Tamas Zupan came to Sustenpass for the first time in 2015 and directly started to dream about flashing Sputnik 8B. Then during a very cold night session three weeks ago, magic happened. Video of Insta

"Each year I went out, looked at the boulder, and then determined that next year. Then, I had to stop for almost a year due to a back injury. It was hard to recover myself both physically and mentally. I was motivated and made a special, almost 1 year training plan to get stronger, including 6 months of climbing in 60 degrees overhang wall (where else) and campus, all with 17kg extra weight. I also paid attention for eating and stretching, which wasn’t really typical for me before. In this time I could avoid injuries and I was already in my top shape at the end of the vest period. I continued training and waited for the snow to melt in Sustenpass.

After a climbing day in Brione, I decided to go to check the boulder with my friend Tomi Agócs. It was around midnight. 4-5 celsius, all holds were dry, except for the top out, which was completely wet. After about 30 minutes of warming up, I was captured by the feeling that I had no chance of falling today. I could call it “flow”. (It was like when Yoda lifts the X-wing using force out of the swamp, or when Neo “starts to believing at last,” or when Thor gets Mjölnir back.)

Suddenly I felt like a superhero. Apparently, I wasn’t, but my brain believed my body. I sat under the boulder and simply climbed. The starting move, - which is one of the cruxes - went relatively statically, and I preferred to send the big cross move to prevent my feet from accidentally slipping down. After the cross move, the chalk had already soaked from my hand, a small step was broken, so I had to pull myself together to do the remaining 2 meters. It took me over 5 minutes… But it worked out!"

Jakob Schubert, who got the bronze in the Olympics, has flashed his third 8B+, Anam Cara in Silvretta. The Austrian was also super close to flash Memento 8B but touched the crash pad. Both problems were put up by Bernd Zangerl who originally thought they could be 8C+.

Hamish Macarthur from Great Britain, who some days ago, become the Boulder Youth Champion, won also in Lead. As he won the semi, he started last out and needed to Top in order to win on countback over Paul Jenft, who was #3 in Boulder. Third in Lead was Rei Kawamata, who was runner up in Boulder. Complete results

In two very tight Duel Speed finals, Mia Krampl and Stefano Ghisolfi won against Jessica Pilz and Michael Piccolruaz. The routes, different for males and females, were like 30 meters long and the fastest time was just over one minute. Full report and complete results.

Stefano Ghisolfi suggested a personal 9b+ grade for Bibliographie based on that it took him a similar time to do as his previous 9b+'. Measuring the invested time is the easiest way to suggest personal grades, as long as; Style, Conditions, Form and Beta for the climber are optimal.

The Time Comparison Grading diagram suggests that there is a one-grade difference for Onsight, Flash, 3rd go, 3 days and 15 days. On the other hand, going down in grades, the percentage of the subjective feeling in the muscular effort has been estimated. It should be underlined that all these numbers are just guesses made in order to show the principle of the Time Comparison Grading.

Adam Ondra comments on Insta, "After the Olympics, I am not very motivated to go to the competitions, but 🇮🇹 Arco @rockmasterfestival is not just a random contest."

Yesterday, he worked the boulders where they will compete on today on a redpoint KO formula where two, out of eight, will be eliminated after each round, where they have three attempts. On the third boulder, only one will be eliminated and then the Top-3 will compete for the victory on the final boulder. Ondra describes the boulders on his Insta.

In the Duel, two athletes compete on identical routes and the first one topping out the 25-meter route advances to the next round. Also here, the athletes have been practising the route. Ondra has won five times but Jakob Schubert got the victory the last time.

11.00 Female Bouldering KO
15.00 Male Bouldering KO
21.00 Duel for Female and Male
Live-streaming link

Laura Rogora (ITA), Giorgia Tesio (ITA), Molly Thompson (GBR), Vita Lukan (SLO), Mia Krampl (SLO), Fanny Gibert (FRA), Eliska Adamskova (CZE) and Jessica Pilz (AUT).

Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA), Adam Ondra (CZE), Martin Stranik (CZE), Domen Skofic (SLO), Yannick Flohè (GER), Nicolai Uznik (AUT), Ludovico Fossali (ITA), Michael Piccolruaz (ITA).

Adam Ondra made the FA of Change in Flatanger as the world's first 9b+ after some 20 days project. The next year he finished bolting of Project hard, later renamed to Silence. It starts with a 20 meter 8b, followed by easier climbing separated with kneebars and three boulder problems graded 8C, 8B and 7C+.

Just for the famous 8C boulder where he goes feet first, he invested 70 hours during 5 trips in 2016-17. Add to that eight weeks of specific training including on an average three sessions a day. Furthermore, he did specific visualization mental training as well as was working intensively together with physiotherapist Klaus Isele. In the Flatanger basecamp, Team Ondra built a bouldering wall so he could warm up there and go directly to his project.

Stefano Ghisolfi has posted on Insta that while comparing Bibliographie in Céüse, he says his previous two 9b+' took similar time to take down so therefore, he thinks they are of the same 9b+ difficulty. In total, the Italian projected it for 25 days during three months. "In the end, I felt good on it from the beginning, found new beta for the crux (switching left and right hand compare to Alex), and new beta for the second crux." (c) Jan Novak

Pol Roca Lopez has done Power of Now giving it a personal 8B+ grade and flashed Mother Night 8B. He had previously done 167 boulders 8A to 8C, out of which just one flash, so it came as a nice surprice without any expectations.

"It was strange, I had no intention of doing flash but everything flowed and I was able to do it! 100% of my style and the friction and temperature were perfect. After warm-up in another sector I saw the video of Diego Cameroni and just put chalk and tried it.

Power of now, I did it in three sessions. The first was to look for all the methods and I had one good attempt falling to the top but in the first step I broke the skin on the palm of my hand and I had to stop for two days. In the second session I had just two tries falling on the last move and I felt the same in my hand and I had to rest two more days. During the third session, I was able to do it on the first try after warm-up!"

Solveig Korherr, who previously has done three 8c+', has done her first 9a, Cabane au Canada in Rawyl. "I couldn’t have wished for a better route and place to fulfil a long-term dream of mine! I‘m so freaking happy to call „La cabane au Canada“ my first 9a! After struggling with the big move in the upper part last year, I was very surprised to feel a lot stronger this time and to find a new and better beta! 2 days this year + 4 days last year. Thanks, Tini for the big support and the sending belay!" (c) Hannes Tell

How can you explain being so much stronger this year?
When I checked out all the moves of Cabane last year, I struggled quite a bit with one move in the upper part which was a very low percentage and huge for me. After falling there a few times after having already 25 meters of harder climbing in my arms, I arrived quite pumped there and I was doubting myself if I could to this move from the ground.

When I came back this year, I wanted to be well prepared and trained for one and a half months. When I tried the route the first time I was totally surprised how much better I felt compared to last year. The lower part was quite on my limit before and this time I could recover much better and felt stronger on the small crimps. When I tried the upper crux, I was almost shocked that the tiny intermediate I used for the big move I could now lock off and reach the next hold in a much more static and safe way. That gave me a lot of confidence and I knew with a good mindest it’s totally in my ability and in the end, I think this route couldn’t have fit me better.
I think the difference to last year was that I came straight out of a training cycle instead of being on the road for a while already. It was also the first time that I had a specific route in my mind which gave me a lot of motivation in my training.