News: World Cup Season Begins
6/5/2026
This week saw the recommencement of the Climbing World Cup competitions. We are in the gap between olympics, but now far enough removed from the last games that leading athletes are returning from time away from competing as they build towards Los Angeles. But the standard of competition never sits still for long, will the same contenders still dominate, or will younger talent emerge?
Competition Climbing
Sixteen-year-old Chinese speed climber Zhao Yicheng set a new men's speed world record of 4.58 seconds at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, Hainan, China, breaking American Sam Watson's previous record of 4.64 seconds set at the IFSC World Cup Bali in 2025. Zhao posted 4.73 seconds on his first qualification attempt before lowering the mark to 4.58 on his second run, going on to win gold in men's individual speed—all in his first-ever senior competition. Watson and Zhao are not scheduled to meet until the World Climbing Series in Wujiang, China, on 8–10 May. (PlanetMountain, 29 April 2026)
Japan's Sorato Anraku and France's Zélia Avezou won the men's and women's boulder finals respectively at the season-opening World Climbing Series event in Keqiao, China (1–3 May). Anraku topped the final with 84.4 points, finishing 14.8 points clear of South Korea's Lee Dohyun, with France's Mejdi Schalck in third. Avezou's result was the upset of the event: she qualified 23rd after missing the top on four of five boulders in the semi, but surged in the final to post 84.8 points—just 0.2 points ahead of a charging Janja Garnbret, who flashed the last boulder to claim silver. Bronze went to Oceania Mackenzie. It was Avezou's first-ever World Climbing Series victory. (World Climbing, 3 May 2026)
Sport Climbing & Bouldering
Czech climbing legend Adam Ondra made a striking ascent on the sandstone towers of Saxony, Germany, climbing Robert Leistner's Die Vertreibung der letzten Idealisten (XIIa / 8c / 5.13d) on the Nonnengärtner tower in the Elbe River Valley completely ground-up and without chalk, as required by the strict Saxon climbing ethic. Ondra described the experience as "one of the most meaningful climbing experiences I've had," citing the exposure, sweaty hands, and weight of the area's history. A video of the ascent was released alongside the report. (PlanetMountain, 27 April 2026)
McArthur Establishes New ~V15 in Squamish: English climber Hamish McArthur has made the first ascent of Tilde, a new boulder problem proposed at approximately V15 (8C), in the Ashlu Valley outside Squamish, British Columbia. The first ascent comes a few weeks after McArthur announced his retirement from competition climbing, ending a decade-long career with Team GB that included a 5th-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics. McArthur has spent the intervening period focusing on outdoor bouldering, including a notable repeat of Megatron and one session ascent of No One Mourns The Wicked (both V17). A confirmed grade for Tilde has not yet been independently verified. Gripped
Bertone Sends Back-to-Back 8B and 8B+ at Font: French climber Oriane Bertone climbed two significant boulder problems at Fontainebleau on April 21, sending Kheops (V13/8B) and Gecko assis (V14/8B+) in the same session. Gecko assis is Bertone's fourth 8B+, following Golden Shadow at Rocklands, South Africa (2018), Satan I Helvete—Bas at Fontainebleau (2020), and Super Tanker at Fontainebleau (2021). Bertone, who won the inaugural Pro Climbing League in London in February, said she is "feeling strong, in a good place mentally and physically." PlanetMountain
Trad Climbing
Black Diamond this week released the full video of American climber Connor Herson making the first ascent of Drifter's Escape (36 / 9a+ / 5.15a) on the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, Canada. The ascent took place on 14 July 2025 after two seasons and roughly 20 attempts; Herson announced it in February 2026. The video, filmed by Christian Adam, provides the first detailed visual record of what is currently proposed as the world's hardest trad climb. (PlanetMountain, 29 April 2026)
Alpinism & Big Walls
French ski mountaineers Samuel Equy and Mathéo Jacquemoud have set a new fastest known time for a round-trip ascent of Mont Blanc, completing the Chamonix–summit–Chamonix circuit in 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 24 seconds — shaving approximately two minutes off the previous record set in 2025. The pair climbed via the Jonction, Grands Mulets, and Vallot route to the 4,806-metre summit, covering close to 30 kilometres and 3,700 metres of elevation. Equy reached the top in 3 hours and 41 minutes, with Jacquemoud a few seconds behind; the descent took just over an hour. Jacquemoud noted that navigation through a crevassed and avalanche-prone section at the Jonction cost them a little time, but their endurance allowed them to hold record pace throughout. The record is for ski mountaineering style; Kilian Jornet's on-foot FKT of 4:57:34 (set in 2013) stands separately. (Gripped, 1 May 2026)
Access & Industry
Will Stanhope, 1986–2026: Canadian climber Will Stanhope died on April 23 from a severe head injury sustained after falling approximately 20 metres while climbing Rutabaga (5.11a), a two-pitch trad route on the right side of the Grand Wall on the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, British Columbia. He was 39. Stanhope, born in 1986, was a professional climber and member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides known for bold free solos, remote alpine first ascents, and decades of exploratory climbing from Squamish to Baffin Island. He was widely regarded as one of the most visionary and accomplished Canadian climbers of his generation. A celebration of life is being organised in Squamish for later this spring. Gripped reported his death on April 24, with tributes from across the global climbing community. Gripped · Squamish Chief