Thilo Jeldrik Schröter sa v posledných rokoch neskutočne zlepšil, hlavne čo sa týka bouldrov prelezených štýlom Flash. Len počas posledných štyridsiatich dní si tento nórsky lezec zapísal štyri flashnuté 8A a dve 8A+, čo ho stavia na prvé miesto v hodnotení flash prelezov. Budúci týždeň bude Thilo súťažiť vo svetovom pohári. (c) Tina Hafsaas - Tea with Elmarie 8A+ in Rocklands. "Myslím si, že moje zlepšenie vo flashoch je len odrazom celkového zlepšenia a zosilnenia. Vždy som mal rád výzvu, ktorá prichádza s flashovaním, takže som ju jednoducho vyhľadával a nacvičil si ju. Jedinou vecou, ktorá odlišuje dobrého flashistu od dobrého lezca je mentálna stránka veci. Samozrejme musíš mať pred flashom motiváciu boulder preliezť a vedieť kroky. Dávať do toho príliš veľa energie je však pre mňa kontraproduktívne. Keďže 99% flahových pokusov v bouldroch, ktoré sú na hranici tvojho maxima končí neúspechom, nevidím význam v tom dávať tomu viac ako pozrieť si jedno-dve videá a poriadne si očistiť chyty. Iba by to zničilo moju radosť z lezenia. A radosť je predsa kľúčom k úspechu."

Jakob Kronberger, who did his first 9a when he was 14 years old, has done his fourth at that grade: Hantilio in Drachenwald. "The route is located near Salzburg on a big wall called Drachenwand. Klem Loskot made the first acent in 1996. Since then it was only repeated once. It took me over 20 days and I have never invested more time in a project. I am really excited for the next weeks and if I get really good conditions it might not take long for the next project to go. I do have some projects I want to climb in the future. Most of them are around 8c+ and some even harder. Maybe I'll be able to make the step to 9a+ this year and if I do, I won't hesitate to go for it.

Easter is just some ten days away and maybe you have still not climbed that much outdoors. Bouldering and route climbing indoors mean that you have trained power and power endurance. Here is some advice on how to not just go around with stiff forearms during your upcoming trip. Further reading 1. Invest in some sessions where you climb ultra easy routes or circuits. You should be able to climb 30+ minutes without even feeling the mildest pump. 2. Practice long rest including that yoga-feeling with slow deep breathing, which you probably never do indoors. 3. In order to not loose your power, do some hang board sessions hanging up to ten seconds At the scene - Focus on blood circulation 4. Make sure you warm up on ridiculously easy routes. 5. Climb faster and take risk while onsighting instead of over-working the best beta. After being really pumped a couple of times, your performance will deteriorate. If you take risk and fall early, you can instead just challenge yourself on a new one. 6. If you fall or if you did it to the top, make sure you immediately lift up your hands and also hold the rope/holds for some seconds. This will reduce the flooding pump you will get afterwards in comparison to just let the arms hang down. 7. Do some massage of your forearms in order to increase blood circulation

Moty Alkalay has together with Avi Feinstein, after four years of projecting, done the FA of the 400-meter Never Never Land (8a+) in Wadi Rum. Bedouin, a desert town in Jordan, has some 200 sandstone multi-pitch routes. Most climbs are trad or scary bolted routes. The potential is endless, though there are just a few one-pitch bolted climbs. "It took us two trips of one week each just to put in all the glue in bolts and than two more trips of one week each to climb it, including adding nine more bolts. Now the route is completely bolted and safe. We mostly every trip stay in the desert and bring water and food with us. It's also fun to stay by yourself in the desert and climb." More info

Alexander Rohr has done his third 9a by Pirmin Bertle's Chromosome Y 9a in Charmey. In the Combined ranking, the 21 year old, who clearly seems to have stepped up one level this year, is #9. "Amazing route and very very powerful!!! Another one which I tried last year and I was pretty far from success. Now just two days and it went down... In terms of the grade it's very hard to say. I got much stronger but I don't know how much... So I think it's for sure 8c+ or an easy 9a.... Anyway.... Such a good one on very beautiful limestone!!!"

Veľká Noc je za rohom a ty si ešte možno ani poriadne nezačal liezť vonku. Lezenie či bouldering na umelej stene znamená, že si pravdepodobne dobre natrénoval silu a silovú vytrvalosť. Tu je zopár trikov, aby si nemusel počas svojho najbližšieho výjazdu len pobehovať s napuchnutými predlaktiami. Doplnkové čítanie. 1. Daj si niekoľko tréningov, počas ktorých budeš liezť mega ľahké cesty a okruhy. Mal by si byť schopný liezť 30 minút bez akéhokoľvek natečenia. 2. Nacvič si, ako oddychovať v chyte, ako aj pomalé jogínske dýchanie, ktorému si sa pravdepodobne nikdy na umelej stene nevenoval. 3. Aby si nestratil silu, zaves sa na lištu a rob visy do 10 sekúnd. Priamo na mieste: Sústreď sa na cirkuláciu krvi 4. Zahrej sa v ultra ľahkej ceste. 5. Pri onsightoch lez rýchlejšie a riskuj, skôr ako by si sa mal príliš zamýšľať nad najefektívnejším softvérom. Ak zariskuješ a padneš rýchlo, môžeš jednoducho skúsiť onsightnúť inú cestu. 6. Ak padneš vyššie alebo cestu vylezieš, zodvihni ruky a na pár sekúnd sa chyť lana alebo chytov. Pomôže to zmierniť natečenie, ktoré prichádza, keď necháš ruky voľne visieť. 7. Pomasíruj si predlaktie, aby si zrýchlil krvný obeh.

Moty Alkalay spravil po štyroch rokoch projektovania spolu s Avim Feinsteinom prvovýstup 400-metrovej cesty Never Never Land 8a+vo Wadi Rum. V okolí púštneho mesta Bedouin sa nachádza cca 200 viacdĺžkových ciest. Väčšina z nich je tradičných alebo riedko odistených. Potenciál je zdanlivo nekonečný, no napriek tomu je tu len niekoľko odistených jednodĺžkových ciest. "Len na nalepenie borhákov sme potrebovali dva jednotýždňové výjazdy a počas ďalších dvoch sme cestu preiezli, pričom sme ešte pridali deväť borhákov. Cesta je teraz kompletne preistená a bezpečná. Počas každého výjazdu sme sa väčšinu času zdržovali priamo v púšti, vodu a jedlo sme si niesli so sebou. Zostať sami v púšti a len liezť bol zážitok." Viac info tu.

UKC prichádza so správou, že Mike Adams vyliezol dve nové 8C v oblasti Far Eastern Limestone. Prvým je "poriadny sit start" k jeho problému Bordello, ktorý sa nachádza v Earth Quarry, ďalším je boulder Serenation 8C v sektore Impossible Roof. Mike doteraz vyliezol štyri 8Cčká. "Odkedy som tieto dve línie preliezol, zdá sa mi, že som trochu upustil od lezenia ťažkých vecí. No nebolo to úplne mojim zámerom. Momentálne mám pocit, že moja rodina trpí tým, že som toľko času venoval lezeniu a tréningu, takže chcem s nimi tráviť viac času, hlavne s mojim synom, ktorý sa ma neustále pýta, či môžeme ísť spolu liezť. Láme mi srdce povedať mu nie, no musím, keďže sa mi pri ňom ťažko sústredí."

The Boulder World Cup 2017 starts in Switzerland (7/4) (with 190 registered athletes), followed by two events: one in China and another in Japan. The fifth stage is in the USA (10/6) which is followed by India (24/6). As usual, the final event takes place in Munich (18/8). In previous years, only a dozen male and female competitors have participated in all events; however, this year has seen a record number of travelers. It is difficult to predict a winner without knowing who will complete the entire circuit, but it is safe to assume that the Japanese domination in the men competitions will continue; they will send ten guys to the first event. Jan Hojer, Jongwon Chon, Jernej Kruder, and the Russians will most likely make the top-10 list. Domen Skofic has an outside chance as well; he plans to compete at all of the events. Among the females, Shauna Coxey is the favorite; she is challenged first by Janja Garnbret and the Japanese team. Megan Mascarenas and Margo Hayes should also be up there if they decide to do all of the comps. The same goes for Anna Stöhr, Stasa Gejo, Fanny Gibert, and Petra Klingler. Who do you think will win and who are the outsiders?

Combined climbing based on Speed, Boulder and Lead will be part of the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. IOC are very pleased that climbing will show different disciplines and have already asked IFSC if more disciplines can be included. An anonymous spokesman on IFSC says that it is great that we can show three disciplines in 2020 and that IOC wants more. "We have sent over videos of Campus boarding, DWS, trad climbing, Dyno contest and they are loving it and asked if it is possible to make a Climbing Decathlon in 2024."