12th of December, the fourth round of the monthly SIBL competition was this time hosted by The Castle climbing center in North London. With over 165 participants it marked the busiest round ever! It’s a proof of how well the combination between the SIBL team and The Castle dudes and dudettes (Juan Avendano, Ray Eckermann, Audrey Seguy, Kerry Simmons, Thomas Salah and Tumble) worked, along with the growing love for the sport. There were 4 main areas dedicated to the competitors with diverse problems requiring the best set of skills – balance, power, endurance.
I found very interesting the two hanging artificial rocks on the second floor that threw everyone on a search for their center of gravity. Of course there were some muscle-monkey type of attempts but that just doesn’t look aesthetic enough, does it?
Power and endurance were tested in the catacomb area where you could see the best in the trade working hard and co-operating with each other to figure out where the hell is the next hold. Catacombs can be tricky.
Running around The Castle with my camera trying to see the event through the eyes of the competitors it started to look more and more like a medieval mission. Everyone was hopping from area to area completing or attempting route after another. The participants were warmly welcomed by the SIBL & The Castle judges who were not only delivering the bit of fairness that every competition needs but also often supporting and explaining the rules to the younger competitors. Although everyone was concentrating on their personal mission I could still sense the atmosphere of togetherness and appreciation for the efforts of others. To see a father hugging his daughter after she’s done her best, the joy and pride that flowed from the parents was just amazing. Will try to capture this on camera next time so I can show you what I’m talking about. Oh yes, climbing is special.
After 5 hours fighting with the route setter’s imagination (Mike Langley, Alex Lemel, Jack Griffiths, Tricky & Slimfast) and the laws of gravity the competitor’s results were submitted and a lovely vegetarian dinner served. Being veggie myself I must say that the food provided by Pangea Project & The Castle cafe is now in my Top 3 of all the non-meat meals I’ve ever tried!
Warning! Don’t click here if you are hungry. 
There was much more in store. The Castle merged the SIBL competition with two lectures (talks), one documentary and its annual Christmas party. At 7pm we were all nicely seated in front of a screen ready to hear the inspiring climbing tales of Gareth Mottram, Martin Jones, Jacob Wrathhall (photographer) and Ed Lemon who went in southern Kyrgyzstan to challenge themselves with a mountain that no one has ever climbed before. The story was accompanied by photos and short videos which made it even more exciting. It transfers the concept of climbing & mountaineering to the realities of unforgettable adventure. To go somewhere where no one has ever been means also that you can’t rely much on the insufficient information available for that place. In climbing that’s more than risky and I would like to express my respect for the courage these guys showed and the sense of humor they’ve managed to sustain despite the difficulties. This is one of many things contributing to my climbing addiction. The spirit of the explorer that sleeps in each climber ready to be awaken. Have your adventures the way these guys had theirs. That’s what stays in the memory, not how you were sitting in front of the TV eating crisps…or…got more examples but will keep them to myself…
The talk was followed by a documentary called “Freezing Level”. Made by Euan Southcott. It’s a film about the impact of Global Warming on snowboarding and the winter resorts in Scotland & Norway, it was an honest observation of the changes in the weather patterns and most importantly the lack of snow due to rising temperatures, and the damage this causes on the snowboarding community and the people in the tourist industry. It showed another angle, the emerging of indoor snowboarding centers and how profitable this might turn to be for some. I personally would like to be able to ride my board in the outdoors and support the local business of people that live in the mountain rather than fill the pockets of big investors building centers which are even more harmful to the environment as they generate loads of heat and consume even more energy. It seems to me that our first task is to try our best to stop climate change and then focus on sustainably adapting to a situation that is already inevitable rather than the other way around. Indoor snowboarding centers are great but should not replace nature as nothing artificial can. I’m afraid human inventions are not able to compete with things like the mountain air, the sound of real snow under your board and the stunning view. It’s all part of the experience and this movie proved that we’ll need to do our best for this privilege and stand for the right to enjoy our passions and explore nature without harming it. Same applies to climbing.
On top of all this was a truly inspiring lecture given by Steve Mcclure. A very sincere and modestly told story about the amazing achievements of one of the best professional climbers. Being in university I am not used to these kind of lectures. It was a nice surprise to discover the true beauty of gaining understanding of someone’s real experiences. Practical knowledge is what matters to me these days. Something you can grade, live through physically and mentally, something that applies to real life more than any useless theory that tends to create more problems than solutions.
And then … it was boogie time! Although the music sounded rather unusual even for my tolerant taste I did dance on few songs and headed home after the second Organic Lager.
Will finish my post with some interesting footage from the finals. Loving the rope addition to the route!
Male Final
Richard
Greg
Female Junior Final V4
Isabelle
Becky
