I'm currently in Paris for the bouldering World Championships.  I was back in Colorado for just a few weeks after my Greenland trip before turning around and heading to France.  I trained a bit while back home, but I didn't expect too much from myself coming into this competition.  To my surprise, I climbed relatively well in qualifiers, and felt okay.  I ended up 8th in my qualifying group, and 15th overall, so I qualified for semifinals (20 competitors advance to semis).  

The competition is being held in a neat sports arena in Paris.  The sides of the building are planted with grass, which gives it a very nice look (see photo).  The walls that we climbed on for qualifiers were pretty good, but were in a smaller room next to the main arena.  Tomorrow, however, semifinals will be held on two free-standing boulders in the main arena.  

I'm really enjoying Paris!  I am staying in a small apartment in a nice part of the city.  There is a great park nearby that is apparently one of the nicer ones in Paris.  I have gotten the hang of riding the metro, and it makes getting around quite easy.  Today I visited a museum to see the famous Water Lillies collection, and then ate some lovely French food at a cute restaurant.  Tomorrow, after I climb, I plan to enjoy one (or a few) crepes and some gelato.  Hoping for the best in the comp and psyched to enjoy a few more days in this great city!