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.

Until 2005, when Dave Graham gave The Story of Two (Grading) Schools 8C, the upper boulder grades outside Fontainebleau were inflated. Many thought Graham's boulder should be given 8C+ to fit the modern grading. Today, Graham's masterpiece is considered to be a soft 8C and as a matter of a fact, gradewise, the hard core bouldering scene has not progressed that much during the last ten years. The reason for this is that during the last few years the inflated grades have been deflated instead. It is time that someone make another statement putting up The Story of the three grading schools giving it 8C+. What has happened lately is that the deflation has had also an impact of 8B+, which is now super wide. As almost nobody dares to put up an 8C+, even if the community gets stronger, also boulders that should be 8C's, are becoming 8B+'s.

VERTICS.Sleeves were chosen by an international jury as ISPO BrandNew Finalist in category Accesories. In the B2B trade fair from 24 to 28 January in Munich the finalists of the BrandNew Awards are in Focus of the sports industry and traders as well as the press'. VERTICS.Sleeves are used in climbing, biking, rowing and motorbike racing sports, and they are allowed at competitions! What is kind of strange is that beside the Vertics sleeves only a chalk bag from Hanchor was among the finalists representing the climbing industry.

Cody Roth has done the 3rd ascent of Rupesh Chhagan's I Me Mine, in central Texas. "Anytime I take down a line at my limit it's hard not to doubt myself. Was it really that hard? It's never the top that I thought it was going to be. Climbing is a beautiful curse." Previously he did some 30 routes 8c and harder out of which two FA's about as hard as I Me Mine. In 2003, Cody was #6 in his World Cup debut but later during seven more events he did never better than #14.

Domen Škofic has done Seleccio natural 9a in Santa Linya on his 3rd go. Having done this and onsighted Rock fucks, he goes to the 4th place in the ranking game. His first 9a he did when he was 15 years old and since then he has developed in an interesting way. This year the 21-year-old was also #4 in the Lead World Cup and being from Slovenia, he is a part of their success story.

ZA: The Trailer from Big Paw Productions on Vimeo.

Laura Rogora has done two more impressive ascents in La Fortezza; Aia 8c redpoint and Thor onsight, giving it a personal grade of 8a. The Italian onsigthed her first two 8a+'s and redpointed her first two 8c's being 13 years old and she is #2 in the 8a ranking game. Here are some comments from her from last spring: "I have got a trainer and he is very good. He always gives me good advises not just about the sport but also for many aspect of my life. I' m training alone because in Rome there aren't many strong people at the same age as me but I would like have someone to train with." I love to overcome my limit, winning the steady struggle with myself, and whether I do not succeed, I still like to feel the harmony with the rock experiencing each single movement.