WORLD CUP
BOULDERING
GARNBRET SWEEPS!
Janja Garnbret made history in Vail, Colorado by becoming the first person to sweep the entire World Cup Bouldering series. Nobody had done that before. Until now.
After the boulder problem #3, where Janja landed awkwardly on her left shoulder on her first attempt, there was much speculation as to whether she could do the final problem. Until she walked out and flashed it in her typical Janja style.
No doubt, all eyes will be on Garnbert in the upcoming World Cup Lead series, scheduled to kick off during the July 4th holiday weekend in Villars, Switzerland. If she can repeat her performance on the lead wall, she will undoubtedly be the woman to beat in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
In the Men's Bouldering World Cup, Yoshiyoki Ogato from Japan won quite resoundingly after topping all four problems with a flash of the final problem that shut Adam Ondra, Jan Hojer and Sean McColl completely down. Tomoa Narasaki, Ogato's teammate, came in second. and Jongwon Chun from China came in third.
“I hope to continue this way. It was my motivation to win every competition. This has been a lifetime goal!"
Janja Garnbret
FEATURED PODCAST
Also available on Apple Podcast
TRAGEDY STRIKES
David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer
David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer were struck by a massive avalanche while attempting a death-defying route on Howse Peak, deep inside the Canadian Rockies. They are confirmed dead and the climbing community is reeling from the loss. Many considered the trio to be amongst the greatest alpinist of our time.
True, they knew the risk. Every alpinism knows that alpine climbing is a form of Russian Roulette. Sooner or later your number is going to come up. And when it does, you hope you have the wisdom and courage to call it quits. Uli Steck knew the risk. He knew he should retire. And he had, for a short while, until the lure of the mountains convinced him otherwise.
True, accidents happen. People die all the time driving their cars. And the thing is, even though we all know we're going to die, intellectually, nobody knows when our time is going to come or how it's going to come. It's as if we've been given permission to do what we want to do within our lifetimes. And that's what David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer were doing when that massive avalanche struck. They were doing what they wanted to the very end. RIP!
FEATURED PODCAST
Also available on Apple Podcast
ONDRA & GARNBRET
WIN 2019 WORLD CUP BOULDERING
WHEN IT COMES to predicting the most likely candidates for the 2020 Olympics, this World Cup Bouldering comp provided a pretty good glimpse. Once again. Adam Ondra didn't disappoint. He topped all 4 final routes with a spectacular flash on the last that had shut everyone else down. All because of a simple hand crack. Imagine that.
“I sort of feel sorry for the guys because of the crack. It was making those guys look like beginners because crack climbing techniques are not very complicated. You just have to try. Most of those guys have never-ever hand jammed."
Adam Ondra
NOT SURPRISINGLY the World Cup Bouldering comp for the Women's 2019 Final was just as insane. The level these female athletes are climbing is mind-boggling. Men maybe climbing a bit harder but not by a lot. Most would agree, the gap is quickly narrowing. I'm not sure which is more exciting to watch. The men or the woman, but it sure appears the women are doing more dynamic moves. For the scorecard and additional world cup bouldering final videos, go to World Cup Bouldering
“I was a bit frustrated. (after splitting her finger after the first problem) Then I said, I should just enjoy the final and do my best. It turned out amazing!"
Janja Garnbret
FEATURED PODCAST
Also available on Apple Podcast
With the 2020 Olympics rapidly approaching with the introduction of Climbing, there's a lot of questions as to how the athletes will be chosen. There's a concern many of the world's best climbers could get eliminated because they fail to compete at a high enough level in the other two disciplines. How is that possible? What is the format?
For the low down, I asked John Burgman with Climbing Magazine to break it down so we can wrap our heads around it.
FREE SOLO WINS!
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“What’s so satisfying about free soloing is having that feeling of focus and not being self-conscious,
losing that sense of self, just being fully present in what I’m actually doing,
just doing the moves."
FREE SOLO: Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary.
Review: Not since MAN ON A WIRE has a documentary captured the hearts and minds of so many. This wasn't just a brilliantly shot film. This was a story about the world's greatest free soloist getting ready to walk on the moon and everyone around him that was afraid to lose him. It was that heavy of a film. If you haven't seen this masterpiece, do yourself a favor and watch it. It will blow your mind as it did mind.
FEATURED PODCAST
Also available on Apple Podcast
PASTRANA TRIPLICATES!
Repeats Three of Evel Knievel's Greatest Jumps
“It’s such an honor to live a day in Evel's footsteps, and literally his boots.
There's not a better showman that's ever happened in the sports action industry like Evel Knievel!"
LAS VEGAS - Travis Pastrana has done what no man has ever done before, including Evel Knievel. Dressed in a similar red, white and blue costume, Pastrana launched 143 feet in his Indian Scout FTR750 - to clear 52 crushed cars on his first jump. Then shot 192 feet over 16 Greyhound buses for his second jump. And concluded by jumping 149 feet to clear the fountains at Caesars Palace, the legendary jump that nearly killed the late Evel Knievel.
NOSE RECORD SHATTERED!
Alex Honnold & Tommy Caldwell
Climb the Nose under 2 Hours!
“It’s the proudest speed climbing ascent to have happened in the history of U.S rock climbing. I’m proud Jim Reynolds and I held the record for a bit of time, but in all honesty our time is no where close to their time. The level of talent and confidence required to climb El Cap that fast is hard for me to grasp. Part of me would be excited to see someone try to break it, but deep down I hope no one tries. At least not in my lifetime.”" Brad Gobright
YOSEMITE VALLEY - If it's true, that every picture tells a story, then the shot of Alex Honnold, the world's greatest free soloist, gunning up the Nose with a terrifying amount of slack beneath him, dangling like a noose on the verge of snaring Tommy Caldwell, one of the greatest big wall free climbers of our time (Dawn Wall), then I don't know what does. Continue reading...
FEATURED PODCAST
IN THE NEWS:
ETHAN PRINGLE Send THE NEST V15
JIMMY WEBB
Send Lake Tahoe's First V15
"More than 50 days of effort, hundreds of miles of hiking, hundreds of hours spent at this boulder, thousands of tries, and it was all over in a minute."
Ethan Pringle
Watch Jimmy Webb send Lake Tahoe, California, hardest lines with four first ascents, including The Outer Limits, Tahoe's first V15 boulder problem.
NINA WILLIAMS
FFA of Ray of Light V13
WATCH Nina Williams make the first female ascent of Ray of Light (V13) in Rocklands, South Africa.
EDU MARIN
Sends Odyn's Crack 9a+/5.15a
WATCH Edu Marin send the fifth pitch of Valhalla in Getu, China. The full route ascends one side of Getu Arch, climbs across the roof, and then tops out on the other side.
ADAM ONDRA
Sends Underground Dreaming (5.15a/9a+)
WATCH Adam Ondra made the FA of Underground Dreaming, a link-up of Underground (5.14d/9a) into Pure Dreaming (5.14d/9a).
ALEX MEGOS
Sends Perfecto Mundo (5.15c/9b+) FA
Watch ALEX MEGOS spent three weeks working on a route that had been originally bolted by the legendary Chris Sharma (see profile page) .
MARGO HAYES
RAW FOOTAGE: FFA Biographie
WATCH
Margo Hayes make history by redpointing Biographie, which was first established by Chris Sharma, back in 1981, See film below.
Daniel Woods & Paul Robinson
Bouldering in Joe's Valley
Daniel Wood & Paul Robinson, take us a journey to one of America's best bouldering areas known as Joe's Valley. Despite the frigid temperatures, they were able to send some extraordinarilly hard lines.
Heather Weidner
First Female Ascent of China Doll
Oriane Bertone
Heather Weidner, just captured the first female ascent of China Doll, becoming the fourth women to climb a 5.14 trad route. Watch this incredible story by Louder Than Eleven, as Heather battles her demons.
Oriane Bertone, 12 years old, just sent an 8b, sending shockwaves around the globe.
Sends Psuchopad 8b
Nalle Hukkataival
Sends The Finish Line V16
Nalle Hukkataival describes The Finnish Line (V16) as a Gem rarer than diamonds."
Nalle’s latest testpiece could be a contender for Rocklands’ (South Africa) hardest boulder problem
ON EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING
Chris Sharma
CHRIS SHARMA ON "EVERYTHING IS KARATE" 5.14 C/D
BABSI AND JACOPO
Babsi and Jacopo went to battle Zodiac 5.13d, one of El Cap's most formidable free routes. Some of the hardest climbing in the valley crammed into 16 pitches. It has only seen 2 previous ascents till Babsi and Jacopo.
sends ZODIAC 5.13D
MATT BUSH
Matt Bush free solos Paarl Mountain, one of the world's largest domes in South Africa. "I've soloed overhanging routes at 8a+/5.13d repeatedly, but this route feels much harder. The movement style is delicate, on balance and very technical."
The Art of Solo
DANIEL WOODS
repeats POSITION OF POWER V12
Daniel Woods repeat Position of Power V12 in Rocky Mountain National Park. This boulder sits above Bear Lake Road and can easily be seen driving up.
RYUICHI MURAI
Murai, headed to Magic Wood on a mission, with a tick list of some of the hardest problems in the forest. He climbed quickly sending most of the 8b/c after only a couple of tries.
Destroys Magic Wood's Hardest Problems
ALEX MEGOS
Sends FIGHT CLUB 5.15b
Alex Megos completes historic first ascent of Fight Club 5.15b, at Raven's Crag in Alberta, near Banff National Park, the first and hardest 5.15 sport climb in Canada.
NINA WILLIAMS
Sends AMBROSIA V11
Nina Williams makes the first female ascent of Ambrosia, a 50 ft V11 boulder on the Grandpa Peabody Boulder in the Buttermilks, California. NNNinaNNi
Catalan Witness the Fitness V15
CHRIS SHARMA
"I had a great start to the new year by sending the "Catalan Witness the Fitness" at Cova de Ocell the other day. I've been trying this line on and off for quite some time so it felt good to see it through finally."
JERNEJ KRUDER
Sends ES PONTAS 5.15a/b
After 39 attempts, Jernej Kruder repeated Chris Sharma route saying: "This thing is so specific. For sure it's about 9th grade, but there are so many different factors. Like the dyno. If there are 200 people in the world climbing 9a, maybe just 10 percent of them can do it."
TONY HAWK Skates Downward Spiral Loop!
Tony Hawk made history by becoming the first person to skateboard a downward spiral.
'So this is all my crazy idea. Basically this ramp is a vertical spiral, a sideways loop. As far as I know no one's done anything like this'
KELLY SLATER launches Wave Company
NINE YEARS into the making, Slater Wave Company constructed the longest, open-barrel man made wave in the world! "I’m still a little in disbelief, and trying to process how much fun this wave is, but it certainly feels like this is going to change a lot of perceptions about human-made waves."
JEB CORLISS Near-Death Experience
"My life is about taking things and seeing how far we can go. And when we do that, you really don't know where that line is until you cross it. Life is just a bunch of experiences you have until you die!"
DANNY MACASKILL newest film 'Cascadia!'
Scottish cyclist takes his skills to entirely new level.
“I have to be 100% clear that I’m going to do the trick I’m going to do. I never think that I’m going to crash, otherwise I wouldn’t ride the bike the way I do..”