Do you agree with the 8a ranking? Who has the chance to be the upcoming star? The Lead World Cup starts on the 11th July in Chamonix. Six events out of seven take place in Europe and one in China. 1. Janja Garnbret SLO - Gauthier Supper FRA 2. Mina Markovic - Jakob Schubert AUT 3. Jessica Pilz AUT - Romain Desgranges FRA 4. Jain Kim KOR - Ramon Puigblanque ESP 5. Anak Verhoeven BEL - Domen Skofic SLO

Caroline Ciavaldini reports with a wonderful story that she has done her long time project, La Voie Petit 8b MP at 3 500 m in Chamonix. - I have been compeeting for 10 years in the climbing lead world cups, I have won, made podiums. But there is a world between an 8min exercice on artificial walls and free climbing a vertical or overhanging wall of granite above a glacier. So when I set myself for the route last year, I made a plan : I had to learn all the skills that I missed, and the list was long, from walking on ice with crampons to climbing very, very far above your last protection, with the knowledge that injury would be the likely result of a fall. And I trained, for a full year, with my goal in my mind every morning when I woke up. I had set myself a few rules, because big wall climbing is full of shades of grey, and you are the only one who shall decide on limits : I could count on my indefectible partner, James Pearson, my husband and best climbing partner, to support me and belay me. But it was my project, and I would be the only one to first recognise the movements of the route, to place the rope in dangerous sections.

R&I reports that Ashima Shiraishi took a 15 meter ground fall in a gym in Georgia when preparing for the Youth Nationals. She was being belayed by her father who has been belaying her for several years. "he accidently clasped down on the Grigri 2’s brake release lever that he was using to belay Ashima, which caused her to drop 45-feet to the padded floor." Luckily and due to the padded floor and the friction in the Grigri, she has been up an walking after the incident and hopes to compete in the championships. Ashima has, measured by the Routes and Boulders that she has done, been the best female rock climber in the world since she was 13 years old. Links to an article about general safety and Grigri safety article, both from 8a.

Ten years ago, I confronted some of the very best and most famous climbers in the world because they were using the GriGri in a dangerous way. They did not use the velat loop for their screw carabiners, instead it was placed where you tid in twisting the Grigri 90 degrees. This made it harder for the Grigri to lock, and actually during that time several bad injuries were reported. 8a warned and explained why a twisted Grigri did not work properly in several articles. We also suggested a new Grigri method, which Petzl copied later. Four years ago, I confronted Petzl that their GriGri video that had been shown 500 000 times recommended a dangerous method. Finally Petzl took it out. Later Petzl started to recommend a new Grigri technique but the problem is that only some 10% of climbers use it today and there are very few experienced climbers among them. For me checking safety is like a disease and actually last week I witnessed the worst safety situation ever. A 40-year-old at 80 kg made her 12 year old daughter at 30 kg belay him leading. As I saw she was secured to the ground and they were using a Grigri I did not confront him until he was safely at the ground, although I had previously asked if they wanted some assistance. Actually, it turned out that the daughter was lead belaying for the first time and that was why the father screamed instructions. Furthermore, he had secured her to the ground with two meter slack. Of course, it is always very unpleasant to confront somebody about safety but this is something the whole community needs to take more responsibility about. Safety is #1 and do not forget the tragic loss of Tito Traverso some years ago. My point is that companies, athletes and the whole community must give higher priority to look over the shoulder and confront climbers who are not doing it right. Regarding the 14 meter ground fall for Ashima Shiraishi, I hope Petzl and the gym will make an investigation how her father could have made such a mistake as we all can learn from it. For me it seems impossible that a very experienced belayer can drop a 40 kg climber to the ground from 14 meters, if he was doing everything right. I mean, it seems quite unlikely that this was the first time he made that mistake out of those several thousands of times he has belayed her. Climbing is growing, especially among the kids, and sooner or later all parents will know that the best female climber and the potential Olympic winner in just four years was dropped to the ground by her very experienced father. We cannot just pretend that nothing has happend and keep climbing. Just imagine Ashima being dropped to the ground from 15 meters outdoors, perhaps hitting a rock.

Paul Robinson, one of the exploring guys, who has put up most hard core Boulders, has done his fifth 8C FA, The Dragon's Guardian in Cederberg after two years of projecting. (c) Jacques Vanzyl - After, a big storm, I woke up to perfect conditions. I marched up the hill and straight to this roof. After a short warm up and a quick refresher on some of the moves, I took a few deep breaths, chalked up, and sent the line that I once thought could never be climbed! The process of it all really was just as amazing as standing atop of what I am now naming, "The Dragon's Guardian, 8C/V15. Full story on his FB.

Yves Saint Fromage som började klättra 1994 har gjort sin första 8a, Sator på Örnberget.

Adam Ondra has done the FA of The Right of Passage 9a in Flatanger. "Amazing extension of Andre Hoyre. Now finally goes up to the easy terrain and the top is not easy... Flatanger at its best in its left less steep part." In total, Adam has opened eleven routes graded 9a to 9b+ in Flatanger and by doing so he created the crag with the most hard core routes in the world... and there are still plenty of projects like the 9c the Czech is working on now.

Stasa Gejo was the most superior climber and winner in the European Youth Cup in Bouldering in Warsaw. She did all the 12 boulders, including onsighting all four final problems. She has won all the five Youth comps she has entered in last two years and her worst Boulder WC result, out of three, is #9. Several coaches mentioned that it was really well-organized and that the route setting was very good. However, the new final format with rotation start was a bit strange because the late starters could watch the early starters. An interesting fact about the competition in Warsaw is also that no nation dominated and that Eastern Europe seemed to be picking up again. 97: Stasa Gejo SRB - Simon Lorenzi BEL 99: Giorgia Tesio ITA - Marcus Nimrod ISR 01: Vanda Michalkova SVK - Sam Avezou FRA

Loic Zehani, who did his first 9a being 13 years old but recorded it as an 8c+, has done his second 9a FA, L'enfance prolongée in Orgon. - This is a route bolted by Thomas Sandri two years ago. It is a nice regular overhang, very resistant climbing on pockets with an section 7B+ FB in the middle. After this first 32 moves: It's "la belle enfance" (8c+). You have a rest. After that you have a nice part, less overhang on a nice black rock. This part (23 moves) is around 8a+. The first part took me 17 tries but I knew perfectly the second part and I don't fall in. I am so happy because it's THE LINE of this nice little sEctor of Orgon.The rock is completly different than the famous "canal" of Orgon.