🧗 Women are closing the gap

Howdy. FlashPumped here. We’re the newsletter that makes climbing as crazy as a weekend in Vegas. Remember: what happens here, stays here.

On the agenda this week:

• Women are closing the gap

• Mr Roberts in the limelight

• How strong do you have to be for 9b+

• Blackcurrants: The secret weapon for higher performance

But most importantly: some new sections in our newsletter! 🥳

So let’s go go gooooo

Women are Closing The Gap

One of the great things about our sport is the relatively small difference in performance between men and women.

Well, Czech climber, Jana Vincourkova, has recently been working Adam Ondra’s Terranova, V16, and linking up the moves 💪

Jana has previously sent two V14 and according to Gripped, competed when she was younger but stopped because she wasn’t enjoying it.

We agree, outdoors is definitely more fun!

If she nabs the first ascent this would be the first V16 by a woman EVER.

Terranova was initially put up by Adam Ondra back in 2011. Supposedly, he worked the line whilst training power to help him send La Dura Dura (he also sent Gioia, V16, over the same period).

Will Bosi compared the difficulty of Terranova to Burden of Dreams, V17, so this is one beast of a V16 for sure! 👹

Mr Roberts in the Limelight

Aidan Roberts, our favourite Bro from the North has been tearing it up again.

His most recent send is Serendipity, V14, at Impossible Roof near Roche Roche in the UK.

The boulder involves intense compression moves on super steep roof with teeny tiny edges 😖

Aidan has been killing it over the past years and is now part of the V17 Ultra-elite tribe.

We tried to join once but apparently V7 and V17 aren’t the same 😬

The Strength for 9b+

Have you ever wondered how strong you need to be to climb 9b+?

Over the years Lattice Training have been amassing a huge database of the strengths of climbers, and can therefore predict, with pretty good accuracy what grade you could, or should, be climbing based on your strength profile.

In the past they’ve tested Magnus Mitbo, Alex Megos and Alex Honnold to name a few and devised testing methodologies to assess how strong your fingers really are.

Well over the past few weeks they’ve also added the Italian Stallion, Stefano Ghisolfi, to their data points 🤓

The result? He broke their machine 🤯 

I think it’s time to re-calibrate the AI boys… 🤣

Question of the Week

Last week we asked you this wee question regarding replica boulder problems:

And the jury is out, it’s a nay! Although it was pretty close 😅 

That brings us to this weeks question:

Next up…

Blackcurrants: The Secret to Higher Performance

Looking to gain that additional edge in your training?

Well according to recent research, the secret weapon could be blackcurrants. But not just any blackcurrants, New Zealand Blackcurrants (NZB) 😋

The study took 18 male climbers, climbing 6a - 8b, and performed multiple performance tests including Hang Time and Total Climbing Time. They assessed performance before and after taking a NZB supplement.

The findings:

• Positive Hang Time trend

• A 23% increase in Total Climbing Time 😱

While it’s not entirely clear what this exactly means in terms of specific on-the-wall performance, it definitely has a positive impact.

This is a supplement which has been getting more and more attention, especially in endurance sports, which leads us on to our next section…

Introducing: The Monthly Giveaway 🎁

Once a month we’re going to investigate a supplement, piece of gear or any gadget that we can get our hands on that could have a positive impact on your climbing and give it away! 🥳 

The aim: If you win, we send you the product and you let us know if it’s awesome, or terrible, so we can share the story with our fellow readers!

How to take part? 

You simply vote if you’d actually use the product and leave your email in the comment section when voting (otherwise we won’t know who votes as our polls are anonymous plus other voters won’t see your private comment).

This months giveaway:

Carrying on from our previous theme, 2before are a natural New Zealand Blackcurrant supplements provider for high performance athletes.

And we’re giving away a sample of their Pre-workout Caffeine-free Blackcurrant extract. So, vote below:

From The MotherShip

Unsure how to pick your first climbing rope? Here’s a list of the most important factors you should consider and how to determine which one is best for you.

And Beyond…

• Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi have been on an absolute screamer since winning the top film-medal for Free Solo. Their next project: a National Geographic documentary on lost arctic exploration ship Endurance, which was lost in the ice over 100 years ago. Looks like we’re gona have something more to add to the watch list.

Bacon & Waffles

🤣 🤣

What We’re Enjoyin’ 🫖

• 📽 Aidan Roberts Pushing the limits of Bouldering. Great little documentary representing British climbers! 🇬🇧

• 📖 The Count of Monte-Cristo. It can’t always be about climbing! A classic story of vengeance, forgiveness, justice and mercy. If you can make it through the 1,276 pages that is.

• 🎧 Harry Belafonte - Banana boat. Why? Because we love rum 🍹

That's it for today. See y’all next week!

DIRTBAG DAYS

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