Alex Puccio climbs 5 hard boulders in 3 days - by Björn Pohl:

Alex Puccio has gone on a veritable killing spree at Magic wood, climbing five problem in the ~8A region in three days. The scary part is that the conditions weren't even good... Her ticks: Die unendliche Geschichte 1 & 2, Octopussy, Free for all and Massive attack,

Boyfriend, Chris-Webb Parson's hasn't done too badly either, flashing Free for all, 8A, at Magic, and repeating Vecchio Leone, 8B, at Brione.

Right now Alex and Chris are chilling in Cresciano, though "chilling" is most definitely the wrong word as they're waiting for the temps to cool down.

The couple is planning to climb in Cresciano and Chironico for a few days then back to Magic wood to meet Cristian Core and then all climb together in Switzerland for two weeks.

With boulderers like Chris Webb, Alex Puccio, Paul Robinson, Dai Koyamada, Carlo Traversi and Cristian Core gathering in and around the Alps, I'm sure we are in for an interesting autumn!

The Outside Magazine Cover Story - by Mick Ryan

Outside magazine, with a circulation of over 600,000, have published, XX Factor: Meet The Goddesses of Adventure featuring some of the brightest stars of outdoor sport. Alongside well-known boulderer Puccio are freeskier Sara Mancuso, surfer Courtney Conlogue, Australia's Olympic snowboarder Torah Bright and Triathlete Jenna Shoemaker.

Alex, 22 and originally from New York, lives in Boulder, Colorado and is one of the world's top female boulderers. She started climbing in 2002 with her mother and sister. In 2006 and for the next two years she won the American Bouldering Series Open National Championships and in 2008 got the top podium position in the Bouldering World Cup at the Teva Mountain Games, in Vail.

For the last two years Puccio has made many ascents of V12/Font 8a+ boulder problems including this year ascents of Tequila Sunrise and Diaphanous sea at Hueco Tanks, Texas, The Centaur at Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado and more recently Unendliche geschichte, at Magic Wood, Switzerland (see above).

In the Outside feature she says:

"I'd love to climb some V13's, V14's." She already has a heavily overhung problem scoped out near her home in Boulder, Colorado, that could rate a V13. "With men, they're up to, like, V16. Women can get to that level, too. It's just that there aren't that many trying. At least not yet."

You can read and see XX Factor: Meet The Goddesses of Adventure at Outside Online