 15 years ago and we have to respect that. Of course it makes more sense and we would have been happy to find that route without bolts but it is a old bolted project. You can't just go and remove bolts. It is not our piece of rock."

Adam Ondra is very critical towards the IFSC deal with FloSports and comments on Instagram. "20$ per month for watching IFSC livestreams is the most ridiculous decision ever made by IFSC. Sad, very sad indeed. Where is our sport going? Bad news for fans, athletes and sponsors." Also Stefano Ghisolfi, Jorg Verhoeven, Jakob Schubert, Katharina Saurwein have made their critical voice heard. On the picture by Eddie Fowke, the athletes at Meiringen gives their red card to the IFSC decision. At the same time, several athletes have just informed about the FloSports/IFSC deal on their Facebook page. In some cases, the athletes have actually been asked to make their voice heard in a comment that have received extreme number of likes, without any reaction from the athlete.

Angie Scarth-Johnson, who did her first 8c at ten years old, has onsighted two 8a's in the Red River Gorge: Elephant Man and Straight Outta Campton. She also redpointed Gods Own Stone (8b+). This is the third year in a row the Australian makes a long journey and takes some free time from school. "It's been very wet weather here at Red River Gorge so I haven't been able to climb as much as I've wanted. I'm here for three and a half weeks and I've only taken off a week from school because we are on school holidays. Yes I am still training myself. In the first week here I just spent time looking around for the right project but I'm really hoping the rain stops soon and routes dry up."

By clicking on the FB icon in the header, you can directly share the news on your Facebook. Previously, it was much more complicated. We just uploaded the possibility this weekend and immediately got a new record for Facebook people reached by the Anna Stöhr and Alex Huber news.