In the Speed World Championship in Paris we could see that what was decided on the winner was a little mistake, like slipping foot etc. The official video from the last Speed WC in China shows the same problem. Other then that, Anouck Jaubert took her fourth consecutive WC win and Marcin Dzienski also secured his overall title being third.

Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, aka The Wideboyz, have done the Millennium Arch Project, which is a 100 meters 8b+ crack and they did it in one pitch. "We had to break all the rules of normal trad climbing. As the pitch is so long and also near the start quite easy to hit the ground, you have a pretty massive rack. So we pre-placed the gear whilst dogging the route to make it like a sport route and also left a rope in place for the last 25m as our first rope wasn't long enough. It's not a sport route, it's not a trad route. It's a challenge The other problem is that to get to the cave you have to access via rope and each time you lower off you also have to climb a pitch of easy climbing to get back to the belay! It's quite an adventurous big cave... Big walling for single pitch climbers.!" The 8b+ was actually just a side project as their big 9a+ trad project, The Crucifix was wet. Tomorrow we will present a progressive report :)

Five years ago, Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker made the FA of Century Crack 8c after years of projecting and replica training. Last week they did the FA of the Millenium Arch Project, which is a 100 meter long roof crack. This was just a quick side project when waiting till their main goal dries up, the Crucifix 9a+ project, which they found after one months of searching. - Just pacing out the top of the crack made you shiver with the sheer size of what lay beneath. The roof was around 180 foot in length. This was the very last cave on The Rim that we were checking out and we’d hit the absolute jackpot. All the abseiling, jumaring and legging it round the desert in the blistering sun for the last two weeks was worth it for this one. Essentially we’d found a mother-ship of intertwining roof cracks running from left to right and weaving in and out of cave systems. Right in the centre was ‘The God Line’ that we’d been looking for. A full 180 foot, straight from the depths of the hollowed out cliffside piercing right through the centre of the cave and out to the lip. Strangely enough, it was also bisected by another crack which gave the appearance of a giant Crucifix in the ceiling and seemed to bring about a theological context to our subsequent days and thoughts on the line. The next question was, ‘is it climbable?’ The crux is broken down into the 5 Holy Hangs (and involves 7 very hard moves around these positions). The holds are almost exclusively mono finger locks in a roof. This wouldn't be a huge problem, except for the fact that the footholds are almost nothing. It feel like trying to campus monos in a front lever position. And that's not easy!! Section 1 = 10m 8a+ Section 2 (main crux) = 5m 8B+ Section 3 (other easier cruxes) = 35m 8b

Loic Zehani has done his second 9a FA, La Lessiveuse in Orgon and it was repeated by his father Chris (42) who gives us the story. "It was a great moment to send the route the same day. For me, there was a lot of try because I have no more this level and I was oblige to do many session in my style of climb, stamina with a lot of little moves. For Loic, I think it was just a lap. The route is located just behind "canal +" sector. There is 12 short routes (8 to 12meters) between 7a to 8c. La Lessiveuse begin by Supersonique a powerfull 8c and cross on the left by following the border of the little cave. In total it's 48 moves but the difficulty is concentrated in the 30 first moves."

Down load your Funny Calendar 2017, which comes in several different languages.

Ryuichi Murai has done his sixth 8C in the last 12 months and the seventh ascent of Asagimadara in Mizugaki. The 167 cm tall Japanese is the new 8a ranking leader. "Finally I managed to climb "Asagimadara 8C" put up by Tokio Muroi for three days. Yesterday, I tried it for the first time in one year. I could remember my moves soon because Mizugaki is the best season now. I had attempted to deal with crux move (4th hold) by campusing so far. But I couldn't the move. Eventually, I could resolve by leaving right heel on start hold. Actually I wrote this move off by reason of short reach, when I touched Asagimadara at first. So I felt more surprised than happy!!

Marcin Dzienski has won the last four Boulder World Cups and the World Championship in Paris. Last weekend, the Pole competed in the University Championship also in Lead and Boulder, where his results suggest that it will be impossible for him to qualify to the Olympic based on Combined results. In Bouldering he was dead last with no zones even if you have to do four problems just to qualify to the semifinal. In Lead he was third last, only beating two guys who were said to struggle on 7a moves. The only option for Marcin and probably all speed specialists is to win the Speed World Championship as IOC has requested that that person qualify. However, just imagine how strange it would be for him and also the spectators to watch him not being able to move from the marked starting position.

Climb Greece has the latest news about the Leonidio Climbing Festival 10-13/11. Leonidio is located some 3 hours south east from Athens. "Leonidio is on the south east coast of Greece, and it is hands down one of the best winter climbing destinations in Europe. It now features more than 800 sport routes, some of which were rebolted earlier this year, amidst stunning mountain and sea backdrops."