[Duma]

So, with the Olympics delayed to next year, and the rest of the ifsc (and domestic) season cancelled, I'd kind of expect a bit of a rampage as the indoor wads are unleashed - I've seen a few impressive bits on social media, but don't follow loads of them, anyone else got any news?

Jakob in Magic, probably the standout so far: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3cMVANB7--U&feature=youtu.be

Ondra YT, 9a+ and couple of 8C+:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8eNyF9eYwgr_K-Nl4gSHWw

But obviously these are both outdoor beasts anyway. Was more thinking of people we don't hear about outdoors much, like when Rustam did hypnotised minds after a wc. Seems like now would be the time they'd all be out and crushing, anyone heard much?

And on a related note a couple of obvious candidates I've not heard much from: Shauna and Janja. I'd kind of expect, with walls shut and no comps to train for for a few months they'd be out, even if just to keep their IG feeds full.

[Davo]

Good question! I’d be interested in this as well if anyone has any info

[Duma]

Well this seems to have sank without a trace...

Is that because people aren't interested (in the question) or that they (the comp beasts) aren't getting out? Fair enough if it's the former, but if the latter I don't get it?? Literally every keen climber I know has been out every few days since mid May, and getting loads done. Even if comps and indoors are your focus there's nothing to train for till next year. For the likes of Shauna social media is basically their job, and she's clearly capable of cleaning up lots of stuff on UK rock, someone mentioned in another thread how close she had got to hubble in the past, seems crazy not to be out there while the walls are shut and the weather's good. I've wondered in the past if injury risk was a factor, but a finger tweak now has limited impact with the Olympics 12+ months away?
Am I just of a previous generation and the current crop just aren't psyched to get outside?
Sorry, very unstructured rambling, but thought it interesting.

[Will Hunt]

I think it's a good question but I've no idea who the comp beasts are, let alone follow them on Instagram, so can't really contribute meaningfully.

[jwi]

dunno,

but it feels like more or less every young French comp climber is in Céüse. They are climbing well hard, but don't make much fuss about it.

[abarro81]

I've seen various comp-climber-crushes-something-outside things on 8a, or pop up on FB from Euro news sites, but it's often comp climbers who also do things outside anyway (like your Jacob or Ondra example).
On the UK front: I think most of the comp men already climb outside (Billy, Nathan, Orrin etc.) and seems like they're doing a mix of training and climbing like normal. Bosi appears on 8a having done an 8B every week or two but guess must be training the rest of the time? Molly appears to be doing various things in FJ interspersed by training. Judging by Shauna's insta she's pretty unpsyched on climbing and is more into walking and swimming 

[jwi]

Speaking of comp beast (from the past)... Alex Chabot just onsighted an 8c in Saint Leger... That is still significant I think.

[sdm]

Janja is back training on indoor walls so I don't think we are going to see her going an outdoors rampage. French, German and American walls are back open again to some extent and presumably other countries' walls are back open too.

It seems like the perfect opportunity for those who have access to reopened facilities to gain an advantage over their competitors.

[Duma]

Janja is back training on indoor walls so I don't think we are going to see her going an outdoors rampage.

It seems like the perfect opportunity for those who have access to reopened facilities to gain an advantage over their competitors.

But she had over a month when they were shut, and judging by her social media didn't get out AT ALL. (and at least Jernej Kruder on the Slovenia team has been out LOADS)

Not convinced by the advantage over others argument - even the first domestic comps aren't expected till the autumn, and I can't see a couple of weeks difference in reopening time having a significant impact by then, let alone next year. Plus I'd expect all the real top echelon to have access to similar facilities.

I saw Molly TS has been out a lot, and noted Jan Hojers ticks from that :
https://instagram.com/janhojer?igshid=1plh31n9z43gz

Like Alex says, the UK men I mostly think of as getting out a fair bit anyway. Any links to the other stuff Alex or jwi?

[Wil]

For the likes of Shauna social media is basically their job

I tried to write a longer reply, but was veering off topic and thought I might be being unfair.

With nearly 400k followers I think it's safe to put Shauna in the "professional influencer" category. I don't think many of those followers will care if she does Hubble, but they would care about the simpler currency of "Olympic Medal winner Shauna Coxsey MBE". I also think, though, that it's so curated that extrapolating from her IG (or increasingly banal interviews*) about what Shauna's real motivations are is tricky.

* mainly a criticism of tedious questions, rather than the inevitably tedious answers

[JohnM]

It seems a few of the comp/mainly indoor climbers over here in Austria are dabbling in rock, although the gym is open again so I think that has decreased. You realise some are genuinely not used to, or have no intrinsic motivation to climb on rock (which seems insane round here but each to their own). I saw one beast working a 7b+ route (I assumed it was 8b+ until I checked the guide) and other reports of people climbing their first 8b+ or 8c. I always find it surprising as I would have assumed, given how strong they are, they would have reached that grade already but it is just that they simply don't generally go out on rock. I guess unless you are Ondra/Schubert etc and you want to qualify/place in the big comps, a day on the rock is a day wasted by not specifically training and damaging your skin etc. 

[abarro81]

Any links to the other stuff Alex or jwi?

The Alex Chabot onsight was just on Muriel Sarkany's stories on FB/insta from St Leger (or at least that's where I saw it). Jwi - do you know if he's been at a consistently high level since "back in the day" when he was winning world cups, doing new 9as in Loup and onsighting 8b+s, or has he dipped in and out of being a beast? Is that his first 8c onsight too (excluding the retro onsight/flash thing on le cadre)? Pretty damn cool anyway if you ask me

For the other stuff I mostly just see what's being done on 8a (e.g. for Hojer doing loads of 8cs, or what Billy and Orrin are doing) or see stuff from Planet Mountain on FB (https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news) - they had Rogora doing 9a+ in Arco, Anak did a new 8c+/9a etc. Planet Grimpe on FB puts a fair amount of French beasts on my timeline too

[Duma]

I guess unless you are Ondra/Schubert etc and you want to qualify/place in the big comps, a day on the rock is a day wasted by not specifically training and damaging your skin etc.

I don't think many of those followers will care if she does Hubble, but they would care about the simpler currency of "Olympic Medal winner Shauna Coxsey MBE".

But this is the thing, normally I'd get that, comps are the focus, so training for that takes precedent over getting out. But for the last month that hasn't been a a choice. Walls are shut, there's no significant comps till next year, weather's good. OK if youre young, live in London or somewhere else a long way from rock and don't have transport fair enough, but I can't see any other reasons tbh apart from increasing divergence. Agree 90% of Shauna's followers won't care about hubble, but a lot of the rest would be massively psyched. Not having a go at Shauna here, she's just an obvious example.

[Duma]

Thanks Alex, I should follow some of those.

I think Will Bosi is prob a good example on the other side, he's done a bunch more than just bewilderness recently. (though la capella was pre lockdown, and while Olympic qualification was still a real possibility I think?)

[ali k]

...comps are the focus, so training for that takes precedent over getting out. But for the last month that hasn't been a choice. Walls are shut...

Home boards/gyms? Or sneaky training at walls with useful contacts? Pure speculation obvs, but the latter may have been happening with informal agreement from the owner and mitigations in place? And would have been an ideal opportunity without all the punters in

[T_B]

Dunno why you don’t think they are Duma? Orrin did another 8B+ Forest Rock link up and Billy Ridal is trying True North at K. That’s just from a cursory glance at UKC logbooks. Jim Pope getting grit FA boulder problems done! MTS is in the Frankenjura pulling on monos. As Ned alludes to in his interview Shauna has a living to make and I suspect Lockdown has been an opportunity to get her YouTube channel of the ground and thus another income stream. But yeah, she could be driving round the Peak lime venues looking for empty parking spots with the rest of us.

[gme]

I think the usual suspects are out but with travel still limited and it pretty much being the worse time of year for hard stuff it appears quite. Loads of 9As being done quickly and I would guess the stuff Ondra is doing at his version of the tor are all in the 9B+ category.

[GraemeA]

Home boards/gyms? Or sneaky training at walls with useful contacts? Pure speculation obvs, but the latter may have been happening with informal agreement from the owner and mitigations in place? And would have been an ideal opportunity without all the punters in

Shauna is part of the Medal Support Programme so for her to be allowed to nip down the Works it would have to be done in accordance with the Return to Training scheme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation/elite-sport-return-to-training-guidance-step-one--2

We have been talking with the EIS about this but nothing is in place yet. Maybe today's announcement about walls definately not opening on 4th July might get things moving.

[Fiend]

Good thread Duma, have been wondering about this, especially in the absence of an IFSC / Olympic season.

[Duma]

just pasting it here too:
https://www.8a.nu/news/le-mur-du-son-assis-8a+-flash-by-charlotte-andre

[Bradders]

Saw this and thought of this thread:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_cHRKDoRh/?igshid=1iz7oeh4pkmaw

50 double digit boulders since May having not "climbed outside a lot before this summer". Not shit.

[battery]

Shauna's been doing a lot of training at home, she's also just had an op (not sure what for).

For athletes that are looking to the comp season it's not far away, even for the Olympics I don't think 12 months is actually that long when thinking about injury recovery time and training plans.

There is an assumption that everyone who is a comp climber has a passion for rock which is simply not the case. Mina talked about the two being different sports when she quit comp climbing because she preferred being on rock.

Finally, people may just be a bit nervous about heading out still!

[Duma]

Thanks Bradders, just the sort of thing I was interested in. Brooke Raboutou's recent exploits deserve a mention too:
https://www.8a.nu/news/two-8bs-by-brooke-raboutou-19
The note about #5 among the men is pretty impressive!
Thought Drew Rouana also interesting, not pandemic related but one place off Olympic qualifying, then sacked it off to climb outside:
https://www.8a.nu/news/box-therapy-8c+-by-drew-ruana
On the other hand, I see Janjas IG has sprung back to life now the walls are open - the only sign of her outdoors I've seen was belaying Domen Skofic in the background of jernej kruders IG.

[cheque]

There is an assumption that everyone who is a comp climber has a passion for rock which is simply not the case. Mina talked about the two being different sports when she quit comp climbing because she preferred being on rock.

This is an underappreciated factor in all these types of discussion- even without the competitive element, if you really love going to the climbing wall there’s not that much of a guarantee that you’ll love or even be prepared to tolerate going to a crag as it’s only the action of climbing that they have in common and in many cases that’s not very similar either. How good you are at climbing doesn’t change that.

There are people on my social media feeds (not people I have that much association with admittedly ) who are fucking psyched for walls reopening, sharing screenshots of their bookings etc. and this is during a pandemic in late July. It seems mad to people like us but they’re I guess they’re thinking “thank God I can go climbing again without having to walk through a field/ put the draws in and out/ carry gear/ pack sandwiches/ get my hands dirty/ keep changing my shoes etc.”

[monkoffunk]

But some of them didn’t even go that far, seems like some people never stopped climbing on their home board even when the restrictions were lifted.