EPICTV SHOP has already started the X-Mas sale. Beside their very low prices there are their some offers, ex.: 1. 300 grams of chalk when buying climbing shoes 2. Free T-shirt when buying E9 or Prana pants or sweaters The Prana Avril Pants for women cost Euro 45 including free freight and if you are a member it is even cheaper, and then you get that free T-shirt!

Jakob Kronberger has done his third 8c+ of the last month, Vollmond in Salzburger Land. Having done also his first 9a this summer, the 181 cm tall and 14 year old should be one of the most promising teenagers out there.

UIAA has published a dramatic report with the conclusion that 304 stainless steel bolts are a part of a "horror movie" and they should not be used outdoors. This means that all stainless steel 304 bolts should be removed by Titanium or 316 steel bolts and that 99% of all (1 million???) bolts placed at all crags in the world are at risk. Most critical factors are: “moderate” relative humidity location, areas NOT washed by rain, high temperatures. Limestone/dolomite is generally worse than sandstone or granite (karst rock is the worst case). UIAA says that within months some bolts will only hold few tens of kilograms. Here are some answers from UIAA, when asked for clarifications of their dramatic but unclear recommendations that Titanium must be used and why the normal stainless steel quality 304 should be avoided also at inland vertical granite crags etc. "Tests shall start soon to clarify exactly which stainless steels material will be suitable (and not only titanium) and the standard should be updated next year. The UIAA Safety Commission does not find 304 steel bolts/anchors appropriate for outdoor use because 304 anchors are not expected to last 50 years in the outdoor environment." The UIAA report has been questioned by Eman Pellizzari.

Planet Mountain has the full story.

1.Maxim Tomilov RUS - Maria Tolokoniva RUS 2. Alexey Tomilov RUS - Ekaterina Vlasova RUS 3. Seregey Tarasov - Angelika Rainer SUI Full report and here a 51 min video.

Cathy Wagner started climbing 30 years ago and now, being 50 years old, she is having her best year ever with 55 routes 8a and harder done. Just during the last two weeks, she has done three 8a's and two 8a+'s including Nosferatu in La Palais, which she did yesterday.

8a did ask Emanuele Pellizzari , equipper and bolting gear seller and producer, to give some comments in regard to the UIAA statement saying that 304 bolts are a part of a horror movie. It should be stated that 8a mainly agrees with Eman's conclusion. "Most climbers that read the UIAA press release did not understand, or wanted to understand, what it’s written in it. Most concentrate mainly on the kind of material to be used (or not used). That is the less interesting, and less important, part of it. The release only comes in two languages and a bigger effort to have it translated should have be addressed. First: UIAA places the lifespan of a bolt in +50 years. This is longer than any equipper thought or expected. This is significantly longer than any supplier with a salt of grain, will guarantee. This can be considered three or more generations of climbers: I think it’s unrealistic. I am not saying it’s bad, I am saying it’s unrealistic. Second: UIAA acknowledges that no bolter/equipper or individual climber can or will pay for the upgrade in materials they suggest. It also acknowledges that most of those materials (they use the words “cost and availability”), cannot realistically be found/bought. Even many touristic boards wouldn’t pay for the “upgrade”, or they may realize it is not worth to invest in our activity since the return to investment is much lower now. Third, and this is the point the climbing community did not understand the most, is when UIAA writes: “…the bulk of the climbing population needs to start paying for anchors, whereas in the past most had a “free ride”. Who pays, how they pay, when they pay, how much they pay, etc…this was not mentioned. If all bolts that have been drilled would be replaced according to the release, the cost we talk about amounts in a big sequence of digits… dozens millions Euro. Finally, UIAA basically discourage any new routing development unless 4 or more times more cost of equipment is used. It discourages any rebolting initiative without proper gear. With such an “official” release, it places 99.99% of bolts now in situ, on the “future unsafe side”. Any landowner that reads this, or any major of a town that understands it, might think the sport it’s unsafe and lock down any outdoor climbing activity. I hope it wouldn’t happen. A sport without development is a dying sport. I feel the sport is safe as long as its community reminds that climbing was, is and will be, a dangerous activity. My two cents is that the release had good intentions, but it’s such a step forward that the community is not willing to accept it. The industry might accept it since it poses a 4 times increase of turnover in bolting equipment. Were people using the suggested gear when it will be available (if it will be ever be), I have no clue. My lifespan as equipper will not be +50 years. As an equipper/bolter I said in 2012 that I was not paying more than stainless A4/316 to equip routes. I keep this opinion. If other climbers will pay for rebolting with what UIAA considers proper gear, it’s fine for me.

Gorka Karapeto has done Estato Critico 9a in Siurana, which is the famous route Alex Megos onsigted some years ago. The 34-year-old Spaniard did three 9a's previously.

Climbing and especially bouldering are new sports. Although bouldering became a global sport just some 30 years ago, indoor gyms have only existed for some 15 years. Organized training became popular just about 5 years ago. Yet some think we have reached the limit of human bouldering potential by doing an 8C+. This is like saying that the mankind reached their maximum on 100 meters when the first 10.0 time was recorded in 1960. If Adam Ondra or several of the top climbers started focusing on one super boulder project from today, we would of course see several 9A boulders within a year. Naturally, it would be super boring and some of the guys would get injured but doing a 9A would not be anyhow even close to the human bouldering potential limit. Within some 30 years, we might see the first 9A flash and the boulders challenging the first 9B. The same way of thinking can be implemented in route climbing. Adam Ondra has already said that he has some 9c projects and within some 30 years, climbers might be able to flash 9b+'s and challenge a 10a. In fact, there are probably several 9c to 10a potential projects in Flatanger. (c) Petr Pavlíček

Mina Markovic, who won the World Cup 2015, has done the FFA of Popolni mrk 8c in Osp/Misja Pec. (c) Luka Fonda, who decribes the route. "The route is about 35 meters long where the first 15 meters are pumpy followed with a long and very hard boulder on small crimps and bad footholds in gently overhanging wall. After that you get a decent rest on small tufas and exciting steep boulder to finish on top of the wall." During the last two weeks, Mina has done eight routes 8b and harder in Osp/Misja Pec including three flashes and one 8c+. In the 8a preliminary climber of the year list Mina is #4 after Ondra, Shiraishi and Megos.