Climb Kalymnos comes with great news. A total of 297 routes were partially or totally rebolted and another 100 new routes have been bolted. The new routes are not yet climbable so no topo is available but one of the new sectors is in the shade on the other side of Arginonta. In the picture there is the one who probably has spent most time bolting on Kalymnos, Claude Idoux. Furthermore, the article tells about the refugee situation which seems to be under control and that there will be a climbing festival starting 8/10.

samuel arroyo has helped us out with an article about Calcena #1 in the 8a ascent trend ranking in Spain. With just 20 inhabitants in the province of Zaragoza this town is experiencing a big change. "The first ascents date back to the 70s when climbers from Zaragoza city opened the first routes of classic cut, using cracks and dihedral to conquer their needles. Three decades after a group of climbers from the area, started to reequip these routes and opened new ones with a sportier character, but it has been just a couple of years ago when Calcena has become a landmark in sports climbing in the north-est of spain. Thanks to new bolting techniques their walls have filled with incredible lines to currently reach 400 routes of all levels, good bolting and good rock quality are its hallmarks, the most of the crags are vertical slabs but we can also find overhanging walls where our forearms will blow up. The possibilities of the area are endless and with great potential, however, we can not forget the environment and therefore in the last months local climbers are grouped with the association Escalada Sostenible. You can get all the info and topos in the Calenca hostel Thanks to the wall's orientation is possible to climb all year around, the climbing area is located at 836 m. above sea level, enabling rock climb even on the hottest days. Calenca video overview.

Andreaw Bisharat has written a grade article with reference to 8a, which starts with the question: "When Grades Change, Should the Record Books Change, Too??" Of course it should and it is the media who have the responsibility to present as accurate grades as possible. Action Direct was first given 8c+/9a but in the history book of climbing it is considered as the world's first 9a even if that might be replaced by Ben Moon's Hubble. Non-climbing media will get more and more interested in the climbing world records and surely we have to give them our best knowledge even if it does not mean facts. As an example, even in climbing media it is said that Chris Sharma put up the first ever 9a+ with Realization and that Ashima Shiraishi did the first female 9a+ by Open Your Mind Direct. Clearly, the non-climbing media is not interested in hearing the whole story and how grading works and getting all the question marks. They are just interested in presenting the world records based on the best knowledge possible and in this case, Sharma's and Shiraishi's great ascents should not be considered as 9a+'s world records. If 8a were to be asked by the non-climbing media which are the 9a+ world records, we would answer: No female has yet done a 9a+ and the first ever 9a+ was done by Alex Huber in 1996 by Open Air in Schleier Wasserfall. OK, some would say Fred Rouhling's 9b Akira from 1995 but 8a thinks that this falls out of the definition of a route. Surely, in few years, we might return to the opinion that Sharma and Shiraishi's 9a+'s were the first ever but as it stands now, and what should be presented to the non-climbing media, is that no female has done a 9a+ and that Huber was first.

Charles Albert, who has been Bouldering barefoot in Fontainebleau for the last four years, has done the FA of The Wagon Wheel in Petit Bois, after five sessions of projecting. Previously, "Mowgli" has done a couple of 8B+'s, including the FA of Le Pied à Coulisse - Direct, which actually is not possible with your shoes on. "I really don't know if it's easier with shoes because the main foothold is a non existent sloopy thing so it's hard to imagine the friction of the rubber with the shape of the shoe. I should try it with shoes compare in details but I'm too lazy for that." Interested in getting a shoe sponsor and what are you planning next? No, the only thing I could do with them would be to sell it on Ebay. I have some other lines to open and then Melloblocco and maybe some repeats.

Michaela Kiersch has had an amazing weekend in Red River Gorge, where she started up with the ascent of her first 8c, Thanatopsis and later did Pure Imagination 8c+, which originally was a 9a. (c) Kevin McNally "I am really excited. I had tried Pure Imagination a few times before this season, but never really dedicated myself to it for the send. Really happy to get it with my second weekend of work. I'm honestly a bit surprised that I had this much success so fast in the season, so now I can have a bit of fun and climb a whole bunch of new routes to look for a project! Maybe Lucifer, maybe 50 words for pump... Maybe the Golden Ticket!!! Then I am competing in the vail World Cup in June" How have you been training lately? Mainly climbing outside on the weekends and gym sessions in the week. I have been doing a bit of campusing and one arm dead hangs.

The First Ascensionist of a climb suggests a grade which is the first guidance for the community. This means in fact that if the FA believes that he/she finds the line relatively easier/harder for other climbers who have different strength etc, the grade should reflect this. If a super strong boulderer, who has done one short cruxy 8c route before, puts up his first long endurance monster and thinks this is much harder than the short 8c, possibly he should not give it an 8c+ or 9a grade. In the same way, if a 150 cm tall woman puts up a route with a dyno crux, possibly the FA grade should reflect how taller climbers are going to find it.

This year, on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of July, Zagreb – Croatia will be the host of the first climbing competition ever for the university games. Last year we had an introduction with the European University competition in Sports climbing only. This year, climbing is introduced in the European University Games, so maybe in 2020 we can expect it in the Olympics as well? The competition will be organized in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb. There will be boulder, lead and speed competitions and the competitors must be students of course and they can register for the competition only through their university. Application form.

Fedir Samoilov who last year won one Euro Youth Cup in Lead and who in 2016, has done his first two 8c+', steps up one more grade by doing Martin Krpan 9a in Osp/Misja Pec. "It was the third day of climbing and I did not have a lot of power. I barely were able to get through it and it was good warm weather. Many thanks to my trainer Artur Pechii. I still have a 9a project in Santa Linya and we are planning also to go to Arco in the near future. Picture from Ucrclimbing who says this is the first Ukrainian 9a.

Mateusz Haładaj continues to progress and goes to #8 in the 8a ranking game with his second 9a+ done during the last year, First Ley in Margalef. "HELL YES! The best sequence I’ve tried on rock. Was dreaming about this awkward tufas since I saw Chris on it several years ago. First Ley goes left just before the last crux of FRFM 9b, now psyched to try the original finish in winter!"

Hernan Garcia, who started climbing in 2004 when he was 22 years old, has done his first 9a, Fuck the system in Santa Linya. (c) Henning Wang "I started to try the route one year ago after I had sent Digital System but not seriously. It was in January 2016 that it got seriously and thanks to the advises from Diego Marsella that I could link all the moves. It was a nice experience when I saw a few strong climbers like Domen Skofic send the route very fast and I got extra motivation. Finally yesterday I was able to send it on my second go despite the hot conditions, Now the motivation is high to try some new project in the Santa Linya cave."