🧗 The Brits are Back

Howdy. FlashPumped here. We’re like your favourite water bottle: always within reach, keeping you nice and hydrated, plus BPA free.  

We’ve got a jam-packed agenda for y’all this week! So here’s what we got:

• The Brits are Back

• The Zodiac gets some Fresh Footage

• Flohe loves the Send Train

• A fire-side discussion with the Big Daddy

• And a historical golden nugget

Let’s get started…

The Brits are Back

Someone whip out the English Breakfast because we’re running late and The Brits are Back 🇬🇧

Mr Bolger who has been living the Spanish dream, has sent his second ever 9a+, Maya, in Margalef.

The route is a 40m endurance fest on one and two finger pockets with small edges. Given the first ascent was by Ramon Julian Puiglanque, we know that the grading is no joke!

🇬🇧 🫖 💂

Second up, we have fellow Brit Aidan Roberts who reports he’s made the first ascent of Unison V15 in Ticino, Switzerland (yes, a lot has been going there recently).

Roberts is no stranger to hard boulders. He grabbed the first repeat of Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane, V17, and has put up the UK’s first two V16s:

• Superpowers

• Isles of Wonder Low

Good job boys!

Babsi & Jacopo’s Battle for Zodiac

Back in 2016, Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcherc sent Zodiac, 8b, on El Cap and one of the toughest climbs in the Valley.

But the final footage has been many years in the making and has finally been released 🥳

The video reminds us why the pair are one of climbing’s most talented and favourite couples, plus the side-by-side footage is awesome to compare different climbing styles.

Great footage of some Big Wall climbing ❤️🏔

Flohe Loves the Send Train

Last week we reported that Yannick Flohe had nabbed the first ascent of Return of the Dreamtime, V16, in Cresciano, Switzerland.

Well earlier during the year, when on a trip with the German Juggernaut, Alex Megos, he also sent two projects:

• Ephyra, V16

• From Dirt Grows The Flowers, V15,

Alex has been so kind as share a great video of the trip, highlighting that it isn’t always just about success.

Always so humble 🙇‍♂️

A fire-side discussion with Chris Sharma

The Big Daddy has given a great interview at the International Film Festival in Teplice.

They talk about many things, including:

• His life as a climber

• The mental side of the sport

• Managing your ego

• Finding joy and balance, especially with having a family and as life evolves.

Classic Chris, he finishes touching on the counterculture side to climbing, taking paths less travelled in life and the raw and natural origins of the sport.

It’s great to hear about the philosophical side of climbing, especially from a man who’s played such a pioneering role in the sport 👍

A Historical Golden Nugget

In 1965 Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and TM Herbert made the historical first ascent of the Muir Wall on El Capitan. Their first ascent took over a week and was the first time a route on El Cap would be done in a single push.

And this week we got some new footage of the beast!

Max Buschini’s new film, Legacy On The Muir, tells the story of how 55 years later, TM’s own son would attempt to set a new speed record on the original route.

You know what time it is! 🙃

From The MotherShip

• How do you train? Chance are, like most people, you “just climb”. If this is indeed the case then periodization could be the thing you’re looking for to break through those plateaus.

  And Beyond…

• Angy Eiter is known as the first woman to climb 9b. But since 2019 she’s been concentrating on first ascents, developing new crags and giving back to the climbing community.

• What will be the next 9c? We already have 2 (normally 😬), and here is a list of the contenders for the potential next!

Bacon & Waffles

🤣🤣

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