This guide explains how to watch 2025 IFSC Climbing World Championships live streams over the first round of the competition. There are free viewing options in the US and Canada, and we also explain how you can use a safe VPN to watch your usual coverage if you're away from home.

We're approaching the start of the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Championships, but there's still time to grab a free stream and catch the action ahead of lead climbing qualification on day one (Sept 21, 6am BST / 1 am ET).

The IFSC World Climbing Championships is different from the World Cup season. It’s a stand-alone event, held every two years, that crowns world champions in each discipline.

This week's 19th edition takes place in Seoul, South Korea, where the world's best boulderers, speed climbers, and lead climbers will compete against each other over 7 days of blister-inducing holds.

Multiple world champion and legend of the sport, Kim Jain will be in front of her home crowd alongside Seo Chaehyun.

Each discipline has separate medals. Unlike the Olympics, there’s no combined format here—so a climber can become world champion in one discipline without competing in the others.

Read on to find out how and where to watch the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Championships wherever you are in the world.

Our guide to rock climbing terms will help you keep up with any unfamiliar jargon in the commentary, and if you want to give this exciting sport a try for yourself, you can also read about getting started in climbing.

Watch the IFSC Climbing World Championships for free in the U.S. and Canada

Want to watch from the U.S. or Canada? Then you're in luck, as you'll be able to stream the entire 2025 competition for free on the IFSC YouTube channel. In addition to live coverage, you can find highlights, interviews, and other awesome content from the competition. Viewers outside of the States and Canada can also access this content, but live coverage will be blocked (hence why you might need a good quality VPN).

If you're lucky enough to be in the U.S. or Canada, your viewing options aren't limited either, as live coverage is also available on the Olympics channel via Olympics.com. Here, you'll have access to even more highlights, build-up, and reaction to competition.

Traveling outside the U.S or Canada? You can still watch live as usual by using a quality VPN like NordVPN, which allows you to access the streams as if you were sitting on your sofa back home. Find out more below.

Use a VPN to watch the Climbing World Championships Seoul from anywhere

If you’re traveling overseas during the 2025 World Championships, geo-blocking restrictions mean you probably won't be able to watch as you usually would back home.

That doesn't mean you have to miss out, however. All you need to do to watch as if you were back home is get yourself a VPN (Virtual Private Network) – assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, of course. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are. As an added bonus, the info going back and forth is also entirely encrypted.

In a competitive field, our expert colleagues at TechRadar put NordVPN at the top of the podium for VPN services. Right now, you can snag up to 70% off NordVPN, but don't sleep on this deal - it ends on July 31.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Watch the IFSC World Championships from the UK and Europe

Thanks to a recently agreed rights deal, viewers in the United Kingdom and Europe can stream most of the 2025 IFSC sport climbing events exclusively on Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming services.

In the UK and Ireland that means TNT Sports, which you can access via a subscription to Discovery+ Premium. It will cost you £30.99 per month in the UK and you’ll also get access to Champions League (TechRadar) and Premier League football, Premiership rugby, cycling and loads more top sporting action. Alternatively, TNT Sports can be added to your Sky, BT, EE or Virgin Media TV package – costs vary by platform.

In Europe, you can watch 2025 Climbing World Championships live streams on Eurosport or via the Discovery+ platform.

And don’t forget, if you’re going to be traveling away from home during any of the Climbing World Championships events, you can use a VPN to watch your usual service as if you were back home.

About this week's event

he 19th edition of the IFSC Climbing World Championships will be held in Seoul, South Korea, from 21 to 28 September 2025 at the KSPO Dome. The event covers three main disciplines—Lead, Boulder, and Speed—as well as Para-Climbing.

In Lead, top climbers include Austria’s Jakob Schubert, the defending men’s world champion, and Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret, whose haul of world-championship medals is just below Schubert’s but whose recent form makes her a favourite. (per IFSC Climbing) In Speed, world record holders such as Sam Watson and Aleksandra Miroslaw will be among the favourites, though some previous champions (such as Veddriq Leonardo and Desak Dewi) will not compete (per IFSC Climbing)

In Boulder, France and Japan present deep lineups. Janja Garnbret will defend the women’s title; for the men, since Mickael Mawem (the 2023 men’s Boulder champ) is not competing, a new champion is assured. Rising climbers, new finalists and young talent also feature prominently in previews.

The competition schedule starts with qualifications in the early days, leading into finals for Speed and Boulder mid-week, and culminating with Lead finals toward the end.

IFSC World Championships Schedule

All times local (Korea Standard Time, UTC+9)

Sunday 21 September – 14:00 – Lead qualification rounds begin

Monday 22 September – 09:00 – More Lead qualification rounds

Tuesday 23 September – 09:00 – Boulder qualifications for men & women

Wednesday 24 September – 09:00 – Women’s Speed qualification

Wednesday 24 September – 20:00 – Women’s Speed final

Thursday 25 September – 09:00 – Men’s Speed qualification

Thursday 25 September – 20:00 – Men’s Speed final

Friday 26 September – 10:00 – Lead semi-finals (both men & women)

Friday 26 September – 20:00 – Lead finals for both genders

Saturday 27 September – 10:00 – Women’s Boulder semi-final

Saturday 27 September – 20:00 – Women’s Boulder final

Sunday 28 September – 10:00Men’s Boulder semi-final

Sunday 28 September – 20:00Men’s Boulder final

• Everything to know about climbing and mountaineering

Climbing Africa's tallest mountain is no small feat. The trip to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, takes trekkers through 19,341ft (5,895m) of varied African terrain, including dense jungles and arid desert landscapes. There's also dangerous wildlife to contend with, and the harrowing effects of hiking 4 to 10 miles (6.5 to 16km) a day in rapidly increasing altitude.

On average, between three and 10 people die each year on the mountain, often due to altitude sickness or hiking injuries. However, the dangers aren't enough to stop a team of blind hikers from attempting to make history by climbing the mountain next month.

All 11 trekkers from the Kilimanjaro Blind project are either fully blind or visually impaired and are making their final preparations for the daunting week-long ascent. If successful, they will become the largest group of blind climbers to scale Kilimanjaro.

They will be assisted throughout by guides, who will offer physical support and give crucial information about the underfoot terrain ahead.

Calgary hiker Peter Quaiattini is one of the organizers of the trek, and explained some of the difficulties he expects to encounter to the Calgary Eyeopener.

"The risk with climbing Kilimanjaro, failure rate is altitude sickness, you're going to almost 20,000ft," he said.

"By having a seven-day ascent, it gives your body more time to acclimatize to the higher elevation."

Altitude sickness is caused by rapid exposure to the low oxygen levels at altitude. Common symptoms include headaches, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath, but sufferers can sometimes experience more severe effects like hallucinations.

Spending time in the mountains mitigates the risks by saturating the oxygen in your red blood cells and preparing your body for the effects of altitude.

Among those summitting the mountain is retired NASA engineer Michael McCulloch, who has shared his videos of his workouts and preparation on social media.

"Right down the road from me, a few blocks down, there's a fourteen-story professional building," he explains on Instagram.

"Here I am in my Kili training centre doing stairs. This week I'm hitting 75 floors up and down," he jokes from a stairwell.

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Trail running superstar Kilian Jornet has begun his latest crazy adventure - climbing 67 of America's tallest mountains, and hiking and cycling between them.

Jornet began his States of Altitude Project last week on Longs Peak in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, and is aiming to summit every mountain over 14,000ft (4,267m) in the US, aside from those in Alaska, as fast as he can.

Following his initial summit, Jornet continued to the South Arapaho Peak on the Continental Divide and went down to set off on a 49-mile (79km) cycle ride south to the Echo Lake campground. Six hours of sleep later, he was back in the mountains, working his way through Colorado's Mosquito mountain range.

"Kilian barely slept following the LA Freeway epic, and he woke up feeling every one of those 16 hours as well as the Colorado altitude in his body," explains a post on his Instagram account.

"The morning brought Mt. Blue Sky (formerly Evans) and Bierstadt, but Colorado’s afternoon storms had other plans. A weather system rolled in, forcing route changes that added 4 hours to the day," it continued.

"In just over 41 hours of movement & 160 miles (259km) on foot and by bike, Kilian has now summited 6 Colorado 14ers."

At the time of writing, Kilian remains in Colorado as he attempts to tick off each of the 58 peaks above 14,000 feet (4,267m) that the state has to offer.

Jornet, who's previously set records on the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, and scaled Everest without supplemental oxygen, announced his latest adventure in August, and says there are two main reasons for doing it now.

"What I experienced in the Pyrenees and the Alps motivated me to keep exploring this dimension of long traverses with a strong physical, cognitive, and creative component," he said before setting off.

"It’s also about exploring the American West - the vastness of the terrain and the cultures that have lived and continue to live there, as well as a nature that is often wild and incredibly diverse, ranging from alpine areas to dense forests and deserts."

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A former rugby star, who was told he would never walk again after breaking his neck, has become the first person to scale a previously unsummitted peak in Krgyzstan's Tian Shan mountain range.

Ed Jackson, 36, sustained the life-changing injury in 2017 when he dove into the shallow end of a swimming pool and has lived with various physical and neurological disabilities ever since.

On Friday, August 21, he returned home from a month-long expedition to the remote Tien Shan mountains, where he became the first person to reach the unexplored summit of a peak he's dubbed 'Hope Mountain'.

The challenge, which has raised £6,000 ($8,000) for his Millimeters to Mountains (M2M) foundation and various children's organizations, is the culmination of years of hard work. Jackson and his wife Lois launched M2M a year after his injury to help facilitate outdoor adventures for people facing adversity.

"There was a lot of meaning behind reaching the summit, other than just ticking a box to stand on top of it," Jackson told BBC Radio Bristol.

"Whatever your limitations are, you can get out and do extraordinary things."

Jackson and his team overcame plenty of tricky terrain and challenging conditions during the ascent, negotiating icy glacial slopes, uneven valleys, and steep, elevated ridges. The former England and Wales player says the help he received from locals was one of the highlights of the adventure.

"One of the most amazing things was connecting with the local shepherds and the nomads in the mountain," says Jackson.

"They became invaluable for us to be able to get our kit into different locations, they were lending us their horses or coming with us."

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Good news, US climbing fans! One of the nation's most exciting climbing stars is finally back from injury and ready to hit the wall.

Four-time bouldering world champion Natalie Grossman, 24, has been on the sidelines since March after tearing the ACL and meniscus of her left knee, but will be returning to competition at today's North America Cup.

"I get to compete this weekend!" she confirmed via Instagram.

"Today marks 6 months post ACL + meniscus surgery which means I’m finally cleared to lead climb with minimal movement restrictions. Though fully trusting my knee and being in shape is another story."

Although her recovery isn't yet over, Grossman's return to competitive climbing means she could be available for this year's final two IFSC World Cup rounds at the start of September and the World Championships competition at the end of the month.

"Recovery is nowhere near over, but I was given this opportunity and I want to seize it. This is part of the process but it is not the end result! I have no idea what to expect so let’s go have some funnnn and see what happens.

"I’ve poured everything into this long recovery, so no pushing my knee this time. Recovery comes first," concludes her Instagram post.

Who is Natalie Grossman?

Prior to her injury, Grossman's place as the world's best female boulderer was undisputed. The US athlete won four back-to-back World Cup series from 2021 to 2024 and topped the podium at an astonishing eleven World Cup rounds in that time.

She's also been a fierce competitor in the lead climbing World Cup, finishing second and third in the 2021 and 2022 competitions.

Her return from injury will be a welcome sight to climbing fans worldwide, after Grossman missed almost the entire 2025 World Cup season.

Without her, the bouldering competition has been an open affair, with six different winners from the six different rounds this year.

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A new sport climbing competition, that will pit the world's top climbing nations against each other, will kick off this fall. The IFSC, sport climbing's governing body, has announced the creation of its 'Nations Grand Finale' competition, which will be held in Fukuoka, Japan, from October 23 to 26.

Aiming to combine "innovation, competition and international rivalry", the competition will consist of teams from the top-six-ranked climbing nations, who will face off in new boulder and lead climbing formats.

The current top six nations are Japan, France, Slovenia, Austria, the USA, and Great Britain. Each will nominate two male and two female climbers to compete in Fukuoka, and can bring one reserve climber per gender.

Details about the competition are sparse, although the IFSC has confirmed that a key element will be the "active involvement" of national team coaches, who will "work closely with athletes to develop tactical approaches to the new formats".

The IFSC has also confirmed that Fukuoka will host a new Para Climbing Masters competition in parallel with the Nations Grand Finale, which will include climbers from the eight different sport classes announced for the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.

The IFSC hasn't shared much information about the new para climbing competition, but you can check out our introductory guide for more on para climbing.

The latest competition is scheduled to take place after a busy season, when the world's best sport climbers would usually be putting their feet up.

The final round of the IFSC climbing World Cup ends in mid-September, and the large-scale climbing World Championships conclude at the end of the month. Professional sport climbers would then usually enjoy a lengthy break until the next World Cup begins in April. Regional competitions are usually held during this time, but not worldwide events.

Climbers have already complained about the strain of constant competition, and some, like double Olympic champion Janja Garnbret, have taken time away from the sport to rest and recover.

What is the IFSC?

The International Federation of Sport Climbing, or IFSC, is the governing body responsible for competition climbing events worldwide.

It holds professional climbing events, including the climbing World Cup and para climbing World Cup competitions, which pit the world's best lead climbers, speed climbers, and boulderers against each other in frequent rounds throughout the year.

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• August 22 update: since this article was written, Jim Walmsley has dropped out of the 100-mile race. Find out all the latest updates to the UTMB starting lineup in this article.

Jim Walmsley disappointed us all when he mysteriously disappeared from the Western States starting list this spring (it was later revealed to be due to a knee injury), but he's just redeemed himself by appearing on the list of starters for the UTMB finals in August.

Though the notoriously private runner hasn't commented publicly on his Instagram account yet, he's showing on the newly released list of starters for the men's 100-mile race around Mont Blanc.

Last time Walmsley took on the course was in 2023, when he surprised us all mid-race by picking up the pace and delivering a stunning new 19:37 course record. Can he do it any faster in 2025? After watching him storm the Mesquite Canyon 50k and Chianti Castles 100k in March, we're pretty sure that if anyone can, Walmsley can. Let's hope his knee is better and his Hoka Tecton X 3s are still doing the job.

Who else is running?

Walmsley will be up against a few challengers of note, including this year's Hardrock 100 winner Ludo Pommeret, as well as third-placed Germain Grangier (who also placed third last time Walmsley ran the finals), though Mathieu Blanchard is nowhere to be seen. Also on the starting line in Chamonix will be four-time UTMB winner Francois D’Haene and Jeff Mogavero, who took fourth at this year's Western States.

Seeking redemption will be the UK's Tom Evans who's been unable to complete the race since taking third in 2022 but delivered an impressive victory at this year's Arc of Attrition, Rod Farvard, who just DNFd at Western States (but took second place last year behind Walmsley) and Hayden Hawks who also pulled out of this year's WSER due to injury, but placed third in the race last year.

Perhaps the most notable person missing is last year's champion Vincent Bouillard, the little-known Hoka engineer who took us all by surprise when he sprinted to the finish and seemed quite surprised himself when he got there ahead of the pack. He recently DNFd during his first Western States attempt, but we'd like to see what else he's capable of.

Women's starters

Following on from last week's announcement that Courtney Dauwalter is returning to Chamonix in a bid to regain her title, the bad news is that Katie Schide is not on the starting list, so it looks like we won't be seeing a battle between ultra's two greatest female runners this year after all. But the possibility Dauwalter taking back her crown from Schide (and breaking the 22-hour mark?) is reason enough to tune in.

Dauwalter has never run in the UTMB finals and not won, so obviously she and her Salomon S/Lab Genesis shoes are a strong contender for first place, but there's an extremely healthy-looking women's field of runners hoping to upset Dauwalter's reign. First and foremost is Abby Hall, who's fresh off a Western States 100 win while New Zealand's Ruth Croft is back for another stab having taken second place last year behind Schide.

Canadian trail icon Marianne Hogan is no stranger to the UTMB (or WSER) podium, and she'll be on the course alongside UTMB veteran Katharina Hartmuth and Sweden's Ida Nilsson (who just placed fourth at WSER behind Hogan). Eszther Csillag and Heather Jackson were both defeated by this year's Western States race and are hoping for a better result in Chamonix. Oh, and Zimbabwe's Emily Hawgood can't resist another shot.

We're sorry to see China's Fuzhao Xiang isn't back for another go after an impressive second place at this year's Western States, but she's on the starting list for the 100k CCC race and recently posted a video of herself climbing a 25,000ft peak in China, so she's probably got enough on her plate.

You can view the full list of starters for 2025 here.

How to watch the UTMB finals

The UTMB finals take place over August 25 - 31 with the 100-mile finale starting on Friday, August 29. Once again, we'll be reporting live from the finish line in Chamonix, and you can follow all the action live at live.utmb.world in seven languages – French, English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian and Thai – with equal coverage of men's and women's race leaders.

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Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

Two new faces topped the podium as the Climbing World Cup returned for the penultimate lead climbing round in Madrid, Spain, over the weekend. Women's competition winner Annie Sanders secured an astonishing victory at just 17 years old, while South Korea's Dohyun Lee won his first lead competition in style.

Read on for our roundup of all the action from a brilliant climbing competition.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Men's lead competition

The 2025 men's lead climbing competition has been a tense affair, with several climbers in contention for the coveted series victory. The penultimate round was no different, as South Korea's Dohyun Lee snatched gold in a tight final bout with Alberto Gines Lopez of Spain.

Following a hard-fought qualification round, the pair were neck and neck throughout the final, but Lee's score of 40+ just edged out his opponent, who finished marginally behind him with 40 points.

Gold in Madrid represents Lee's first-ever World Cup lead climbing victory. The 22-year-old has been threatening to win a round for some time, with some consistent performances in qualification and an impressive second-place finish in the final lead event of 2024.

After his victory, an ecstatic Lee told the IFSC: "This feels unreal, I can't believe it.

"When I finished my climb, I didn't think it was worth a gold medal. I would have expected fourth or fifth."

Last weekend's competition propelled both Lee and Lopez up the lead climbing table and put them in contention for the series victory, although Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku remains the favorite.

Although he finished in fifth in Madrid, Anraku, 18, is the only climber to have won two lead competitions this season. He already won the bouldering series earlier in the season and will be eager to wrap up the lead title when the competition returns in September.

Women's lead competition

American teenager Annie Sanders stole the spotlight in the women's competition with a commanding first lead climbing victory. The 17-year-old climbed with skill and composure well beyond her years in the qualifying round before she secured gold with a dominant display in the final.

Sanders was within touching distance of her first lead gold in the previous round, but slipped at the crucial moment and had to settle for second. There would be no such errors in Madrid, as she dominated the final route ahead of Italy's Laura Rogora, who won silver.

Over the moon after her victory, Sanders told the IFSC, "I'm honestly still in shock right now.

"I didn't know what to expect at the beginning of the season, but after the first Lead World Cup in China, I knew I was capable of doing this, and I'm glad it finally happened".

Sanders marked herself as one to watch at the first lead climbing event of the season with a bronze medal in Wujiang, China. Victory over the weekend cements her place as one of sport climbing's brightest young talents.

The women's lead climbing table is currently led by South Korea's Chaehyun Seo and Erin McNeice of Great Britain. They've each won two gold medals and been in and around the podium during the other events.

Both climbers had the chance to secure the series victory in Madrid, but neither managed to make the podium. Sanders' unlikely win means that the competition will be decided at the final round, in Koper, Slovenia, in September.

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The world's best sport climbers will now take a month-long break before they return to the wall for the decisive lead climbing event in Koper, Slovenia. The final round will decide the series winners for the 2025 competition and begins on September 5.

Stick with Advnture for our preview of the event and a roundup of all the action from Koper.

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The world's best climbers have their eyes on the leaderboard as a thrilling climbing World Cup competition hurtles towards its conclusion. This week, the crème de la crème of lead climbers are limbering up to take on the wall in Madrid, Spain, for the penultimate World Cup round.

The men's and women's qualification rounds begin tomorrow, July 18, before the finals take place on Saturday, July 19.

There's lots of action to look forward to, as a superstar climbers like Sorato Anraku, Erin McNeice, and Chaehyun Seo look to battle it out in pursuit of lead climbing gold.

Read on for our preview of the 12th round of this season's climbing World Cup, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

Men's lead climbing

Spectators in Madrid will have their eyes firmly fixed on one man in the men's lead competition, as Japan's Sorato Anraku looks to make history by winning a second series victory in as many competitions.

Early this year, the 18-year-old claimed his crown as the world's best male boulderer by winning three of the six bouldering rounds. Gold in Madrid would represent Anraku's third lead climbing win of the season and give him a near-unassailable lead atop the competition table.

Series wins in two out of the three World Cup climbing events would be a historic achievement and cement the teenager's spot as the world's best multi-discipline sport climber.

Despite his stellar form, Anraku can't celebrate too early, as he'll have to get through countrymen Satone Yoshida and Neo Suzuki, and a fired-up Toby Roberts of Great Britain.

Yoshida and Suzuki have won this year's other two lead climbing rounds and closely trail Anraku on the leaderboard, while Olympic champion Roberts has a point to prove following a sluggish start to the competition. Victory for any of the three would dent Anraku's title hopes and keep the competition alive before the final round in September.

Women's lead climbing

This year's women's lead climbing competition has turned into something of a shootout between two otherwise unproven climbers who're gunning for the coveted series gold.

We're four rounds in, and there's little to separate South Korea's Chaehyun Seo and Erin McNeice of Great Britain. They've each won two gold medals and been in and around the podium during the other events.

In an extraordinary opening round, the pair shared gold after both recorded the same scores in the final, semi-final, and qualification rounds. McNeice then sped ahead with a convincing win in the next round, before Seo evened up the tally with a close run victory in last week's World Cup in Chamonix, France.

The rivalry has come as something of a surprise to climbing fanatics, as neither athlete was fancied for the series gold before the competition. Prior to the opening round, Seo hadn't won a World Cup round for over four years, while McNeice's only real success came in the form of Olympic bronze at last summer's Paris games.

The women's bouldering competition looks a little different this year due to the absence of two of the world's best all-around climbers. Natalia Grossman of the USA is recovering from two long-term knee injuries, while two-time Olympic champion Janja Garnbret has missed all but one round as she takes time to rest.

Garnbret returned from her lengthy absence in the third round of this year's lead climbing competition, where she claimed a decisive victory to remind the world of why she's won two Olympic golds and a whopping 47 IFSC World Cup events.

Despite her dominance, Garnbret has opted to continue her break, opening to competition to either Seo or McNeice to claim a first World Cup series win.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Lead qualification

• 11.30pm PT (July 17) / 2.30am EST (July 18) / 9.30am BST (July 18) Men's and women's qualification

Lead finals

• 11.30am PT (July 18) / 2.30pm EST (July 19) / 9.30pm BST (July 18) Men's and women's semi-finals
• 11.30am PT (July 19) / 2.30pm EST (July 20) / 9.30pm BST (July 19) Men's final
• 12.30pm PT (July 19) / 3.30pm EST (July 20) / 10.30pm BST (July 19) Women's final

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

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Back in 2024, Luke Tarrant from Bedford in the UK had taken a break from working as an investment banker to go on a trip of a lifetime, riding a motorbike through the Americas. However, he was left fighting for his life when, in May, he was involved in a crash in Columbia.

He had to have his leg amputated, and then contracted sepsis. Luckily he survived, and today is determined not to let his disability stand in his way. Just over one year on from the crash, Luke is now hoping to summit a 16,400ft (5,000m) never-before-been-climbed mountain in Kyrgyzstan.

He will be taking part in the remote expedition with adaptive mountaineer Ed Jackson. Ed is a former professional rugby union player and lifelong outdoor enthusiast. In 2017, when he was 28, he fractured multiple vertebrae in his spine and doctors warned him that he may never walk again.

Since then, Ed has defied the experts and returned to the mountains. He uses kit modified by Berghaus to help him climb and started the charity, Millimeters 2 Mountains, which supports individuals to overcome adversity through adventure.

In an Instagram post announcing the expedition, Luke said: "I've done tons of crazy things in my life but this is without doubt the most mental yet.

"[Ed] told me just after my crash that one day we'd climb a mountain together. I thought, 'alright mate, maybe a local hill in five years time'. But no, just half a year after I got out of the wheelchair and started learning to walk again, we're attempting a world first."

The expedition, named First Ascent, will kick off in mid-August and Bergaus says it intends to "rewrite the rules of who gets to explore, and prove that with the right mindset, innovation and support, anything is possible".

The project has these key aims:

• Access: Using customized kit, including gear from the Berghaus Adapts initiative, they hope to drive innovation in the outdoor industry to make mountaineering more inclusive for people with physical impairments.
• Education: The adventurers will share insights and unfiltered stories from the mountain to paint a picture of what it's like living with disability.
• Science: The team will be helping researchers study how disabilities affect individuals in different environments by tracking their biometrics.
• Legacy: Ed and Luke hope that their successful ascent will allow them to name the mountain, making mountaineering history and inspiring future generations.

In an Instagram post revealing how the idea of the expedition came about, Ed says:

"In three weeks I'm heading to Kyrgyzstan to attempt a true first ascent, a 5,000m giant that no human has ever stood on, one of the last unnamed peaks on Earth. Still wild, still completely untouched.

"Luke and I bonded over similar attitudes and a lust for adventure, so six months ago I asked him to come to K with me, but just to base camp. But, plans have changed. He's trained, he's transformed, to the point where I asked if he'd consider joining me for the summit push.

"The crazy part is a year ago he had two legs, and a month ago he'd never worn crampons."

The expedition will be broadcast in real time through satellite links and via social media. Ed and Luke will be fundraising for Millimetres 2 Mountains. Donations can be pledged at First Ascent: Ed & Luke take on a World-First climb.

• Take your own adventure to new heights with the best approach shoes
• Keep sure-footed on the summit push with the the best crampons

Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

A couple of familiar faces returned to the podium after a thrilling climbing World Cup event in Chamonix, France, this weekend. The speed and lead climbing double header was full of entertainment and resulted in a couple of big victories for some of the world's best climbers.

Read on for our roundup of all the action from a brilliant climbing competition.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Men's speed competition

American prodigy Sam Watson put distance between himself and the rest of the IFSC World Cup leaderboard with a close-run second win of the season in Chamonix. The 19-year-old was a heavy favorite coming into the 2025 competition, but has fallen a little flat in previous rounds, winning just the one, in Bali, back in May.

Despite his mixed form, a second win of the season solidifies Watson's place atop the leaderboard and makes him the clear front-runner for the speed climbing series gold when the competition concludes in September.

After a steady qualifying round, he met Kazakhstan’s Rishat Khaibullin in the final, who lost out to the American by just 0.22 seconds. Zach Hammer, also American, rounded out the leaderboard after a tight third-place playoff against Erik Noya Cardona of Spain.

Following the event, a proud Watson told the IFSC: "This is the crown jewel of the World Cup circuit here in Chamonix. It’s my second time, so a repeat of last year, and this one meant a lot."

Khaibullin, 25, was equally pleased to be on the podium. He said: "I’m a little bit tired, but I am so excited after this competition. It’s a wonderful place for a World Cup, so I really enjoy it."

Women's speed competition

Another familiar face topped the podium in the women's speed climbing event.

Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw has been exceptional in this year's speed climbing competition, and although she's only won one previous event, has been consistently in and among the medals.

The 31-year-old put on a dominant display in Chamonix, racing up the wall in just 6.19 seconds in the final to comfortably beat the winner of the previous round, Indonesia’s Desak Dewi, who finished in 6.46 seconds to take the silver.

Like Watson, Miroslaw can now enjoy a comfortable lead atop the speed climbing table, as no one else in the competition has more than one gold.

Miroslaw won her first-ever IFSC World Cup gold at the same venue eight years ago, so she was more than happy to return to Chamonix.

"I actually return here after seven years as my last Chamonix World Cup was in 2018 when I also won, so I’m happy because Chamonix is very special," she told the IFSC.

"My first gold was here also, so it’s like the cycle of history.”

American climber Emma Hunt was also happy after this weekend's event. The 22-year-old has enjoyed an impressive 2025 season and remains near the top of the leaderboard after a pacy third-place finish.

“It’s so special because it’s the first competition that my whole family has been to where I’ve medalled, so it’s a special place," she explained to the IFSC.

Men's lead competition

Japanese superstar Sorato Anraku continued to cement his place as one of the world's best multi-discipline sport climbers with a speedy victory in the men's lead event.

After a typically faultless qualifying round, the 18-year-old held his nerve in the final as the only climber to top a challenging route. Lead climbing gold in Chamonix was his second of an incredible season, in which he's already won the bouldering series.

Spain's Alberto Ginés López finished just behind Anraku in second, after falling short of the final hold, while an ecstatic Filip Schenk of Italy won his first-ever World Cup medal with bronze.

Anraku's dazzling climb continues his incredible run in this year's IFSC World Cup and puts him out and ahead as a clear favorite for the lead series gold. It comes after back-to-back competitions where he missed out on the final round.

"I’m happy to come back and get the victory," he told the IFSC.

"I missed finals in Bali and Innsbruck, then I trained a lot after Innsbruck as I really wanted to win in Chamonix."

Women's lead

South Korea's Seo Chaehyun won her second lead climbing gold of the season with a precise climb in Chamonix.

The 21-year-old previously claimed victory in the first lead climbing round of the season, and sped to another win over the weekend, her sixth World Cup gold of a short but very impressive career.

"I'm super happy and I’m just lost for words. I can’t believe it," Seo told the IFSC after she topped the podium with a technical 44+ scored climb.

“I won my first gold medal here, and it felt amazing to climb again in front of such a huge crowd.”

American youngster Annie Sanders followed in second, after slipping a couple of times to lose the top spot. At just 17, Sanders is considered to be one of sport climbing's brightest young talents and can look forward to a big future, after she also impressed in the bouldering competition earlier this season.

In third place, Erin McNeice of Great Britain continued her excellent lead climbing campaign with another medal. The 21-year-old, who wasn't favoured before this year's competition, has medalled at every lead competition this season, and looks to be a real contender for the coveted series gold.

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The next IFSC World Cup event takes place on July 18 and 19 in Madrid, Spain. The two-day competition continues this year's thrilling lead climbing contest and will be crucial for deciding the men's and women's lead series winners.

Stick with Advnture for our preview of the event and a roundup of all the action the next week.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best women’s climbing shoes: for indoor climbing sessions, valley cragging and all-day mountain adventures

The Climbing World Cup is back, and heading to Chamonix, France, for what promises to be a thrilling weekend of competition climbing action. This weekend's round pits the world's best speed and lead climbers against each other in two separate events.

The speed climbing competition starts today with a qualification round, before the finals take place tomorrow, July 12. The lead climbing competition begins tomorrow, with a tense final round taking place on Sunday, July 13.

There's plenty to look forward to this weekend, as climbers from both disciplines look to climb the leaderboard in pursuit a the coveted series win.

Read on for our preview of the 11th round of this season's climbing World Cup, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

Men's speed climbing

The men's speed climbing competition is heading towards a thrilling conclusion, and this week's penultimate event is likely to make a huge difference to the leaderboard.

There have been four winners from the four events so far, with little separating the favorites. Indonesia's Kiromal Katabin currently holds the pole position, thanks to a speedy gold in Denver last month and an impressive second-place finish in the previous speed climbing competition in Krakow, Poland.

Breathing down his neck is American prodigy Sam Watson, who's also won one event this year and has shown plenty of promise in the rest of the competition. Watson has been a mainstay atop speed climbing leaderboards after he burst onto the scene with a world record time in last year's Olympic Games.

Victory for either climber would solidify their place as the favorite for the series gold, and put clear water between them and the rest of the competition.

Women's speed climbing

This year's women's competition has been similarly tight, with several close calls and four different winners. The pick of the bunch has been Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw, who sped up the wall to claim a terrific victory at the second speed climbing event of the year in Bali, Indonesia.

Although she missed out on gold at her home World Cup last weekend, the 31-year-old remains in contention, thanks to her consistent performances throughout the 2025 competition.

Although she'll be confident, Miroslaw will have to contend with two fierce competitors in Chamonix, Indonesia's Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi, and American Prodigy Emma Hunt. The former won her first-ever IFSC World Cup event with a lightning-fast climb in the previous round, while the latter has shown composure well beyond her years, with several impressive climbs in this year's competition.

Hunt, 22, surged to victory with an unstoppable qualification climb in Denver, before the competition was stopped due to poor weather.

All three will be eager to make it to the final round and get their shot at more World Cup glory on Sunday, July 13.

Men's lead climbing

We're only three rounds into the 2025 lead climbing competition, and there's already plenty to climb for.

Like many modern climbing competitions, this one has been dominated by youngsters, with Japan's Sorato Anraku catching the eye after an exciting victory at the first lead climbing event of the season. The 18-year-old has been in and around the medals at the two competitions since, but narrowly lost out to countrymen Satone Yoshida and Neo Suzuki.

Anraku will be eager to claim an elusive second lead climbing win of the season in Chamonix and take one step further towards the lead series victory.

Spectators will also have their eyes out for Great Britain's Toby Roberts, who's run hot and cold in this year's competition. Roberts, 20, was considered to be one of the favorites coming into the 2025 lead climbing event, but has so far fallen flat and failed to win any of the previous rounds.

He'll be hoping to get back to the form that won him Olympic gold at last year's games when he returns to the wall on Saturday. Despite his slow start, the open nature of the competition still means that Roberts is in with a shot at series gold if he takes victory over the weekend.

Women's lead climbing

Before the season, few fans would've thought that a young and unknown British climber would be out and ahead atop the women's lead climbing leaderboard, but here we are. Just three competitions into the 2025 season, 21-year-old Erin McNeice has two gold medals and one bronze.

In an extraordinary opening round, she tied with South Korea's Chaehyun Seo, after both recorded the same scores in the final, semi-final, and qualification rounds in Wujiang, China. The next event would be a little less close, with the aggressive Brit speeding up the wall to claim a decisive second gold of the season.

McNeice will be waiting patiently for Saturday's qualifying round to see if World Cup legend Janja Garnbret is competing. The 26-year-old, who's won an astonishing 47 World Cup competitions, has missed most of the World Cup season while she takes a break to recover from years of competitive climbing, but returned last week with a dominant gold medal display.

The Slovenian climber is yet to confirm whether she'll be in attendance this weekend. If she is, Garnbret will be a sure-fire favorite and could challenge McNeice for her position as the competition leader.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Speed qualification

• 10am PT (July 11) / 1am EST (July 11) / 4pm BST (July 11) Men's and women's qualification

Speed finals

• 12am PT (July 12) / 3pm EST (July 12) / 8am BST (July 12) Men's and women's finals

Lead qualification

• 12am PT (July 12) / 3am EST (July 12) / 8pm BST (July 12) Men's and women's qualification

Lead finals

• 11.30am PT (July 13) / 2.30pm EST (July 13) / 7.30pm BST (July 13) Men's final
• 12.25pm PT (July 13) / 3.25pm EST (July 13) / 8.25pm BST (July 13) Women's final

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

It's been a busy few weeks in the world of rock climbing. Following Sasha DiGiulian and Marianna Ordóñez first female free climb of Bravo Les Filles, a Madagascan big wall route, German climber Yannick Flohé has gone and achieved the most difficult flash in bouldering history.

Very much at the other end of the climbing spectrum but no less impressive than DiGiulian and Ordóñez's ascent, on July 9 Flohé flashed Foundation's Edge in Fionnay, Switzerland. This 39ft (12m) boulder problem is graded V15 (Font 8c), making it potentially the most difficult problem that has ever been flashed.

For the uninitiated, a flash is a climbing term used to describe the completion of a climb cleanly at the first time of asking, having received beta (prior information) or conducted research on the route. Most climbers work on such boulder problems for significant amounts of time, a process known as projecting. Climbing a V15 at the first time of asking is unheard of, until now.

Foundation's Edge

Following his success, Flohé took to social media to spread the news, proclaiming "yesterday I flashed my hardest boulder ever," and going on to say that the climb "went perfectly."

To put the grade into context, the hardest boulder problems in the world sit at V17 (Font 9a), just a couple of grades above what Flohé flashed. The world's elite tend to spend months or even years unlocking the crux moves of such problems. The hardest section of the one of the world's hardest sport climbs, Silence, sent by Adam Ondra in 2017, is a V15 problem. Widely regarded as the world's finest, Ondra has flashed V14s (Font 8b+) in the past, but never a problem graded V15.

Of course, it should be stated that climbing grades are always vulnerable to subjectivity. However, Foundation's Edge is an established problem and has been climbed by other elite climbers, including Daniel Woods, Will Bosi, Shawn Raboutou, Simon Lorenzi, Clément Lechaptois, Pietro Vidi and Dylan Chuat. While there's general consensus of the V15 grade, some have said that it's soft for the grade, according to one report.

In his Instagram post, Flohé was magnanimous admitting that he "knew for a while that this is probably the most flashable 8c in the world" and that he didn't "really think this is a proper 8c, even though no one has ever downgraded it and there’s for sure some softer ones out there". Nonetheless, the modest German deserves kudos for his achievement.

Who is Yannick Flohé?

Yannick Flohé is a 25-year-old German rock climber who is a regular on the competition climbing scene. He's won gold for the Combined Bouldering and Lead at the 2021 World Championships and in the Bouldering event at the 2022 World Cup.

In the bouldering world, he's sent several V16 (Font 8c+) problems in France and Switzerland, putting him among the world's elite. He's sponsored by Swiss outdoor brand Mammut.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best approach shoes: for alpine adventures, via ferrata, scrambling, and more

Some 26 years ago, the legendary American climber Lynn Hill and all-star team were busy developing what was, at the time, the most difficult big wall climb ever sent by an all-female group. Madagascar's spectacular Tsaranoro massif's granite cliffs were the setting for what would be a pioneering and historic climb.

They named the 2,000ft (600m) route Bravo les Filles – Well done Girls in French (one of the two main languages spoken on the island). During their 15-day ascent, one pitch eluded the team, the 5.13d (8b) crux of the route, which they were unable to free climb.

But that's all changed, after Hill's protégé Sasha DiGuilian and climbing partner Marianna "Mango" Ordóñez successfully free climbed the route, becoming the first women in history to do so and finishing what Hill and her team started.

After a three-day effort involving some committing run outs (long sections without protection) and nights spent on a portaledge, the pair emerged victorious, writing their name into climbing history.

In a post on Instagram, DiGiulian said: "Elated, proud, and grateful to have had such a memorable experience on a legendary line with an incredible friend!!! Also grateful for the amazing line established by Lynn Hill, Nancy Feagin, Kath Pyke and Beth Rodden!"

The 1999 attempt

Widely regarded as one of the greatest sport climbers in history, Lynn Hill had already wowed the world with her incredible achievements during the 1980s and '90s. Her first free climb of El Cap's The Nose in 1993 stamped her name into the history books. She repeated the feat in just 23 hours the following year, prompting German climbing legend Alexander Huber to state that she had "passed men’s dominance in climbing and left them behind".

In 1999, she spearheaded an all-female team of Nancy Feaginm, Kathy Pyke and a 19-year-old Beth Rodden in an attempt to climb the hardest big wall route ever put up by a female team. The team painstakingly developed the sport climbing route on Tsaranoro Kelly, a hugely challenging granite cliff. This involved weeks of climbing where they'd drill bolts into the face to setup the route.

• Don't know your Gri-gris from your redpoints? Check out our guide to climbing terminology

After all this effort, Hill was exhausted. The act of setting the 13-pitch route up seemed to have scuppered her chances of achieving a redpoint - a form of free climb wherein the climber rehearses a route before sending it without falling or resting on the rope.

Nevertheless, the team managed to mostly free climb climb the route, requiring aid only on the eighth pitch, the 5.13d (8b) crux.

The film below tells the story of their 1999 expedition.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best approach shoes: for alpine adventures, via ferrata, scrambling, and more

Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

We're now into the second half of the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup, and things are heating up in the speed climbing competition.

Last weekend's round was one to remember, with plenty of close climbs, a tantalising men's final, and a new winner in the women's competition. Read on for our rundown of an eye-catching competition in Krakow, Poland.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Men's competition

The men's competition reached a thrilling conclusion, as Indonesia's Raharjati Nursamsa won gold by just 0.2 seconds. The 24-year-old, who's only won one other IFSC World Cup competition in his career, wasn't touted as a favorite before the competition, but came out on top after a steady performance in qualification and an inspired climb in the final.

He edged out his in-form countryman Kiromal Katibin with a lightning-fast time of 4.73 seconds on the outdoor climbing wall. Katabin, who was chasing a second World Cup gold of the season, was also impressive, and both climbers broke the Asian speed record in a tense final round.

Silver in Krakow puts Katabin in pole position to win the 2025 speed climbing series, especially as competition favorite Sam Watson crashed out in qualifying after a false start.

The bronze went to Japanese youngster Ryo Omasa, who's enjoyed an impressive season. He won silver at the second speed climbing event of the season, in Bali, and comfortably beat American Zach Hammer in Krakow after the 19-year-old stumbled in the third-place playoff.

Women's competition

Indonesian supporters were also celebrating after the women's event last weekend, as Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi won her maiden IFSC World Cup event.

The 24-year-old has been on the professional speed climbing scene since 2021, but had never won a World Cup round. That changed on Sunday, when she surged past America's Emma Hunt to secure gold with an impressive time of 6.27 seconds. The pair were neck and neck until the halfway point on the wall when Hunt lost her footing and stumbled to the silver.

World-record holder and Olympic gold medalist Aleksandra Miroslaw had to settle for bronze on her home turf. The Polish climber has been the pick of the bunch in this year's competition and would have been hoping for gold as the World Cup returned to her home country for the first time in 15 years.

She beat compatriot Natalia Kalucka in a tight bronze medal match to remain in contention for the coveted series victory when the speed climbing competition reaches its finale in September.

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The next round of the 2025 IFSC climbing World Cup is a lead and speed climbing double header in Chamonix, France.

The bumper competition lasts from July 11 to July 13, with qualification beginning this Friday. You can catch all the build-up here on Advnture.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best women’s climbing shoes: for indoor climbing sessions, valley cragging and all-day mountain adventures

Ready for more Climbing World Cup action? After the excitement of last week's bumper bouldering and lead competition, the world's best speed climbers are ready and waiting to get back on the wall as the world's premier climbing competition returns to Poland for the first time in 15 years.

Speed climbing superstars like China's Deng Lijuan and Sam Watson of the USA will be eager to continue scaling this year's leaderboard in the fourth of five speed climbing rounds.

Read on for our preview of the upcoming event in Krakow, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

Men's competition

Before the season began, USA's Sam Watson was a nailed-on favorite for the 2025 speed climbing series victory. The 19-year-old broke the speed world record twice at the Paris 2024 Olympics and was a dominant force in last year's World Cup.

Yet, with two competitions to go, the event remains wide open, and the eventual series winner is anyone's guess. There have been three different victors from three competitions so far, and despite a crushing victory at the second round in Bali, Watson has been pipped by both Long Jianguo and Kiromal Katabin.

Indonesia's Katabin stood out from the pack when he sped to gold in the previous round in Denver, USA. The 24-year-old's gold-medal-winning time of 4.83 seconds was particularly impressive considering the windy conditions at the outdoor event. Less than 100 points currently separate him and Watson atop the series leaderboard, and gold for either man would go a long way to securing the coveted series victory.

Olympic champion and fellow Indonesian Leonardo Veddriq is also in with a shout. At 28, Veddriq is something of a veteran by sport climbing standards but has put his experience to good use with eight World Cup victories over a long speed climbing career.

Women's competition

The women's speed climbing competition has been a similarly open affair, with three climbers taking the top spot so far.

The previous competition was won by the young and hungry Emma Hunt after stormy weather forced climbers off the wall in Denver. The 22-year-old USA athlete was the fastest in qualification and took home the gold as a result, beating out experienced competitors like Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw and Lijuan Deng of China.

Miroslaw has also impressed in this year's competition. After a sub-standard first round, she shot up the leaderboard with a convincing win at the following event in Bali, Indonesia. A second-place finish in Denver solidified her position as one of the frontrunners for the series victory, something she could take another step towards with gold in her home country.

Deng can also count herself as a favorite. The 25-year-old has built an admirable sport climbing career by consistently getting among the medals at IFSC events and came second to Miroslaw in the Paris 2024 Olympics. She'll be keen to pip her rival and secure a first gold of the season when the action gets going on July 5.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Qualification

• 4am PT (July 5) / 7am EST (July 5) / 12pm BST (July 5) Women's qualification
• 5.15am PT (July 5) / 8.15am EST (July 5) / 1.15pm BST (July 5) Men's qualification

Finals

• 3am PT (July 6) / 6am EST (July 6) / 11am BST (July 6) Men's and women's finals

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

These days, a pair of Hoka shoes is never far from a major trail race podium, and this year's Western States was no different.

While the first placed runners sported the yet-to-be-released Nike Ultrafly 2 (Caleb Olson) and the revered Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra (Abby Hall), Fuzhao Xiang took second place in the women's race, sporting a Hoka prototype.

The Chinese runner was back for another shot at the legendary California race over the weekend after taking second place last year. Her time of 16:47:09 was slower than her 2024 performance, but placed her once again on the podium, only 10 minutes behind Hall as runner-up and sixth fastest woman ever at the race.

That achievement also made Xiang the leader of Hoka's team at the 100-mile race, and inquiring minds wanted to know what shoes she was wearing. Would it be the Hoka Tecton X 3s that have seen Jim Walmsley win the Western States and Vincent Bouillard take the UTMB title in 2024?

Hoka, the official sponsor of WSER, has confirmed to Advnture that Xiang wore the brand's yet-to-be released Rocket X Trail, a shoe designed specifically for the demands of gravel racing.

“Fuzhao brought her A-game to the most legendary American trail race, and we couldn’t be prouder to see her hitting these heights at this point in the season. Western States has long been a proving ground, and it’s really meaningful to see Hoka on the podium again," says Mike McManus, Director of NA Sports Marketing.

What we know so far about the Hoka Rocket Trail

Previous iterations of the Rocket series, such as the Rocket X 2 have been built for road running, and this will be the first Rocket designed for the trails.

The inclusion of the X in the name denotes it has a carbon plate, and the brand tells us the shoe is ultralight and features a new A-TPU superfoam and "targeted traction" for speed over a variety of distances.

There's no mention of the model on Hoka's website yet, but a runner posted in a Reddit thread devoted to running shoes claims to have a few more details:

"I ran in a prototype last winter, it was light and quite responsive! It has a fairly high stack height and the midsole is on the firmer side. I really liked running in it, although with the 3 mm lugs and the higher stack height you're not going to be running with them in more technical terrain."

The Hoka Rocket X Trail will be available in limited quantities in the fall of 2025. If you can't wait, the Hoka Mafate X is out now for long-haul efforts.

• The best Hoka trail running shoes for different types of terrain
• The best trail running shoes: get a grip on the trickiest terrain

Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

We're over halfway through the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup, and things are getting interesting.

Last week's competition was full of action. The bouldering and lead climbing round lasted for five days, in which the bouldering series winners were crowned and a familiar favorite returned to the lead climbing podium.

Read on for our rundown of a thrilling competition in Innsbruck, Austria.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Men's bouldering competition

This was the final bouldering event of the 2025 season and, as a result, crowned this year's bouldering world champions.

Climbing fans won't be surprised to hear that Japan's Sorato Anraku secured a series victory with a silver medal in the men's competition. The 18-year-old won the first three bouldering competitions of the season and has been miles ahead of his competitors on the leaderboard ever since.

His convincing series victory is his third in three seasons, marking an unheard-of beginning to the teenager's young career.

He was pipped to the competition gold in Innsbruck by Olympic champion Toby Roberts, who's struggled through a tricky start to the 2025 competition but now appears to be finding his feet. The 20-year-old British climber took on a tricky boulder with resiliency in the final and topped the leaderboard with 69.8 points.

Speaking to the IFSC, Roberts said: "I'm at a loss for words, I don’t really know what just happened."

“This season has been quite hard, but going into this event, I wanted to give everything, and to be honest, I’m a little bit starstruck. I’m just so happy.”

Women's bouldering competition

This year's women's bouldering competition has been a tense affair, with six different winners in six rounds.

In the end, the series win went to a deserving victor in the form of France's Oriane Bertone, who climbed consistently throughout, winning one gold and three silvers in this year's event. Bertone, 20, secured her place atop this year's leaderboard with another plucky second-place finish in Innsbruck, but was beaten on the day by returning titan Janja Garnbret.

Slovenia's Garnbret is a 47-time World Cup winner and modern-day competition climbing legend. She's missed every other event in the 2025 competition while taking time out to rest.

She returned to the wall in spectacular fashion over the weekend, climbing with aggression and topping each round of the final to finish with an untouchable score of 99.3. Her final, faultless climb was met by an eruption of applause from spectators and other climbers alike.

After securing the gold, she told the IFSC: "It feels amazing. I didn’t know how I would feel coming back, but this amazing Innsbruck crowd welcomed me back.”

“You never forget how to compete, but being back after nine months, in the middle of the season, was not the easiest thing. I had a lot of doubts: ‘Am I ready? Am I not? Am I even motivated?’ But I’m so glad I came back, I enjoyed it so much."

Men's lead climbing

While one event has drawn to a close, another is only just heating up.

We're now over halfway through the 2025 lead climbing World Cup competition, and still none the wiser as to who'll win the men's series when it concludes in September.

The latest round was another close affair, with five different climbers topping the challenging final route, meaning the winner was decided on countback. Roberts came close to completing a historic boulder-lead double, but it was Japan's Suzuki Neo who took the gold, thanks to a bold, fast, and faultless climb in the semi-final.

Gold in Innsbruck represents the first victory of the 20-year-old's young career, but he doesn't want to stop there.

“I’m very happy with my first gold medal,” he told the IFSC.

“I believe the route was a bit easy, but I found it difficult in the middle section, that's when I felt tired. Innsbruck is an awesome venue, there were so many people supporting me. My season is going very well, I would like to win the overall title".

Women's lead climbing

If you thought Janja Garnbret was content with just one gold medal on her return to competitive climbing, you'd be wrong. With bouldering victory secured, she raced up the wall with yet another dominant display in the lead climbing final.

Her final score of 41 was way ahead of anyone else in the competition, and reminded fans why she's been so successful for so long.

Incredibly, this is the third time in three years that she's won the boulder-lead combo in Innsbruck, a venue she's evidently very fond of.

"I love Innsbruck," an admittedly tired Garnbret told the IFSC.

"That’s why I chose this competition for my return after the Olympic year, the crowd is fantastic, they give you fuel, they give you energy to climb, I just love it. And I hope Innsbruck loves me too.”

Although she didn't win the gold, it was another impressive competition for Great Britain's Erin McNeice. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a great start to the lead climbing season and won the previous two lead climbing events in Wujiang and Bali.

Her third-place finish is enough to keep McNeice at the top of the leaderboard going into the final two lead climbing rounds in July and September.

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The next round of the 2025 IFSC climbing World Cup takes the world's best speed climbers to Kraków, Poland, where they'll compete over two days of hard climbing.

Qualification begins on July 5, and you can catch all the build-up here on Advnture.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best women’s climbing shoes: for indoor climbing sessions, valley cragging and all-day mountain adventures

Japanese climber Sorato Anraku will be crowned as the 2025 men's bouldering series world champion at the upcoming World Cup round in Innsbruck, Austria, after amassing an unassailable lead in this year's competition.

The 18-year-old won the first three rounds of this year's bouldering competition and came second in the fourth round.

Conversely, the women's competition has been very open. There have been five different winners from five rounds this year, and the series victor is anyone's guess.

The upcoming round also continues the thrilling lead climbing competition. The previous two lead climbing rounds were dominated by Great Britain's Erin McNeice, who featured in an unheard-of tie in the first round and raced to victory in the second.

The men's lead climbing rounds have been won by Anraku and his countryman, Satone Yoshida. Both will be raring to return to the wall and snag a second gold in Innsbruck.

Read on for our preview of the ninth round of this season's climbing World Cup, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

Men's bouldering

Japanese prodigy Anraku has been phenomenal in this year's bouldering competition, winning three out of the five previous rounds to cement himself as one of the world's best sport climbers.

His dominant streak has resulted in an insurmountable points tally, which is enough on its own to see him crowned as the 2025 bouldering world champion.

With gold out of the picture, the two climbers who've beaten him on the bouldering wall this year are locked in a tight race for the silver medal.

Mejdi Schalck, 20, built on a promising start to the season with victory in Prague at the beginning of the month. The Frenchman has been in the final of every bouldering competition this year and surged ahead of Anraku with a dominant display in the Czech capital.

Pan Yufei, 25, is also in with a shot, after he struck late to beat Schalck by just 0.1 points in the previous round. The Chinese climber's victory came as something of a surprise to onlookers in Bern, Switzerland.

A second win for either climber would cement a respectable bouldering series silver.

Women's bouldering

This year's women's bouldering competition has been a thrilling affair, with a different winner in each round.

Slovenia's 45-time World Cup gold-medalist Janja Garnbret, and current world champion, Natalia Grossman of the USA, are both missing from this year's competition. The former is taking time off to rest while the latter recovers from long-term knee injuries.

In their absence, France's Naile Meignan and Oriane Bertone, Japan's Nakamura Mao, Great Britain's Erin McNeice, and 17-year-old American Annie Sanders have won a round each.

With five different women's victors, there's little to separate the table heading into the final round of 2025.

Bertone, 20, has enjoyed the most consistent season of anyone in with a shot. She won gold in Prague after narrowly missing out on victory by just 0.1 points in this year's second bouldering event, to French teammate Meignan.

USA's Sanders will also fancy her chances. The teenager displayed real promise with a fourth-place finish in 2024 and has climbed even better this year, securing a deserved victory in the opening round of 2025.

A second win for her, or anyone else in Innsbruck, would secure the coveted bouldering series gold.

Men's lead

We're only two rounds into the 2025 World Cup lead climbing competition, and there's plenty to climb for.

The two previous rounds have been even contests, won by Anraku and his countryman Satone Yoshida.

Not satisfied with dominating just one event, Anraku sped to an assured victory of the opening lead climbing round in Wujaing, China, before Yoshida took home the gold two weeks later in Bali, Indonesia.

The Japanese pair will be challenged by world champion Toby Roberts in Innsbruck. Roberts, 20, enjoyed a meteoric rise last year, snatching gold in the World Cup lead series and the Paris Olympic Games.

Although he's been a little off the pace this season, the British climber will be eager to return to the podium in the upcoming round.

Women's lead

The women's lead competition has so far been dominated by Great Britain's McNeice. The 21-year-old, who's also in with a shot at a bouldering series victory, has two gold medals from two lead climbing rounds this year.

In an extraordinary opening round, she tied with South Korea's Chaehyun Seo, after both recorded the same scores in the final, semi-final, and qualification rounds in Wujiang, China.

McNeice made sure that she'd be the only climber atop the podium in the following round, with a decisive showing in Bali, Indonesia.

Her impressive start to the season comes as something of a surprise to climbing fanatics, as McNeice finished ninth in last year's lead climbing competition with only one medal in the entire competition - bronze in the final round.

Like bouldering, the lead climbing competition has been affected by absences. The missing Natalia Grossman won the 2024 series with over 200 points more than anyone else, and would surely be a contender for gold, were she fighting fit.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Bouldering qualification

• 12am PT (June 25) / 3am EST (June 25) / 8am BST (June 25) Men's qualification
• 7.30am PT (June 25) / 10.30am EST (June 25) / 3.30pm BST (June 25) Women's qualification

Bouldering finals

• 4am PT (June 26) / 7am EST (June 26) / 12pm BST (June 26) Men's semi-finals
• 10.30am PT (June 26) /1.30pm EST (June 26) / 6.30pm BST (June 26) Men's final
• 4am PT (June 27) / 7am EST (June 27) / 12pm BST (June 27) Women's semi-finals
• 10.30am PT (June 27) /1.30pm EST (June 27) / 6.30pm BST (June 27) Women's final

Lead qualification

• 12am PT (June 28) / 3am EST (June 28) / 8am BST (June 28) All qualification

Lead finals

• 10.40am PT (June 29) / 1.40pm EST (June 29) / 6.40pm BST (June 29) All finals

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

American alpinist Balin Miller is claiming to be the first person to solo the famous Slovak Direct climb on Denali mountain in the Alaska Range.

It's the first known solo ascent of the route, which leads to the right of the Cassin Ridge, and has only been completed 20 times in total since the 1980s.

Posting on Instagram, the 23-year-old Alaskan said: "My 53 day tenure in the central Alaska Range comes to a close. The most recent ascent I made was a solo ascent of the Slovak Direct. Fun times with high pressure on the south face. A more casual ascent at about 56 hours with 70% of that time spent sleeping. Incredibly excited for summer to start and be out of that hellscape."

The south face of Denali is home to some of the arduous climbing routes in the world, including the Cassin Ridge, Denali Diamond and Slovak Direct. Slovak climbers Blažej Adam, Tono Križo, and František Korl established the Sloval Direct route in 1984. It took them 11 days to complete as they battled difficult conditions.

The route is approximately 9,000ft (2,700m) long and graded VI, 5.9X, M6, WI6, A2. You can read more about just how hard that is in our guide to climbing grades here.

Earlier this year in May, as part of his Alaskan trip, Miller posted on Instagram claiming to have completed the first solo ascent of the French Connection North Buttress on Mount Begguya, a mountain in Denali National Park approximately eight miles (13km) south of Denali. However, this was rebutted in the comments by a climber who said:

"I definitely disagree with your claim of the 'first proper solo ascent of [the] North Buttress'." The commenter goes on to explain that Miller's solo route veered right to avoid the hardest parts of the North Buttress route, and other climbers had soloed more direct routes in the past.

"Your ascent is super duper badass as it is, and you don't need to search for a bigger 'first' claim for it to be recognized as such. Just call it what it is: first solo ascent of the French Connection."

Denali was controversially stripped of its indigenous name and renamed Mount McKinley by President Trump as one of his first moves in office.

• Break vertiginous records of your own in the best climbing shoes
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The second European Cup in speed climbing in Zakopane, Poland, saw Ukranian climber Yaroslav Tkach taking gold with an incredible sub-five-second result.

In the final, Tkach completed the run in 4.93 seconds, beating fellow Ukrainian Hryhorii Ilchyshyn, who took silver with 4.97 seconds.

It was the second speed competition of the IFSC 2025 European Cup circuit.

Tkach's time has been touted as an unofficial European record on the official Ukranian Speed Climbing Instagram account, ua_speed_climbing

Check out the incredible performance, which they say is the "fastest speed climbing run ever done in Europe".

Competition speed climbing, as governed by the IFSC, takes place on 49ft (15m) artificial walls. Climbers race up a 5-degree overhanging wall, with an auto-belaying system from the top.

The European Cup Series 2025 now breaks as speed climbers prepare for the upcoming IFSC World Cup events in Krakow, Poland (July 5-6) and Chamonix, France (July 11013). The next stop on the IFSC European Cup circuit is St. Pölten, Austria on August 17.

Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

This weekend's bouldering round of the IFSC climbing World Cup ended in dramatic fashion as Pan Yufei struck late to grab gold, edging out Mejdi Schalck by the narrowest of margins.

The win was the first World Cup title for the Chinese climber and came despite a highly competitive men's field.

Britain's Erin McNeice won the women's competition, holding off teen sensation Annie Sanders to secure her first bouldering gold.

Read on for our rundown of all the action from Bern.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Men's competition

All eyes were on Schalck in the men's competition after his thrilling "comeback" gold in Prague last week. The Frenchman was in the lead in Bern as he headed into the final route, securing the zone on the fourth problem and closing with 84.1 points.

But it was on that last problem that Yufei edged him into second place, finishing with 84.2 points and taking his first bouldering World Cup medal. World number one Anraku Sorato ended up going home with bronze with a score of 83.7.

Pan has previously won a bronze medal in Xiamen in 2017 and a silver medal in Villars in 2019, both in Lead Climbing. The 24-year-old told the IFSC the win "feels unreal."

"The last few years have been really tough for myself, I struggled so much and I thought I was not good enough."

However, he explains that a recent change of approach may be the reason behind his surprise win.

“I started to change my mind and not put too much pressure on myself. At the beginning of the season, it was not so good, but this time I just wanted to enjoy myself.”

Schalck, 20, has been in every bouldering final this season and last week in Prague he surged to pole position with an eye-opening score of 99.1 in the final, 15 points ahead of Japan's Anraku.

However, Anraku's massive overall bouldering lead remains insurmountable ahead of the final stop in Innsbruck at the end of the month.

Women's competition

In the women's competition, Britain's Erin McNiece also clinched her first bouldering World Cup gold, and her career third over the weekend.

Despite a strong showing from the sensational Annie Sanders, 17, who took an early lead and finished with 84.4, McNiece expertly topped all four problems and easily won with 99.5. She was one of only two climbers to complete the third boulder, giving her an easy lead over the competition. She now holds fourth place overall in bouldering.

“I am happy, elated, and quite shocked. It just feels so good,” McNeice told the IFSC following her win.

“It feels pretty good to get a gold in both. It is a massive long-term goal for me, and it feels so good to tick it off.”

Annie Sanders continues to lead the women's table. Her silver medal marked her third podium finish of 2025, having already taken gold in Keqiao, China, and bronze in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Japan's Miho Nonaka had to settle for third place, coming in just 0.1 points behind Sanders on Sunday. The bronze is the 26th career World Cup medal for Nonaka.

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The world's best boulderers will return to the wall next week for one more round of the IFSC World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria.

The sixth and final bouldering round of the 2025/26 competition will take place over three days in the Tyrolean capital.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best women’s climbing shoes: for indoor climbing sessions, valley cragging and all-day mountain adventures

Japan's Sorato Anraku is eying an unassailable lead in this year's World Cup bouldering competition, and could clinch it with a win in the penultimate event in Bern, Switzerland. The 18-year-old has won an astonishing three out of four bouldering competitions this year, and boasts a healthy lead atop the men's leaderboard.

The women's competition is far more open and has had a different winner in every round. France's Oriane Bertone won last week and joins American Annie Sanders and Japan's Nakamura Mao in pursuit of gold.

Read on for our preview of the fifth bouldering round of this season's climbing World Cup, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

Sorato Anraku has been almost unstoppable this year. The teenager won the season opener with a near-perfect score of 99.7 and has gone from strength to strength in the months since, snatching a record-equalling three bouldering golds in a row.

Anraku leads the 2025 table with over 400 points more than anyone else in the competition, and would be unbeaten if it weren't for an inspired few climbs from France's Mejdi Schalck in last week's bouldering event.

The upcoming event is likely the last chance for anyone else to stake a claim to the 2025 title, as an Anraku win would give him a near-unassailable lead.

Schalck, 20, built on a promising season with victory last week in Prague, and will be keen to repeat the feat to keep the competition alive before the final round in Innsbruck, Austria, at the end of the month.

South Korea's Dohyun Lee is also in with a shot after a consistent bouldering season. Before Schalck's victory, Lee was the only climber to come close to beating Anraku, finishing just 0.4 points behind him in round one.

This year's women's bouldering competition has been a more open and exciting series, thanks, in part, to the absence of two of the world's best all-around climbers.

Slovenia's 45-time World Cup gold-medalist Janja Garnbret is taking time off this season to rest, while World Champion Natalia Grossman is recovering from long-term knee injuries.

Without them, there's been a different winner in every bouldering round of the 2025 World Cup.

With four different victors, there's little to separate the table heading into the final two rounds of 2025.

France's Oriane Bertone won last week's event thanks to a strong showing in the qualification and semi-final rounds before organizers cancelled the final due to dangerous weather conditions.

Bertone has enjoyed the most consistent season of anyone in contention, and lost out on gold in the second bouldering event of the year by just 0.1 points to her compatriot Naile Meignan.

Japan's Nakamura Mao and American teen Annie Sanders will also fancy their chances in Bern. Mao, 25, has years of IFSC experience behind her and won gold with a decisive climb in Salt Lake City, USA, last month.

At just 17, Sanders has a big future ahead of her and showed real promise with a fourth-place finish in the 2024 bouldering competition. Undeterred by her lack of experience, Sanders won a surprise gold in the first round of 2025 and has been in and around the medals ever since.

A second gold for anyone in Bern would put them in pole position for the prized series victory.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Qualification

• 12am PT (June 13) / 3am EST (June 13) / 8am BST (June 13) Women's qualification
• 6.30am PT (June 13) / 9.30am EST (June 13) / 2.30pm BST (June 13) Men's qualification

Semi-finals and finals

• 1pm PT (June 14) / 4am EST (June 14) / 9am BST (June 14) Women's semi-finals
• 8am PT (June 14) /11pm EST (June 14) / 4pm BST (June 14) Women's final
• 1pm PT (June 15) / 4am EST (June 15) / 9am BST (June 15) Men's semi-finals
• 8am PT (June 15) /11pm EST (June 15) / 4pm BST (June 15) Men's final

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

For the first time in rock climbing history, two female climbers have completed the infamous Yosemite Triple Crown.

On June 8, Kate Kelleghan and Laura Pineau made history as the first women to complete the feat, scaling El Capitan, Half Dome and Mount Watkins in 23 hours and 36 minutes. Filmmaker Thibaud Marot says he's been in the California park working on a documentary with the duo.

"Most of the time the girls move so fast, which doesn't allow to have huge images," writes Marot on Instagram.

The achievement comes just two months after the pair broke the women’s speed record on the Naked Edge, a 5.11b in Colorado's Eldorado Canyon, pulling off a time of 37:08, which they tracked using a Coros Vertix 2S.

Boulder native Kelleghan, a speed climbing veteran, and France's Pineau have been in Yosemite for the past month, according to their Instagram accounts.

The Yosemite Triple Crown links the park's three biggest walls for a grand total of 77 pitches, 8,032ft of vert and 11 miles of hiking. To qualify as a Triple Crown, climbers need to complete it in under 24 hours.

In 2001, Dean Potter and Timmy O’Neil pulled off the first ascent of the Yosemite Triple. Alex Honnold (of course) became the first to solo it in 2012, and in October 2024, Tanner Wanish and Michael Vaill set a new record, completing the feat in just 17:55.

• The best women’s climbing shoes: for indoor climbing sessions, valley cragging and all-day mountain adventures
• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out

Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

The recent bouldering round of the IFSC climbing World Cup came to an early conclusion over the weekend, after strong winds forced climbers off the wall before the women's final in Prague, Czechia.

France's Oriane Bertone was awarded the gold for a precise and technical climb in the semi-finals, after her compatriot Mejdi Schalck snagged a surprise victory in the men's competition.

Both climbers won their first golds of the 2025/26 bouldering season, which is heating up with each round. Read on for our rundown of all the action from Prague.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Women's competition

Oriane Bertone, 20, put in a strong showing in Prague to claim her first IFSC gold of the season, and the second of her young climbing career.

The French athlete topped the leaderboard with a strong showing in qualification and some precise bouldering in the semis before event organizers cancelled the final round due to dangerous weather conditions.

The IFSC said they took the tricky decision to cancel the event final due to "windy weather conditions and the inability to ensure the safety of the athletes and spectators".

Compatriot Agathe Calliet won her first-ever IFSC medal with a strong silver, and Japan's Sekikawa Melody joined the pair in third.

Despite the absence of a final, Bertone will feel deserving of a medal after a consistent start to the 2025/26 bouldering season.

Last month, she lost out on gold to French teammate Naile Meignan by just 0.1 points. Bertone scored 99.5 points to Meignan's 99.6 in a near-perfect final round in Curitiba, Brazil.

Men's competition

There were plenty of eyes on the men's competition over the weekend, as Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku attempted to make history and win a record fourth bouldering World Cup event in a row.

The 18-year-old has made a stunning start to the 2025/26 World Cup season with back-to-back-to-back bouldering victories. But he was unable to snag a fourth thanks to a thrilling 'comeback' gold from France's Mejdi Schalck.

Schalck, 20, has been in every bouldering final this season and fell just short of gold last month with a second-placed finish in Curitiba, Brazil.

After a consistent qualifying round, he surged to pole position with an eye-opening score of 99.1 in the final, 15 points more than second-placed Anraku.

Afterwards, an ecstatic Schalck told the IFSC: “It feels a bit like a comeback because last year I had a pretty hard year. I didn’t qualify for the Olympics, so I stayed focused and trained really hard this winter, so it’s a comeback. I’m back, and it feels good to be back.”

Although he failed to win gold, Anraku remains firmly atop the bouldering table and has his sights set on victory at the next round, in Bern, Switzerland.

He told the IFSC: "Two years ago here I was seventh, last year I was fourth, and now second, so next year, first.”

“Honestly, I’m not disappointed with the result. The final had a lot of coordination. I’m not bad at it, but I’m not great either."

Schalck and Anraku were joined on the podium by 17-year-old Samuel Richard, who competed in his first-ever World Cup final.

Earlier this month, the latest speed climbing round of the World Cup was also called to a halt abruptly due to stormy weather.

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The world's best boulderers will return to the wall in under a week for the next round of the IFSC World Cup in Bern, Switzerland.

The fifth bouldering round of the 2025/26 competition will take place over three days in the Swiss capital.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

Japan's Sorato Anraku is eying a historic fourth consecutive bouldering victory as an even women's competition gets going in the upcoming round of the IFSC Climbing World Cup.

We're multiple rounds into the 2025/26 climbing World Cup season, and the competition is beginning to take shape, with a clear front-runner in men's bouldering and a close split across the women's events.

After rain impacted the speed climbing World Cup in Denver last week, the world's best climbers return to Europe for three intense days in Prague, Czechia.

Read on for our preview of the fourth bouldering round of this season's Climbing World Cup, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

This year's men's bouldering competition has been dominated by Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku. Three rounds in, the 18-year-old is the only male climber to have stood atop the bouldering podium, thanks to a series of decisive climbs.

He was at his unstoppable best at the previous bouldering event, battling through a tough qualification round before rising above the pack with an aggressive climb in the final.

Victory in Prague would see Anraku make history as the first athlete to win four World Cup competitions in a row.

"I want to win a fourth medal, but I don’t want to think about it," he told the IFSC after his last win.

"I just want to think about one competition at a time and try to win in Prague."

The only climber to have really troubled him so far this season is South Korea's Dohyun Lee. The speedy 22-year-old came third in the previous round and finished just 0.4 points behind Anraku in the season's first bouldering competition.

The pair will come head-to-head when qualification begins on June 6.

The women's bouldering competition looks a little different this year due to the absence of two of the world's best all-around climbers.

Slovenia's Janja Garnbret has won a whopping 45 World Cup gold medals, but will miss most of this season as she takes time to rest, while world champion Natalia Grossman is recovering from long-term knee injuries.

Without them, the women's bouldering competition has become an open affair, with a different winner in every competition.

The previous bouldering competition was won, for the first time, by Japan's Nakamura Mao. The 25-year-old had finished fourth in three separate bouldering competitions but climbed flawlessly to snag gold in Salt Lake City.

American Annie Sanders and Naile Meignan of France won the previous two competitions and will be eager to reclaim their place atop the podium in Prague.

At just 17, Sanders has a big future ahead of her and showed real promise with a fourth-place finish in the 2024/25 competition. Her gold-medal-winning climb in the season opener showed skills well above her years and marked her as one to watch throughout the season.

Meignan, 21, won her first bouldering World Cup competition in this year's second round in Brazil thanks to an aggressive and precise climb. She'll be keen to repeat the feat in the upcoming competition.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Qualification

• 12am PT (June 6) / 3am EST (June 6) / 8am BST (June 6) Women's qualification
• 7am PT (June 6) / 10am EST (May 23) / 3pm BST (June 6) Men's qualification

Semi-finals and finals

• 3am PT (June 8) / 6am EST (June 8) / 11am BST (June 8) Women's semi-finals
• 9.30am PT (June 8) /12.30pm EST (June 8) / 5.30pm BST (June 8)Women's final
• 3am PT (June 7) / 6am EST (June 7) / 11am BST (June 7) Men's semi-finals
• 9.30am PT (June 7) / 12.30pm EST (June 7) / 5.30pm BST (June 7) Men's final

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

The third speed climbing World Cup of the season came to an abrupt end over the weekend after strong winds, heavy rain, and lightning forced climbers off the wall in Denver, USA.

Without a finals round, the competition winners were decided by their standings in qualification, and two unexpected winners were crowned. Read on for our round-up of all the action.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Women's competition

Emma Hunt won her second-ever World Cup gold in Denver with a pacy performance in qualification. The 22-year-old clearly didn't feel the pressure of competing on home soil and raced up the outdoor wall in an impressive 6.36 seconds in qualification.

Her time was the fastest of anyone in the women's competition and proved enough to secure the gold.

She was trailed in second and third place by Natalia Kalucka of Poland and China's Lijuan Deng.

Kalucka, 22, is a one-time World Cup winner with several impressive showings under her belt already this season, while Deng leads the competition, thanks to some consistent performances and speedy climbs.

Both notched impressive times in Denver, but weren't able to pip the young Hunt, who described her victory as "good but a little weird".

"It’s weird because I only did three races to get the medal. I would have loved to have done all the races but that’s the weather," she told the IFSC.

“It was super cool to have had the chance to do a few laps in front of a home crowd, and I hope we can come back to Denver.”

Her victory comes as something of a surprise to speed climbing fanatics. Although she's shown promise, Hunt hasn't made a podium since her first World Cup gold over a year ago. The well-deserved gold bumps her to seventh in the 2025/26 rankings.

Men's competition

Like Hunt, Indonesia's Kiromal Katibin won his second-ever World Cup gold over the weekend. The 24-year-old pipped USA's Zach Hammer and Sam Watson with a rapid time of 4.83 seconds, just 0.5 seconds less than Hammer in second.

Third-placed Watson was a heavy favorite coming into the competition. The 19-year-old stormed to victory in last season's World Cup and won the previous round in Bali with a decisive series of climbs.

His defeat to Katibin follows a strong start to the season for the Indonesian, who won bronze in Bali with a quick and aggressive performance.

After the victory, he told the IFSC: "I feel good, this is only my second World Cup gold, so I am happy.

"I am feeling good and I believe in my training, so I want to continue to get strong and stay strong in my racing.”

The silver medal was the first podium finish of 19-year-old Zach Hammer's career. The American youngster made his speed climbing debut in 2022 and has slowly climbed the rankings in the years since.

After claiming the silver, Hammer told the IFSC: "It feels amazing. I wouldn’t say unexpected because I have been working really hard for it, and I was confident I could do it, but to have the medal finally around my neck is an amazing feeling.

"When I walked out onto the stage for finals, I honestly don’t think I have had a larger crowd cheering for me at any competition, so that really lit a fire in me.”

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The next IFSC World Cup event kicks off on June 6 and pits the world's best boulderers against each other in a tough series of boulder problems in Prague, Czechia.

Among the competitors will be 18-year-old prodigy Sorato Anraku, who's aiming to secure his fourth successive bouldering gold medal and fifth win of the season after only two months of competition.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

With the warmer weather and favorable conditions of summer finally here, climbers from across the nation are preparing to strap on their crampons and head up America's tallest mountain.

Dozens of climbers have already scaled Alaska’s Denali mountain, otherwise known as Mount McKinley, and more than 1,000 have registered to make the ascent in the coming months.

The best time to tackle the 20,310ft (6,190m) mountain is generally considered to be between mid-May and early July, when warmer temperatures and reduced wind provide the best conditions for climbing.

Even in the peak season, climbers face a harrowing journey to the summit and have to overcome steep ice climbing sections and highly crevassed glacier travel. There are also multiple geo-hazardous risks, including the potential for violent landslides, rockfalls, and earthquakes. Avalanches alone have killed more than 40 people on the mountain in the past 50 years.

Among those on Denali so far this season was American skier Anna Demonte, who became the fastest woman to ski the 15,766ft (4,806m) Mont Blanc mountain this time last year.

Demonte was attempting to break the women's fastest known time (FKT) skiing record of 7 hours and 29 minutes, but was forced to abandon her attempt after suffering a knee injury just above base camp. She fell at about 16,404ft (5,000m) and tore her MCL (medial collateral ligament), making it impossible to continue the attempt.

America's tallest mountain was the subject of controversy earlier this year, when newly elected President Trump reversed an order that recognized its indigenous name, Denali, in favor of its previous official moniker, Mount McKinley.

The peak was named in 1896 after then-President-elect William McKinley, who never visited his namesake or even the state of Alaska, nor did he have any cultural connection to the area.

President Barack Obama changed the name from Mount McKinley to Denali in 2015 after more than 40 years of campaigning by Native Alaskans, who say the name Denali has been in use for more than 10,000 years.

Recognizing the previous name was one of President Trump's first actions in office, and spurred widespread criticism from the Alaskan community.

The mountain is now officially known as McKinley in the US, but other countries aren't obliged to recognize the new name.

“I strongly disagree with the President’s decision on Denali,” said Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski at the time in a post on X.

“Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial.”

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
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USA's Samuel Watson and Lijuan Deng of China will both fancy their chances as the competition heats up in the latest round of the IFSC Climbing World Cup this weekend.

The first six weeks of this year's climbing World Cup have been filled with excitement. The men's bouldering and lead competition have been dominated by Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku, while several climbers have shared the spoils in the women's events.

This week, we turn our attention to Denver, Colorado, where the world's best speed climbers are limbering up to face off in the third speed climbing event of the season.

Speed climbing is a thrilling watch, in which climbers race up a standardized wall in direct competition with the climber next to them.

Read on for our preview of the upcoming event, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

Current world champion Samuel Watson will be confident of victory after setting two world records in a dominant display at the last speed event.

After a steady qualification round, the 19-year-old American raced up the wall to set a new world record time of 4.67 seconds in his semi-final. As if this wasn't enough, Watson improved on his time with a 4.64-second run in the final, winning gold and cementing his place as the out-and-out favorite in this year's competition.

Watson will be challenged in Denver by Japan's Ryo Omasa and Kiromal Katibin of Indonesia, who finished second and third in Bali, and both shone in last year's competition.

Omasa, who's also 19, notched his personal best time of 4.90 seconds in Bali and will be eager to repeat the feat this Saturday when the qualification begins.

The women's speed competition has been closely contested. Two rounds in, Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw and Lijuan Deng are locked in a tight race for gold.

Miroslaw is an Olympic champion, with years of experience and a gold medal under her belt already this season. Victory in Bali was the 13th of the 31-year-old's illustrious career, and puts her in second place behind Deng.

While she's yet to win gold this year, 25-year-old Deng snatched her spot atop the leaderboard with two consistent performances in the opening speed competitions.

Deng finished second behind Miroslaw in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She'll be keen to one-up her and snag a first gold of the year as the pair go head-to-head in Denver.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Qualification

• 3pm PT (June 1) / 6pm EST (June 1) / 11pm BST (June 1) Men's and women's qualification

Semi-finals and finals

• 3pm PT (June 1) / 6pm EST (June 1) / 11pm BST (June 1) Men's and women's finals

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

It's easy to deduce from the name of the just-released documentary from Red Bull Studios that Emily Harrison is a woman who climbs. More than that though, this talented Colorado native is a lover of big walls and high-altitude expeditions. What the movie title doesn't give away is that she has five US National Champion titles and numerous first female ascents of 5.14 routes under her belt.

She's summited Mount Everest and made a complete ski descent of Cho Oyu – the world’s sixth tallest peak on the China–Nepal border. In 2020 she made history by becoming the first woman to freeclimb the Golden Gate route of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in under 24 hours, making her the fourth woman in history to free climb El Capitan in a day.

It was her fourth attempt, and she did it after a suffering a horrifying fall from El Capitan in 2019, when other climbers, including Alex Honnold, came to her aid.

The Girl Climber film focusses on this incredible career-defining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, which cemented her legacy in the male-dominated world of elite rock climbing.

In a revealing social media post, above, Harrington describes the documentary as "a more thorough version of my story".

She describes how climbing Golden Gate in a day was a very "precious and personal" goal, which she says was ultimately "taken away" from her by the media.

"Once I was successful the subsequent perfect storm of media and press let it escape into the world and it no longer felt like my story. Those quiet moments of struggle, fear, and self doubt that were overcome through sheer will power and hard work gave way to stories of heroism and sensationalism only the mainstream media could drum up. It wasn’t mine anymore; it was the world’s story to put on a pedestal and elevate or tear down and pick apart," she says.

However, Girl Climber gives her back the opportunity to tell the story from her point of view. "I could not be more excited, grateful, and admittedly terrified to see it on the big stage," she says.

Unveiled at Telluride Mountainfilm Festival, the documentary focusses on the pursuit of personal ambition and the ticking biological clock of life, as well as the greatest challenges that extend beyond the physical.

Also featured is mentor, Hilaree Nelson - the late ski mountaineer, friend Alex Honnold and her husband, high-altitude mountain guide Adrian Ballinger.

You can watch Girl Climber on jolt.film and see some of her achievements in the short film below.

Get to know Emily Harrington

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• The best climbing shoes for women: for indoor climbing sessions, valley cragging and all-day mountain adventures

Mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa has set an incredible new record with his latest summit of Mount Everest. At 4am local time on Tuesday, May 27, the talented guide, nicknamed Everest Man, reached the 8,849m (29,032ft) summit for the 31st time, smashing his own record for the most climbs up the peak.

Kami Rita, 55, was guiding a group of climbers with Seven Summit Treks. He had attempted to summit a few days earlier but had been forced to turn back due to bad weather.

A Seven Summit Treks Instagram post revealed: "Kami Rita reached the summit of Everest (Sagarmatha) for the 31st time early this morning, at around 4am, under fairly stable weather conditions. Serving as the main guide (Sirdar) for the Army Adventure Wing Everest Expedition [...] Kami Rita Sherpa needs no introduction. He is not just a national climbing hero, but a global symbol of Everest itself."

Kami Rita first summited Everest in 1994 and has done nearly every year since. His father was one of the first sherpa mountain guides.

Elsewhere, Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa received a hero's welcome as he returned to Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, after making four successful ascents of Everest in just 15 days this season.

The 29-year-old climbed the world's highest peak for the first time on May 9 as part of a rope-fixing team; he then summitted on May 14, 19 and 23.

News of the incredible feats comes as the Everest spring season climbing window closes. Icefall doctors (expert climgers) are due to remove ladders from the Khumbu Icefall soon as changing weather makes snow and ice unstable, and the chance of high winds and snowfall increases. This means that unfortunately for some, their summit bids have ended.

US runner Tyler Andrews had been making a late-season attempt to set the fastest time from base camp to the summit with no supplementary oxygen. It was his second bid in two weeks, but had to turn around.

"At 6:24am on May 24 my safety team made the call to turn me around at 8,200m (27,000 ft) on Mt. Everest due to extremely high winds blowing just above me. For the second time in two weeks, I was under world record pace and within just a couple hours of the summit; but Apu Everest did not want to grant us safe passage," he announced in an Instagram post.

"I am absolutely gutted, devasted, as this project has been many years in the making. I am also tremendously grateful for all the support from my team and sponsors, friends and family, and the strangers who have been following from around the world and sent countless really kind messages."

Ecuadorian ultra-runner Karl Egloff was also unsuccessful. The 44-year-old was attempting to set a new Everest speed record as a part of his challenge to become the fastest person to scale the tallest mountains on all seven continents.

Egloff made a speedy start but was forced to turn around just before camp 3.

His wife told ExplorersWeb that conditions on the day were not suitable for climbing without additional oxygen.

"He followed his instinct and experience to go down when necessary," she explained.

Daredevil Brit Tim Howell, who was attempting to break the world record for highest-ever base jump from neighboring peak Lhotse, also had to turn back for the second year running due to bad weather.

"His team fixed lines all the way to the exit point at 8,300m with the promise of bluebird skies in the forecast," a Jottnar Instagram post reported.

However, Howell shared terrifying footage of the team trying to shelter at 8,300m where they waited for three hours:

"The 22nd was supposed to be a blue bird day after 2pm but the window never appeared. The exit is big, overhung and is waiting for my return. We had slept at 7900m for 3 nights prior to this and had been waiting for the window. Unfortunately it never came," he announced.

Advnture senior staff writer Julia Clarke is currently trekking to Everest base camp. You can follow her exploits and all our other Everest coverage here and on our Instagram account.

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A Ukrainian-American mountaineer, who claimed to have made the fastest ascent of Mount Everest from sea level, has been accused of money smuggling.

According to The Himalayan Times, Andrew Ushakov was detained at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu for illegally carrying a large sum of undeclared foreign currency.

He was reportedly stopped at the airport on May 25 while carrying $20,000 cash. He was then arrested by the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) for attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to the US. The DRI alleges he was trying to smuggle the undeclared foreign currency out of Nepal.

Ushakov, a client of Nims Purja's Elite Exped, claims to have gone from New York to Everest summit in just 3 days, 23 hours and 27 minutes using only supplementary oxygen. He has not posted on his Instagram account since he shared photos of his summit journey (above) on May 23.

According to The Himalayan Times, Ushakov, who works as a structural engineer and was a relatively unknown climber, had hidden the cash in his luggage when it was discovered by police during baggage scanning. They said he claimed he had originally brought the money from the US and intended to take it back after summiting Mount Everest. He has reportedly been issued with a $60,000 fine for violating foreign currency regulations.

On May 26, Ushakov remained in custody, having apparently not paid the fine. Nims Purja and the Elite Exped team are reported to have intervened to try to facilitate his fast release.

Currently the Department of Tourism (DoT), under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, is investigating Ushakov's claims of the record ascent, along with four British climbers who used xenon gas and hypoxic tents to avoid the need for traditional slower acclimatization methods.

Ushakov had attempted to make a fast ascent of Everest in 2024, reaching 8,500m (27,880ft) before developing a vision problem. He failed to complete the climb that time.

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Japan's Sorato Anraku is eying a third successive victory as an even women's competition continues in the latest round of the IFSC Climbing World Cup.

We're only a month into the 2025/26 Climbing World Cup season, and there's already been plenty to talk about, with several close finishes and an unheard-of tie in the women's competition.

The men's events have been dominated by 18-year-old Anraku, who's won three gold medals already this season. He'll fancy his chances for a fourth in the upcoming bouldering round, held from May 23 to 25 in Salt Lake City, USA.

Read on for our preview of the fifth round of this season's Climbing World Cup, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.

Ones to watch

The latest round of the IFSC Climbing World Cup was almost marred by a noticeable absence, as accomplished boulderer Dohyun Lee and the entire South Korean climbing staff were initially denied entry into the United States.

Lee revealed via Instagram that his ESTA documents, which authorized his travel to the States, had been cancelled without warning, only to update fans a few hours later that he would be climbing, thanks to an emergency visa interview.

"This morning, I had a miracle. I was able to attend an emergency visa interview and finally got my visa approved," reads his Instagram story.

"Now I can go to Salt Lake City, thank you so much to everyone who worried about me and supported me."

It's currently unclear whether or not his coaching staff have also been allowed entry into the US, but Lee will certainly be there.

His absence would have been a big miss for the competition. The four-time World Cup gold-medalist has been the only climber to threaten the seemingly unstoppable Anraku this year, coming just 0.4 points behind him in the season's first bouldering competition.

Anraku, 18, will fancy his chances at yet another gold in his favored discipline. He's breezed through the competition so far, cruising to a third victory last weekend after two decisive climbs in April.

The 2025/26 women's competition looks a little different from previous years due to the absence of two of the world's best all-around climbers.

World Cup 45-time gold medalist Janja Garnbret will miss most of this season as she takes time to rest, while world champion Natalia Grossman is recovering from long-term knee injuries.

Without them, the competition has been something of a free-for-all, with a different winner in every competition.

A return to the bouldering wall should be good news for American youngster Annie Sanders, who sailed to victory in the season opener with a precise, technical climb. At just 17, Sanders has a big future ahead of her and showed real promise with a fourth-place finish in the 2024/25 competition.

French duo Naile Meignan and Oriane Bertone will also fancy their chances. The latter beat her compatriot by just 0.1 points in the final round of last week's bouldering competition. Both are aggressive boulderers but lack the experience of some of their competitors.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Qualification

• 8am PT (May 23) / 11am EST (May 23) / 4pm BST (May 23) Women's qualification
• 2.30pm PT (May 23) / 5.30pm EST (May 23) / 10.30pm BST (May 23) Men's qualification

Semi-finals and finals

• 9am PT (May 24) / 12pm EST (May 24) / 5pm BST (May 24) Women's semi-finals
• 4pm PT (May 24) / 7pm EST (May 24) / 12am BST (May 25)Women's final
• 9am PT (May 25) / 12pm EST (May 25) / 5pm BST (May 25) Men's semi-finals
• 4pm PT (May 25) / 7pm EST (May 25) / 12am BST (May 26) Men's final

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

On the lookout for a next level boulder problem to test your climbing skills? You may want to think twice before tackling this new Yosemite climb from Irishman David Fitzgerald.

The 32-year-old made the first ascent of what he calls The Last Line of Defense by making a low start to The Shield, a well-known boulder problem established in California's Yosemite National Park by American Randy Puro in 2006.

The boulder requires climbers to hang on to two tough pinches, release a toe hook, and make a drastic move to the left, all while keeping a right hand on the rock.

Fitzgerald's proposed rating of 8C+ would make The Last Line of Defense one of Yosemite's hardest boulder problems.

Fitzgerald documented the climb in an Instagram post, in which he credited a childhood obsession for his sustained efforts in Yosemite.

"Whilst on a family roadtrip back in 2016, we drove the Valley loop and pit-stopped at ‘Housekeeping’. I remember seeing chalk on the lower holds and assuming it had already been climbed. Gawked at it for a while, but couldn’t make heads or tails of it," reads the post.

"I knew how cryptic and subtle the rock type could be, as I had learned to climb on the same stuff back home, but this thing seemed unfathomable. It wasn’t until I moved here that I learned of its semi-mythical status."

Fitzgerald worked on the route for months over the winter, battling with the narrow "tendonitis-inducing" pinches and challenging toe hook. After countless failed attempts, he made a breakthrough in March, successfully breaking into a standing position before falling just short of completion.

"It then held its ground for another six sessions until I eventually wore it down; the extra fight making it feel all the more memorable," continued Fitzgerald.

"(The problem) feels like the most complex section of rock I’ve ever linked and best thing I’ve ever climbed!"

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

Adam Ondra is no stranger to challenges. In an esteemed climbing career, the Czech sensation has become the first to flash and onsight multiple outdoor climbs and won acclaim in the competition climbing world, with more than 20 IFSC World Cup gold medals.

But even he got a little nervous while scaling Lexicon E11 7a, one of the world's hardest trad climbing routes, admitting on Instagram: "I got scared, I tried hard, my heart was beating."

The 32-year-old flashed the daunting route in England's Lake District with the help of its creator, Neil Gresham, who established it in 2021 and acted as "a very responsible belay," as Ondra climbed.

The challenging route has an 8b+ sport-climbing rating and includes plenty of trad climbing features, including a potential 98ft (30m) fall from the crux headwall.

Ondra's successful attempt was just the sixth time anyone has climbed the route, after Steve McClure, Dave McLeod, Matt Wright, and James Pearson repeated Gresham's line.

"It was truly a special day and a moment in the UK," Ondra explained.

“I got scared, I tried hard, my heart was beating, but I made it to the final ledge without testing that massive whipper."

Flash climbing refers to a climber successfully sending a route on their first attempt without falling, usually with knowledge of, but no prior experience of the climb.

Ondra prepared by watching internet videos of previous climbs. On the day, Gresham rappelled down the route and "chalked it up," for Adam's ascent.

"Then, I rappelled down from the top approximately 8 meters (26ft) to the right of Lexicon along the route Atra and watched Neil explain to me how to place the gear in the break and the moves in the upper headwall of Lexicon," he explained.

"Then I climbed back up to the top ledge and warmed up on the finger board. I was lowered down to the crux of Sixpence E6, looking to the right and ignoring the view towards the holds of Lexicon.

“I started just above the break of Lexicon, doing the 3-meter (10ft) crux of Sixpence and stopping just before I could touch or look into the final slot hold of Lexicon.

After a few arm swings to warm up, Ondra speed-rapelled down the route while facing away from it so he couldn't get any views of the holds.

"After a short moment of concentration, I set off," said Ondra, who began climbing once he had reached the bottom.

Climbing can be a little confusing sometimes, with its own language of tricky terms and phrases. Need a little help? Check out our expert guide to climbing jargon.

You can also find our explanation of climbing ratings here.

• The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
• The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson’s free climb of the Dawn Wall on El Capitan in 2015 was one of the most seismic achievements in rock climbing history. For 19 days, the pair grappled with this most iconic of big wall climbs, the first of its kind at the 9a (5.14d) grade. The climb and subsequent film captured attention way beyond the climbing world. Then, one year later, a 23-year-old Czech climber repeated the feat, free climbing the Dawn Wall solo in just 8 days. His name? Adam Ondra.

A prodigy widely held to be the finest climber of his generation, Ondra’s list of achievements is staggering. No one in the world has sent as many almost impossibly hard sport climbs, including Silence, the 5.15d (9c) route that may be the world’s most difficult. He’s simply prolific. Yet, Ondra doesn’t just dominate the world of sport climbing, he’s also one of the world’s best boulderers, as one of a handful of people who have climbed at the V17 grade, and one of the most decorated competition climbers too.

Here we delve deeper into his many remarkable achievements, highlighting his pivotal climbs and trying to put his many sends into some form of context. If you don’t know your Yosemite decimal system from your Font grades, check out our guide to climbing rating systems in order to make sense of the astounding difficulty of Ondra’s climbs.

Early life

Ondra was born in Brno, the Czech Republic’s second largest city, in 1993. His parents were both keen climbers and he began his acquaintance with the pursuit aged three, becoming enamored with technical sport climbing at a tender age. By eight, he’d onsighted his first 5.12c (7b+), a remarkable achievement. Onsighting is when a climber completes (or sends) a route at the first time of asking and without any prior knowledge.

He emerged as a rock climbing prodigy and by 13 had redpointed his first 5.14d (9a): Martin Krpan in Misja Pec, Slovenia. This grade is a significant milestone for climbers, one that was famously first achieved by the legendary Wolfgang Güllich on Action Directe in Germany’s Frankenjura in 1991. That Ondra was able to climb at this level, at just 13 years old, underlined his immense talent.

A sport climbing sensation

Ondra developed into arguably the greatest sport climber in the world. Since his first at the age of 13, Ondra has climbed more than 200 routes at the 5.14d (9a) grade or higher, more than anyone else in history. His ability to onsight or flash hard climbs is unrivalled, making short work of routes other climbers spend weeks or months on. In terms of grades, he’s broken new ground repeatedly, most notably on three specific occasions.

The first was when he redpointed Change in 2012. This 148ft (45m) overhanging route is found in the spectacular Hanshelleren Cave in Flatanger, Norway. It’s an area that Ondra has made a second home – he’s established several projects and sent a raft of impressive climbs in this magnificent, silent arena. When Ondra sent Change in 2012, it was the world’s first 9b+ (5.15c) and it has only been climbed three times since, by fellow elites Stefano Ghisolfi in 2020, Ondra's oft-climbing partner Seb Bouin in 2022 and Alex Megos in 2024.

The second major breakthrough was in 2013 in Oliana, Spain. La Dura Dura was a project of Californian sport climbing royalty Chris Sharma, a man who’d dominated rock climbing for decades. However, he was close to giving up on the route before a timely collaboration with Ondra. Together, they pieced together the puzzle of the 164ft (50m) limestone cliff and Ondra sent the route on February 7 – a true passing of the torch moment between the 31-year-old legend and the 20-year-old prodigy. It’d be another month and a half before Sharma achieved the climb, on 23 March 2013. The pair agreed on a consensus 5.15c (9b+), making it the hardest climb in the world at the time. It has not been repeated since.

Silence

Perhaps Ondra’s most important climb – arguably the hardest rock climb in the world – was in 2017 with Silence, a 148ft (45m) overhanging route that, like Change, is located in the granite Hanshelleren Cave in Flatanger, Norway.

Silence is a route up an almost impossibly steep section of the cave, with three difficult boulder problems at its crux. The sequence demands extreme precision, upside down climbing and an extreme drop knee to overcome it. To rest before unlocking the rest of the route, Ondra had trained his muscles to allow him to literally bat-hang. In fact, Ondra had parts of the climb replicated in a gym he had built nearby, just to train for the route.

Silence has yet to be repeated, though Italian climber Stefano Ghisolfi has repeated the crux. At the time of Ondra’s climb in 2017, it was the world’s first 5.15d (9c). He named the route Silence for the inner calm he felt while climbing it and for the vivid emotions he felt when he finally sent it.

Competition climbing

Ondra is one of the world’s most decorated competition climbers in terms of World Cup and World Championship wins. Only Austrian contemporary Jakob Schubert boasts more male titles on the competition circuit.

Ondra’s first adult gold came in 2009, when he won the Lead World Cup at the age of just 16. A year later, he became the first person in history to win the World Cup in both the Boulder and Lead disciplines. Through his career to date, he’s won seven World Cup golds and five World Championship golds, the latest coming in 2019 – a mightily impressive haul.

Ondra competed at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, finishing in sixth place both times in the Boulder and Lead Combined events. Changes in competition bouldering since his World Cup victories in 2010 haven’t played to Ondra’s style and it’s thought that athletes who’ve developed alongside the new style are better suited to it.

It’s possible that, had climbing been an Olympic sport at London 2012 and Rio 2016, Ondra would have had a very good chance of winning some gold medals. Indeed, after the 2024 Games, Ondra admitted that he felt ‘bitter’ that his generation weren’t given the chance to compete on the world’s greatest stage back then.

Bouldering exploits

The hardest boulder problems in the world are graded at V17. Less than ten of these masterpieces of climbing have been successfully sent. They’re the preserve of only a handful of elite climbers. Among them, Adam Ondra.

In February 2025, after five days of effort, Ondra sent one of the original V17s, Soudain Seul, in the forest of Fontainebleau, the French region that’s thought of as bouldering's spiritual home. He’s since been back to this hallowed ground, flashing a number of impressive boulders and even attempting what might be the world’s first V18: Imothep Assis. This problem is a longtime project of local Bleausard (Fontainebleau climber) Camille Coudert.

In his Boulder Tour de Fontainebleau film (which you can watch below), Ondra had this to say of Imothep Assis: "I absolutely love it. I think it's the most motivating boulder I've ever seen."

A British mountain guide has broken his own astonishing record for the most Everest climbs by a non-Nepali.

Kenton Cool made his 19th successful ascent of the world's tallest mountain on May 18, more than anyone who's not a Nepali Sherpa. He was joined by multiple Nepali guides and fellow climbers as Everest's climbing season gets going.

Cool, aged 51, began his Everest journey with a maiden ascent in 2004 and has been back every year almost every year since to work as a guide. He's broken his Everest streak just three times in the past two decades, due to the devastating avalanches in 2014 and 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, which forced the cancellation of the climbing season.

You can see him talking about this plans on Instagram below.

The only climbers to scale the mountain more than him are Nepali Sherpas. Record holder Kami Rita has been up the 29,035ft (8,849m) mountain 30 times, and is expected to make his 31st ascent in the coming days.

With spring here, the Everest climbing season is in full swing. Hundreds of climbers and guides head up every April and May, when the harshest weather conditions subside, and the mountain is at its warmest.

Conditions on Everest are still perilous, with temperatures dropping well below freezing, treacherous underfoot terrain, low oxygen levels, avalanches, and plenty of other risks.

Two climbers have already perished this season. Indian Subrata Ghosh and Filipino Philipp Santiago died around the summit late last week.

Out of the 800 or so who attempt to climb Everest each year, roughly five to ten people will lose their lives. Last year, eight people died on the mountain, after a deadly year in 2023, which saw 18 people perish.

Our staff writer and outdoors expert, Julia Clarke is about to trek to Everest Base Camp. Check out how she's prepared here.

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The fourth climbing World Cup competition of the 2025 season concluded over the weekend after two thrilling days of climbing in Curitiba, Brazil. Round four was the second bouldering event of the year.

Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.

Women's competition

The women's competition ended with a thrilling finish as France's Naile Meignan beat her compatriot Oriane Bertone by just 0.1 points.

Both were near-flawless throughout the competition, cruising through qualifying and the semi-finals before their tense final encounter in front of 1,200 spectators.

21-year-old Meignan came out on top following two near-perfect performances, in which she notched up 99.6 points and Bertone scored 99.5.

The knife-edge victory represents Meignan's first-ever World Cup gold, while Bertone, who's only 20 herself, earned her tenth podium finish.

"It feels amazing to win in my first competition of the year. I wasn’t expecting to be this good, but for sure it feels great," an ecstatic Meignan told the IFSC after the event.

“I was a bit tense on the first boulder, but then I felt more confident and was able to flash the following three problems."

This year's women's climbing competition looks a little different due to the absence of two of the world's best all-around climbers.

45-time World Cup gold medalist Janja Garnbret will miss most of this season as she takes time to rest, while world champion Natalia Grossman is recovering from long-term knee injuries.

Men's competition

The men's competition ended in a familiar fashion, as Japan's Sorato Anraku won his third gold of the season with a composed and powerful climb in the final.

The 18-year-old dominated the early rounds, leading in qualifying and the semi-finals, before racking up 69.7 points in the final, 10.8 more points than second-placed Mejdi Schalck of France.

Victory in Curitiba puts clear water between Anraku and anyone else in the bouldering competition after another gold in the season opener in Keqiao, China.

The teenage prodigy also tops the lead climbing table and is quickly establishing himself as the world's best multi-discipline male climber.

"I'm very happy for my second World Cup gold in a row," he told the IFSC after the final.

"I'm not thinking about winning the Series, I will focus on one event at a time, so now it's time to focus on Salt Lake City (the next event)."

Anraku burst onto the scene with an unstoppable run in last season's bouldering competition. By the close, he'd amassed a whopping 500 points more than anyone else, to claim his title as the world's best male boulderer.

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

What's next?

The world's best boulderers have little time to rest as the next IFSC World Cup is also a bouldering event and takes place from May 23 to 25 in Salt Lake City, USA.

You can also check out the first para-climbing World Cup of the year, which is also in Salt Lake City, on May 21 and 22.

The upcoming event is the first of three para-climbing World Cup competitions this season and pits the world's best climbers living with disabilities against one another over two tense days of competition.

For more on para-climbing, check out our expert guide.

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Teenage climbers have their eyes on the prize before the second bouldering competition of a closely contested climbing World Cup.

The fourth round of the 2025/26 IFSC World Cup kicks off tomorrow morning in Curitiba, Brazil, and promises to be a corker. After just three rounds, the world's premier climbing competition has had plenty of excitement, with several close finishes and an unprecedented tie.

From May 16 to 18, the world's best boulderers will take to the wall to prove their mettle and fight for a place on the coveted IFSC podium. Read on for our preview of what promises to be an epic few days of climbing.

Ones to watch

This year's IFSC World Cup competition has been dominated by youngsters, and you can expect the upcoming round to be no different.

As has been the case for over a year, Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku is a heavy favorite in the men's event. The 18-year-old burst onto the scene with an unstoppable run in last season's bouldering competition. By the close, he'd amassed a whopping 500 points more than anyone else, to claim his title as the world's best male boulderer.

A powerful performance in the season opener in Shaoxing, China, suggests he has no plans of slowing down, as the teenager stormed to victory with a near-perfect score of 99.7.

If anyone can stop him, it's South Korea's Dohyun Lee. The 22-year-old has enjoyed a promising few years in IFSC competitions and kept Anraku on his toes last year.

He was tantalisingly close to victory in Shaoxing, finishing second with just 0.4 points less than his rival.

Both climbers will hit the wall on Friday morning for the competition's hotly anticipated qualifying round.

American Annie Sanders will be keen to continue her impressive form in the women's competition. The 17-year-old sailed to victory in the season opener with a precise, technical climb.

Sanders came fourth overall in last season's bouldering competition, but finished strong with a decisive gold in the final event in Seoul, South Korea.

Victory in Curitiba would represent her third World Cup bouldering gold in a row, and cement her place among the world's best female boulderers.

Australian Oceana MacKenzie will also fancy her chances. The 22-year-old finished second in the 2024/25 World Cup thanks to a consistent campaign.

Both climbers benefit from the absence of two of the world's best boulderers.

World Cup legend and two-time Olympic champion Janja Garnbret will miss most of this season as she takes time to recover from years of non-stop climbing. She plans to compete in a handful of events later in the year but will not be in Curitiba.

World champion Natalia Grossman is also missing. In March, the American announced that she'd torn her ACL and Meniscus ligaments and will miss a large portion of the World Cup as a result.

While a major blow for the competition, their absences have opened the door for less experienced climbers like Sanders and MacKenzie to take centre stage.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Qualification

• 5am PT (May 16) / 8am EST (May 16) / 1pm BST (May 16) Men's and women's qualification

Semi-finals and finals

• 6am PT (May 17) / 9am EST (May 17) / 2pm BST (May 17) Men's semi-finals
• 6am PT (May 18) / 9am EST (May 18) / 2pm BST (May 18)Women's semi-finals
• 1.30pm PT (May 17) / 4.30pm EST (May 17) / 9.30pm BST (May 17) Men's final
• 1.30pm PT (May 18) / 4.30pm EST (May 18) / 9.30pm BST (May 18) Women's final

What is the IFSC World Cup?

The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.

It takes place over 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

How to watch the IFSC World Cup

There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.

Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.

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Competitive paraclimbing is finally back.

After a lengthy seven-month absence, the first paraclimbing World Cup of the year gets underway next week in Salt Lake City, USA. With months of training behind them, the world's best paraclimbers will battle it out to claim gold in the first of three paraclimbing World Cup events held throughout the year.

But what exactly is this paraclimbing, and how does it work? Read on for everything you need to know about this thrilling sport and its upcoming World Cup competition.

What is paraclimbing

The term paraclimbing describes any form of indoor or outdoor climbing performed by someone living with a disability. It can be amateur or professional, and can manifest in multiple climbing disciplines, like lead climbing, bouldering, or any other style.

People living with disabilities have been climbing for all of human history, but the sport only became official in 2003, at the first international paraclimbing competition.

Eight years later, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) organized the first paraclimbing World Championships, and the sport has become increasingly professionalized ever since.

How does the paraclimbing World Cup work?

The IFSC World Cup is the world's premier paraclimbing competition, pitting the best of the best against each other in three intense competitions over the year.

The first takes place from May 20 to 21 in Salt Lake City, USA. The second will be in Innsbruck, Austria, from June 23 to 24. And the final round is in Laval, France, from 24 to 26 October.

The IFSC World Cup incorporates a wide variety of climbers living with all sorts of disabilities. Competitors are divided into three broad classes: 'blind sport class', 'amputees', and 'limited reach, power, and stability'. They're then further categorized depending on the nature of their disability.

In total, climbers from ten different men's and women's sub-classes compete in lead climbing competitions, where they race to the top of a wall and clip their rope to different checkpoints.

Athletes in the limited reach, power, and stability class use static movements to power themselves up the wall, while those in the amputees class have to make do without limbs that would otherwise be vital to non-disabled climbers.

Visually impaired climbers in the blind sport class are assisted by guides on the ground, who describe the route as they feel their way up.

How to watch the paraclimbing World Cup

There are a few different ways to watch the paraclimbing World Cup depending on your location and budget.

Lucky viewers in the US and Canada can catch all three World Cup competitions for free on the IFSC YouTube channel. You can also watch live coverage and reaction on the Olympics channel via Olympics.com.

Viewers in the United Kingdom and Europe can stream the competition exclusively on Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming services.

For UK and Irish viewers, that's TNT Sports, which you can access via a subscription to Discovery+ Premium. If you're in Europe, you can stream the World Cup on Eurosport or via the Discovery+ platform.

If you're travelling overseas during the World Cup, you can catch all the action using a VPN. These handy private networks create a private connection between your device and the internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are.

The experts at our sister site TechRadar recommend NordVPN.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

For more on paraclimbing, check out our interview with three-time world champion and former Team GB athlete Matthew Phillips.

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May 29 1953 is arguably the most important date in mountaineering history. At around 11:30am, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary became the first people to stand on the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest.

It’d be 22 years before Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei would become the first woman to stand on the summit, which she achieved on May 16 1975. Three years later, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first people to summit without supplemental oxygen, on May 8 1978. Fast forward to 2019, and it’s thought that a record 358 people reached the summit on a single day alone: May 23.

You don’t need Sherlock Holmes’ knack for deduction to figure out that May is obviously a good month to try your hand at ascending the world’s tallest mountain. In fact, according to the Himalayan Database, around 80% of the approximately 13,000 successful summits has occurred in May.

To get to the bottom of why this is, we asked one of our mountaineering experts to delve a little deeper into why May is such a favorable month to climb Everest and to see if there are any other good times. Naturally, we also couldn’t resist revealing when the worst times to climb Everest are.

When is the best time to climb Everest? And why?

Mid-May is the best time to climb Everest, during the pre-monsoon ‘summit window’. This is thanks to the movements of the jet stream, which drifts north during this time, bringing calmer winds and warmer temperatures to the mountain. This window, which usually lasts between a week and about 10 days, closes with the arrival of the Asian monsoon. If you were to bet on the best day, it’d be May 19, with 13% of all successful summits, more than any other.

At 29,030ft (8,849m) tall, Everest extends beyond the upper troposphere and into the stratosphere, a place where wind speeds in excess of 100 mph are common. It's only when the jet stream shifts that extended periods of relative calm can be expected. May also experiences less rainfall and better visibility than other months. All of this means that climbers have better odds of succeeding during May – it’s as simple as that.

However, it’s likely that critics of the rampant adventure tourism present on Everest today, such as the great Reinhold Messner, would refute the claim that May is the “best” time to climb Everest. One only needs to think of Nims Purja’s viral photo of queuing mountaineers from 2019 to be reminded that climbing Everest during this popular summit window is far from a solitary adventure experience. Plus there’s the fact that slow moving human traffic in the thin air of the death zone could be a cocktail for disaster.

So, are there other good times to climb Everest?

Post-monsoon season

A similar summit window exists in autumn, between the departure of the monsoon and the colder temperatures and stronger winds of winter. During this time, the weather is more stable, the temperatures are moderate and visibility better. This is known as the post-monsoon season.

The first post-monsoon ascent of the mountain was achieved in 1975, when the British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition, led by the great Chris Bonington, saw Dougal Haston and Doug Scott summit on September 24, and then Peter Boardman and Sirdar Pertemba Sherpa two days later. Most post-monsoon summits thereafter would occur in October, including by the likes of Kurt Diemberger, the only person in history to have recorded first ascents on two 8,000m peaks (Broad Peak and Dhaulagiri), in 1978, and American great George Lowe, along with Dan Reid and Jay Cassell in 1983.

However, successful climbs are still much more of a rarity during this second window. The mountain is much more popular in the pre-monsoon, particularly with guides taking clients to the roof of the world. This is due to the post-monsoon season’s increased snow fall, which creates unstable slopes that are more prone to avalanche. However, these conditions can also attract elite skiers and snowboarders to Everest.

When are the worst times to climb Everest?

The height of summer and the depths of winter are the worst times to tackle an ascent of Everest. Winter may seem like the obvious worst time but the summer monsoon season sees heavy rainfall and high humidity conspire to create the ideal conditions for avalanches, rockfall and landslides. Visibility is also worse during the monsoon, with low cloud being a much more common occurrence. In fact, Himalayan records suggest that there have been more successful summits in winter than in summer.

Of course, winter is also the preserve of only the most ambitious mountaineers. Temperatures plunge to -22°F (-30°C) at base camp and thanks to windchill the summit can feel as low as -112°F (-80°C). The jetstream is also back in action, bringing extremely strong winds and heavy snowfall. In fact, Everest’s summit is the windiest place on Earth and record speeds recorded here in February 2004 were in excess of 175mph.

The first winter ascent occurred on February 17 1980, when Polish alpinists Leszek Cichy and Krzystof Wielicki made to the top. Along with an expedition team of more than 20 climbers, they battled the ferocious elements, having to continuously rebuild even the lower camps, which were regularly getting destroyed by the high winds, with some as high as 125mph. However, the gusts started to subside and, with their permit window about to shut, Wielicki and Cichy hopefully moved up to Camp 4 on February 16. Their summit day was ‘unimaginably cold’ and the pair still had to battle strong winds to make the top. However, they’d proved climbing Everest in winter was possible.

German mountaineer Jost Kobusch is currently training to become the first person to summit Everest solo in winter, without supplemental oxygen. However, new rules requiring all climbers to have at least one Sherpa with them from September this year have thrown the future of his attempt into question.

To this day, only 15 people have made it to the summit during the cold season. It’s thought that around 34 expeditions have tried, with only five succeeding. The extremely challenging mix of ferocious wind and even fiercer cold make Everest in winter an undertaking only for those willing to risk all and suffer very profound discomfort for the glory of the summit.

Karl Egloff's latest challenge is an extreme, globetrotting test of climbing ability. The 44-year-old speed climber has set multiple fastest time records in his career and now has his sights on a fresh challenge: to snag the speed records for the tallest mountains in each of the world's seven continents.

He already holds the records for the fastest ascents of the tallest mountains in Europe, Africa, and North and South America, having scaled Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Denali and Aconcagua in record times.

With just three peaks to go, I caught up with Karl to find out why he's taken on this crazy challenge and what the next few months hold for him.

How Karl started speed climbing

Karl's introduction to speed climbing was certainly unique.

In his early adult life, the Ecuadorian was a mountain guide in his home country, leading tourists and climbers around the high plateaus and rugged landscape of the Andes mountains.

One day in 2012, with no prior speed climbing experience, a fellow guide challenged him to run up Cotopaxi, Ecuador's second-tallest mountain, to see how fast he could do it.

"One day we decided to run up the mountain, and I ran up the mountain for the very first time, and when I came back, I'd broken the world speed record," explains Karl, who sped up and down the 7125ft (2172m) peak in just one hour and 36 minutes.

"This was a huge thing in Ecuador... it's crazy to do the mountain in an one hour 30, when normally people do it in 12 hours.

"It's breaking all traditions, and in the end, I felt so good doing this. With no security, running up the mountain like a bird spreading its wings. I thought, 'Hey, this is a great sport, and I love this sport,'" he continues.

Thirteen years later, Karl is the proud owner of 12 speed climbing world records, including an astonishing record ascent of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which Karl smashed in just six hours and 42 minutes back in 2014, although he doesn't credit it as his proudest achievement.

"The thing I'm really proud of is being alive," he laughs.

"I'm aware that this sport is risky, especially when you're going down you're risking much. I'm happy that I'm here, we always say in Swiss-German, an old guide is a good guide because he's alive."

The Seven Summits challenge

Karl has three mountains to go to complete his daunting Seven Summits challenge and become the first to hold all seven speed records at once.

To claim his crown, Karl needs to break the speed records for ascending the Vision Massif in Antarctica, Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania, and Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in Asia and, of course, the world. All ascents will be made without oxygen.

Karl will head to Everest first, to attempt his likely hardest climb in ideal early summer conditions. He'll need to beat the current record of 16 hours and 45 minutes, set by Italian mountaineer Hans Kammerlander in 1996.

To make matters more interesting, Karl won't be the only hopeful record-breaker on the mountain this spring, as American athlete Tyler Andrews will also be attempting to break the world speed record.

Should he break the beat Andrews' time and snag the record, Karl will head to Antarctica and Oceania in 2026 to complete his Seven Summits challenge before considering a well-earned retirement from speed climbing.

"I know that I'm already in the last years of my career, and recovery is not so easy anymore," explains Karl.

"I'm enjoying my last dance.

"I absolutely know that there's a time to quit, and this time you should never ignore...It's clear this line is coming, and at one point, I won't risk anymore."

Acclimatization

Alongside a strict regiment of intensive cardio and strength training, Karl is preparing for his trip by acclimatizing in hypoxic tents.

These high-tech tents simulate the low oxygen levels of high-altitude environments by creating a nitrogen-dense environment for you to sleep in.

The air at sea level contains 20.9% inhalable oxygen, a number that drops dramatically the higher you get. At Everest base camp, it's down to 10.4%, and by the summit, the air contains just a third of the inhalable oxygen at regular sea level.

Sleeping at the simulated altitude of a hypoxic tent saturates your blood oxygen levels, forcing your body to release its red blood cells and ready itself for conditions at 20,000ft / 6,096m.

"It's a crazy tool. I'm in the tent and watching a Champions League game at 6,000 meters of altitude, which of course makes it very nice," says Karl.

"I want to train my body to get all the red blood cells, so my body can train tired and also feel like there's a lack of oxygen at home. And I can eat, and I can perform feeling the same as I'm going to be feeling at that altitude."

Footwear

Karl will be making his next ascent in gear from his sponsor, La Sportiva, which boasts a well-rated range of high-quality climbing gear for harsh alpine conditions.

"I have tons of different options, but I'll probably be using the G2 boots for the summit. I don't know how the weather is going to be there, but I did Makalu with the G2, and they were really good," says Karl.

"But of course, you are not starting with the G2 from very early. You are putting them probably in a certain camp and going lighter for the other camps with a G5 or something like that".

La Sportiva's G5 and G2 boots are some of the best in the business for harsh alpine ascents. They feature large stud-like lugs and offer plenty of protection from the elements.

Conditions on Everest are unforgiving all year round. Even in the spring climbing season, temperatures are likely to plummet to depths of -26°C (-15°F) at the summit, so Karl will need all the protection he can get from his climbing gear.

Karl has yet to announce the official date for his upcoming Everest ascent, so stay tuned to Advnture for all the latest updates.

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Fancy an adrenaline rush? Check out Black Diamond's latest climbing film to see Austrian daredevil Babsi Zangerl become the first person to flash climb the monstrous El Capitan mountain in Yosemite National Park.

The historic ascent

Flash climbing refers to a climber successfully sending a route on their first attempt without falling, usually with knowledge of, but no prior experience of the climb.

Despite its fame and multiple previous attempts, the 7,573ft (2,307 m) El Capitan mountain had never been flash climbed until November 2024 when Zangerl made the first successful ascent.

Joined by her longtime partner Jacopo Larcher, Zangerl scaled the daunting Freerider route in just four days. Larcher also completed the climb but was unable to claim a flash after he fell at the Boulder Problem, a section made famous as the most difficult part of Alex Honnold's free solo climb of El Cap.

The achievement cemented Zangerl's place as one of the world's best all-round climbers, having previously made the first free ascents by a woman of multiple routes on El Cap and in the Alps.

Black Diamond Presents: Flashed

The new film, 'Black Diamond Presents: Flashed', takes you behind the scenes of the historic climb, with insightful commentary from Zangerl and Larcher and breath-taking shots of their ascent.

You can watch it for free, right now on YouTube.

"You only have one chance, and that puts a lot of pressure on you, especially on a big wall where you have to climb one thousand meters and there are many chances to fall," Zangerl comments during the film.

"The further I got up there, the more pressure I had. I told myself, the first and biggest goal is to send Freerider, and everything else, I can't really do anything about."

Zangerl's gear

Zangerl and Larcher were kitted out in the latest and greatest Black Diamond gear for the climb, including the sturdy Vapor helmet and dependable Camalot Ultralight camming device.

The pair slept inside a lightweight Perch Double Expedition Fly suspended from the rock wall, along with Black Diamond's Perch Double Portaledge.

The pair's full gear list is available on the Black Diamond website.

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Women's lead competition

The first lead climbing World Cup of 2025 wrapped in astonishing fashion, as two female climbers tied for gold despite multiple tie-breakers.

In the surprising result on Sunday, South Korea's Chaehyun Seo and Erin McNeice of Great Britain recorded the same scores in the final, semi-final, and qualification rounds in Wujiang, China.

In this extremely rare event, the winner is decided by time spent on the wall in the final round. Both Seo and McNeice recorded the same time of 1 minute and 26 seconds. Without any other means of breaking the tie, both were awarded gold medals - the first time that there have ever been two winners since the IFSC instituted tie-breaking rules.

McNeice and Seo both performed exceptionally well over a tough lead climbing route in Wujiang. This was McNeice's first lead medal, after finishing with bronze in last week's opening Boulder competition.

Despite a steady showing over the past few years, it was Seo's first IFSC gold since her debut season in 2019.

In a joint interview with the IFSC, Seo said: “It’s my first win in four years, and I can’t believe I won with Erin. It’s the first time to win together with someone else on time as well.”

McNeice added: “I purposely tried to climb it quickly, but obviously not quick enough. It was a lot of fun though, and I really enjoyed the fight.”

Due to the unusual result, no silver medal was awarded and the pair was joined on the podium by American favorite Annie Sanders, who climbed consistently throughout to claim bronze.

Men's lead competition

After a tense women's competition, supporters in Wujiang weren't surprised to see the winner of the men's competition, as Japan's Sorato Anraku triumphed yet again to win his second World Cup gold in under a week.

Anraku won gold in the opening IFSC World Cup bouldering event on April 20 and climbed brilliantly to claim another victory in Wujiang.

The 18-year-old won the Lead and the Boulder Series titles in his debut season last year and looks odds-on to repeat the feat in this year's competition, although he's keen to play down expectations early on.

"I’m not aiming for the overall World Cup Series, but I’m aiming to win every event." he told the IFSC.

"Then I guess the overall will take care of itself. But I go one event at a time.”

Also on the podium by his countryman Suzuki Neo, and bronze medalist Alberto Ginés López of Spain, who fell just short of second.

Men's speed competition

The speed competition treated the crowd in Wujiang to two home-grown winners as China's Long Jianguo and Zhang Shaoqin snagged gold in the men's and women's events

After a close-run semi-final match-up with Indonesia's Kiromal round, Long won gold when his opponent in the final, Ukraine's Hryhorii Ilchyshyn, was penalised for a false start.

Katibin won bronze in a tight third-place playoff with reigning World Champion Samuel Watson. The pair were separated by just 0.39 seconds.

Women's speed competition

The women's speed finals were a super-close event, with the winner decided by just 0.5 seconds. Following a tense semi-final run, Zhang Shaoqin won gold in a nail-biting final against South Korea’s Jeong Jimin. Zhang recorded a time of 6.32 seconds to beat Jeong’s 6.37 seconds.

In front of a jubilant home crowd, Zhang told the IFSC: “I didn’t think about anything else other than my own climbing. I wanted to enjoy my competition and enjoy the climbing."

Fellow Chinese climber Lijuan Deng also made the podium after a solid showing against America's Emma Hunt.

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Two teenage boulderers took center stage in Shaoxing, China, for the first IFSC Climbing World Cup round of 2025.

17-year-old American Annie Sanders continued her impressive form from last season's competition, with a dominant display to claim gold in women's bouldering before Japan's Sorato Anraku secured victory in the men's competition.

Texas native Sanders breezed through the qualification and semi-final rounds before building an insurmountable 9.8-point margin in the final.

Following her victory, Sanders told UK Climbing: "I'm pretty excited, honestly.

"I definitely wasn't expecting it, especially after the first boulder, where I was frustrated and pretty much not getting anywhere on the second boulder."

She was joined on the podium by France's Oriane Bertone and Erin McNeice of Great Britain.

Bertone enjoyed a consistent competition and led throughout the qualification and semi-final stages, while 21-year-old McNeice matched her previous World Cup bouldering position in third.

Japanese climbers dominated the men's competition, with first, third, and fourth place finishers.

As viewers have come to expect, teenage sensation Sorato Anraku once again topped the podium with a near-perfect score of 99.7. Anraku breezed last year's bouldering competition, combining power and precision to score over 500 more points than the second-placed finisher.

It wasn't quite as easy for the 18-year-old in Shaoxing, as South Korea's Dohyun Lee nearly pipped him with an exquisite score of 99.3. Japan's Meichi Narasaki rounded off the leaderboard with a consistent performance throughout.

"I had a good time at this comp," Anraku told UK Climbing.

"I really enjoyed the problems."

The weekend's competition was the first of 14 different World Cup stages that will be held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing. These rankings decide the eventual world champions for each discipline.

The next World Cup round will be held in just a matter of days in Wujain, China. From April 25 to 27, the world's best speed and lead climbers will have the chance to claim their first medals of the season.

Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the competition here at Advnture, so make sure to check back for reaction after every round.

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After a lengthy six-month absence, the world's premier climbing competition is back.

The IFSC Climbing World Cup returns tomorrow in Shaoxing, China, for the first leg of a year-long competition to crown the world's best climbers.

But what exactly is a Climbing World Cup, and how does it work? Read on for everything you need to know about the highly anticipated 2025/26 competition.

How does the IFSC World Cup work?

The IFSC World Cup is the biggest competition in sport climbing.

It pits the world's best boulderers, speed climbers, and lead climbers against each other over 14 competitions held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are then tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.

This season's competition begins on April 18 in Shaoxing, China, and concludes next year on September 5 in the Slovenian city of Koper. Before then, the world's best climbers will go head to head in multiple countries and continents.

Most stages don't feature all three disciplines and will usually just have one or two. The upcoming Shaoxing World Cup leg is a solely bouldering competition, so won't have any lead or speed climbing.

The IFSC World Cup schedule

Here are the dates for every World Cup competition in the 2025/26 season:

• April 18 – 20 - Boulder World Cup in Shaoxing, China
• April 25 – 27 Lead and Speed World Cup in Wuijang, China
• May 2 - 4 Lead and Speed World Cup in Bali, Indonesia
• May 16 - 18 Boulder World Cup in Curitiba, Brazil
• May 23 - 25 Boulder World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA
• May 31 - June 2 Speed World Cup in Denver, USA
• June 6 - 8 Boulder World Cup in Prague, Czechia
• June 13 - 15 Boulder World Cup in Bern, Switzerland
• June 25 - 29 Boulder and Lead World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria
• July 5 - 6 Speed World Cup in Krakow, Poland
• July 11 - 13 Lead and Speed World Cup in Chamonix, France
• July 18 - 19Lead World Cup in Madrid, Spain
• July 26 - 27 Speed (S) World Cup, TBD
• September 5 - 6 Lead World Cup in Koper, Slovenia

Climbers to watch

Climbing fanatics can expect big things from this year's competition, with a fresh set of young and hungry climbers ready to take their opportunity at the highest level.

Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku will be eager to defend his men's bouldering crown and challenge British Olympic champion Toby Roberts in men's lead climbing – an event Roberts ran away with last year.

18-year-old Anraku has enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom in his short career. He bulldozed last year's bouldering competition and will be a heavy favorite in Shaoxing.

Reigning champion Natalia Grossman will be defending her crown in the women's bouldering competition. She took home the gold following impressive first-place finishes in the Salt Lake City and Prague legs of last year's competition.

Later in the season, Slovenian titan Janja Garnbret will be keen to regain her place atop the women's lead climbing podium, after Austrian Jessica Pilz snatched a narrow victory in the final event of last year's World Cup.

At just 26, Garnbret is already a legend of IFSC climbing, with a breath-taking 32 World Cup golds to her name.

More information

Eager to catch the action? Check out our guide to how to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup on TV or stream it online.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the competition here at Advnture, so make sure to check back for reaction after every round.

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Spectators who managed to bag tickets for the 2028 Olympic climbing competitions will be heading to the beach.

Climbers will take to the wall in the Long Beach area, within view of the dazzling Pacific Ocean. The International Olympic Committee confirmed the venue in a statement.

It says the area offers: "stunning views, framing the temporary climbing wall with the nearby Pacific Ocean as an iconic backdrop".

LA 2028 CEO Reynold Hoover added: “We’ve promised the world an incredible Olympic Games, and today we’re proud to share the plan that will make it happen.

"Los Angeles is the epicenter of sports, culture and entertainment, and every venue selected for the 2028 Games will provide athletes and fans the best possible experience."

The 2028 games will be the first to feature three separate climbing disciplines. Athletes will compete in speed climbing, lead climbing, and bouldering competitions for the chance to win three medals rather than the one on offer at the previous Paris Olympics.

Among them will be reigning men's champion, Britain's Toby Roberts, who's enjoyed a fruitful year after shocking the world with gold in Paris.

Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku will fancy his chances in the bouldering competition. The 18-year-old has dominated IFSC bouldering competitions over the past year and ran away with the 2024 World Cup.

Slovenian titan Janja Garnbret will be eager for another medal the women's competitions after she also won gold in Paris. Garnbret has an astonishing 32 IFSC World Cup golds to her name, with more than half coming in lead climbing.

Can't get enough competitive climbing? The highly anticipated IFSC Climbing World Cup kicks off soon. Look here for our guide on how and where to watch it.

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This guide explains how to watch 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup live streams over the first round of the competition. There are free viewing options in the US and Canada, and we also explain how you can use a VPN to watch your usual coverage if you're away from home.

We're approaching the end of the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup, but there's still plenty to climb for, and loads of action to catch.

This week's round takes the world's best climbers to Madrid, Spain, for the penultimate lead climbing round of a thrilling competition.

The IFSC Climbing World Cup pits the world's best boulderers, speed climbers, and lead climbers against each other over 14 separate competitions held across the globe and throughout the year.

Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on a leaderboard that decides the eventual world champions, otherwise known as series winners.

Read on to find out how and where to watch the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup wherever you are in the world.

Our guide to rock climbing terms will help you keep up with any unfamiliar jargon in the commentary, and if you want to give this exciting sport a try for yourself, you can also read about getting started in climbing.

Watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup for free in the U.S. and Canada

Want to watch from the U.S. or Canada? Then you're in luck, as you'll be able to stream the entire 2025 competition for free on the IFSC YouTube channel. In addition to live coverage, you can find highlights, interviews, and other awesome content from the competition. Viewers outside of the States and Canada can also access this content, but live coverage will be blocked.

If you're lucky enough to be in the U.S. or Canada, your viewing options aren't limited either, as live coverage is also available on the Olympics channel via Olympics.com. Here, you'll have access to even more highlights, build-up, and reaction to competition.

Traveling outside the U.S or Canada? You can still watch live as usual by using a quality VPN like NordVPN, which allows you to access the streams as if you were sitting on your sofa back home. Find out more below.

Use a VPN to watch the Climbing World Cup from anywhere

If you’re traveling overseas during the 2025 World Cup, geo-blocking restrictions mean you probably won't be able to watch as you usually would back home.

That doesn't mean you have to miss out, however. All you need to do to watch as if you were back home is get yourself a VPN (Virtual Private Network) – assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, of course. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are. As an added bonus, the info going back and forth is also entirely encrypted.

In a competitive field, our expert colleagues at TechRadar put NordVPN at the top of the podium for VPN services. Right now, you can snag up to 79% off NordVPN, get four months extra for free and get a free Amazon gift card on top, but don't sleep on this deal - it ends on July 31.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Watch the IFSC World Cup from the UK and Europe

Thanks to a recently agreed rights deal, viewers in the United Kingdom and Europe can stream the semi-finals and finals of every 2025 IFSC World Cup events exclusively on Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming services.

In the UK and Ireland that means TNT Sports, which you can access via a subscription to Discovery+ Premium. It will cost you £30.99 per month in the UK and you’ll also get access to Champions League and Premier League football, Premiership rugby, cycling and loads more top sporting action. Alternatively, TNT Sports can be added to your Sky, BT, EE or Virgin Media TV package – costs vary by platform.

In Europe, you can watch 2025 Climbing World Cup live streams on Eurosport or via the Discovery+ platform.

And don’t forget, if you’re going to be traveling away from home during any of the Climbing World Cup events, you can use a VPN to watch your usual service as if you were back home.

About this week's event

Climbing fanatics from across the globe will be eager to catch the men's lead competition to see whether Japan's Sorato Anraku can make history and clinch his second consecutive World Cup series win.

The 18-year-old stormed to victory in the bouldering series last month and looks odds-on to do the same in the lead climbing competition. The teenager currently sits atop the lead climbing leaderboard with two gold medals under his belt, and victory this week would all but assure the coveted double series gold.

Great Britain's Toby Roberts and Japanese duo Satone Yoshida and Neo Suzuki are also in with a shot. The former is the current Olympic champion, and the latter two are the only climbers aside from Anraku to have won a round of this year's competition.

The women's lead climbing competition is a close-run affair between two relatively unknown climbers. Despite having little pedigree before this year's competition, South Korea's Chaehyun Seo and Erin McNeice of Great Britain have been ever-present atop the lead climbing table.

The pair tied for gold in an extraordinary opening round back in April and have since traded positions atop the leaderboard with two gold medals each and several podium finishes.

This year's women's bouldering competition has been a little different from previous years as two of the world's best all-around climbers are missing. USA's Natalia Grossman is recovering from knee injuries, while 47-time World Cup winner Janja Garnbret has missed all but one competition as she takes time to rest.

Neither will be competing in Madrid this week, which opens up the competition for either McNeice or Seo to snag a maiden World Cup series victory.

IFSC World Cup Schedule

Lead Qualification

• 11.30pm PT (July 17) / 2.30am EST (July 18) / 9.30am BST (July 18) Men's and women's qualification

Lead finals

• 11.30am PT (July 18) / 2.30pm EST (July 19) / 9.30pm BST (July 18) Men's and women's semi-finals
• 11.30am PT (July 19) / 2.30pm EST (July 20) / 9.30pm BST (July 19) Men's final
• 12.30pm PT (July 19) / 3.30pm EST (July 20) / 10.30pm BST (July 19) Women's final

Alpinists in Switzerland have smashed a daunting speed climbing challenge in the Alps by over 10 hours.

Swiss / Austrian climbing duo Nicolas Hojac and Philipp Brugger ascended the treacherous north faces of three formidable mountains in record time. The pair faced ice walls, sheer drops, and hazardous underfoot conditions to summit the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains in 15 hours and 30 minutes.

The previous record of 25 hours was set by legendary alpine climbers Ueli Steck and Stephan Siegrist in 2004. It stood for more than two decades before Hojac and Brugger's successful attempt.

They pair had attempted the challenge multiple times before, but repeatedly found themselves the victims of harsh weather conditions and illness.

After finally completing a successful ascent, Brugger told Red Bull: “It was a really emotional moment for me.

“We’ve been wanting to take on this project together for a year now, but then I experienced a perforated bowel. I never would have thought that I would be standing on the Jungfrau with Nico one year later.”

The friends began their ascent at night, equipped with head lamps, ice axes, crampons, and plenty of safety gear. They put all the advances of modern mountaineering equipment to good use with sturdy mountain boots, helmets, and Gore-Tex clothes.

Making a steady start, they summited the 13,015ft (3,967m) Eiger mountain in 5 hours and 53 minutes before speeding down to take on Mönch and Jungfrau.

Friends and fellow climbers supported them with food and water along the route. Before their final ascent, Hojac and Brugger were brought French fries by facilities maintenance workers at Jungfrau’s High Altitude Research Center. They set off on their final ascent soon after and completed the three-peaks challenge in record time.

The formidable north faces of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau are considered to be three of the most challenging climbs in the Alps.

Jungfrau is the tallest of the three, standing at 13,642ft (4,158m). It’s well known for its towering presence over the Bernese Alps.

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Adam Ondra has been attempting a boulder problem that, if climbed, could be the world's first V18. The project, named Imothep Assis, is located in France's forest of Fontainebleau, one of the bouldering world's most historic regions.

This problem has been a longtime project of Camille Coudert, French boulderer and local Bleausard (a climbing term for a Fontainebleau climber). One of the elites, he repeated Fontainebleau's V17 Soudain Seul in 2022, first climbed by Simon Lorenzi in 2021 and one of the hardest boulder problems in the world.

Coudert has been projecting the boulder for several years – see below for his successful send of Imothep du Sol. Having grappled with the Imothep Assis variant, Ondra reckons it is "possibly a 9A+ (V18) from the sit start". No one has ever climbed a consensus V18 boulder problem, so if Imothep Assis was to be conquered, and the grade agreed upon, it would be a seismic moment in bouldering history.

Ondra, one of the world's greatest climbers, had previously claimed the fourth ascent of Soudain Seul in February 2025. His more recent Fontainebleau exploits saw him flash other highly technical problems, including Imothep du Sol (V13/14), Ubik Assis (V13) and Ligne de bête (V14).

To 'flash' a climb is to send it on the first attempt using prior knowledge, either gleaned from watching others on the route or reading up on it. This is as opposed to an 'onsight' whereby the climber sends the route first time with no prior knowledge.

In his Boulder Tour de Fontainebleau film (which you can watch below), Ondra had this to say of Imothep Assis: "I absolutely love it. I think it's the most motivating boulder I've ever seen."