As we are finalizing the new scorecard pages some members report that they have had log-in problems. We are working on it just now. If you still have problems on Monday, send an email to [email protected] and we will send you a new password.

Last week we reported that Drew Ruana started his trip in Red River Gorge by doing one 8c+ and an 8c. During the last three days he was in an onsight mode, which he proved with five 8a+ to 8b+ onsights, including Omaha Beach. Furthermore, the 16-year-old has also done Lucifer 8c+ in just four tries.

Is it not strange that during the qualification and semifinal in Boulder World Cups, the athletes have only five minutes to rest? Just compare it to 10 - 25 minutes of resting time in the final. It is like having two different kinds of formats and challenges in one competition. In the first two rounds, the guys with the best endurance are picked out but in the final, the power is much more challenged. It is like saying that first we take the best from running 1 500 meters but in the final they only run 800 meters. Please read below about a new format suggestion with 12-minute-long rest in the qualification and the semi, which would make these challenges as similar to the final one as possible.

The finalists with the qualification results in brackets: Tyler Landman (9), Alban Levier (3), Alexey Rubtsov (5), Jakob Schubert (15), Jorge Verhoeven (13) and Martin Stranik (19) Janja Garnbret (9), Clementine Kaiser (15), Melissa Le Neve (1), Megan Mascarenas (3), Akiyo Noguchi (1) and Shauna Coxsey (5) Complete results

The first Boulder World Cup highlighted the fact that it seems hard to win starting last in the final. Tyler Landman and Janja Garnbret won the semifinal in great style, and especially Janja was just superior, but in the final Tyler was last and Janja second-last without having done a single Boulder. Final starting order in brackets. 1. Alexey Rubtsov (4) - Shauna Coxsey (1) 2. Martin Stranik (1) -Melissa Le Neve (4) 3. Jorg Verhoeven (2) - Megan Mascarenas (2) 4. Alban Levier (5)- Akiyo Noguchi (3) 5. Jakob Schubert (3)- Janja Garnbret (6) 6. Tyler Landman (6) - Clementine Kaiser (5) Complete results Interesting is that Alexey only participated in one World Cup last year, and he won. In 2009, he won the World Championship when he was #6 in the semifinal, i.e. first out in the final.

During the start and the end of the semifinal there is only one climber on the wall, which means a lot of waiting and less action for the spectators. It would be easy to let the first four start at the same time on the first four boulders and then we could have two more groups before the first four moves to their next respective boulder. This would mean that instead of giving the athletes 12 minutes of rest in between trying about 30 times on four boulders, they would have 8 * 3 minutes rest. An advantage for longer rest is that the competitors do not have to be so strategical saving energy during their four minutes sessions and it will be more a Bouldering challenge than an endurance one. Power will be more important! Such format would also make it possible to increase the semifinal to Top-24 and to shorten its duration to 96 minutes instead of 104 minutes for Top-20. Do you think we need more action and more rest for the athletes?

The French team has been on a training camp in Cuenca and they seem to be in a great shape as both Gauthier Supper, #2 in WC 2015, and Romain Desgranges, #6, did El Intento 9a. In fact, Desgranges did the 30-metre-long route in just three attempts, which took him an hour. So does that mean that you could do a 9a+ in some tries and a 9b after some projecting? Probably!

I follow a strict training scheme but I don't know how many rest days I should take and how to prepare on the scene and just before going for my project? Everyone and all projects are unique so there is no universal rule. I would say that 2-3 resting days are optimal where you can stretch, run, etc. On the actual day, try to warm up using the same type of climbing and holds. Hang-dog the route and make sure you are fully recruited but do not push so as not to get pumped. You can start the warming up process at home including possibly hang-board exercises and stretching. Before climbing, possibly ask your friends to help you remind you certain things you might forget like breathing, chalking, resting etc. In the last minute, go into your bubble and set your focus on enjoying the fight and going for a personal best instead of just visualizing clipping the top. An old article with 10 redpoint tips. Thanks for all questions. Please keep sending them to [email protected].

The crux in my project is to clip the third quickdraw. Is it OK to put any crash pads and skip the third clip and continue to the fourth and then down-climb and jump in order to always start with four pre-clipped? There is no absolute rule defining what is allowed and that is why 8a use the metaphor, Green-Yellow-Red traffic light, discussing ethics. In this case, I would say that if you send it the same day on your next try, it is OK. However, coming back the next day and hand dog up to the fourth and then go for it from the ground is not okay any more for me. On the other hand, I know several ascents which have been done in this way. It is just natural that we keep pushing the ethics and clearly, the community is not as strict as it was some 15 years ago. I think it is OK to have two or in extreme cases three pre-clipped quickdraws, if it is dangerous to clip the first but you should always do it in the same style as the FA. It is pretty lame to invent a reddish style and then downgrade it.