In this chilled atmosphere January’s competitors took the challenges with a smile on their faces. This time more than ever everyone came to spend some quality time with the others. Yes, that’s what happens when you enter The Arch, people instantly become friendly and relaxed.

It was easy for the little ones too. It’s not a big place so the parents can keep their distance and still observe their children’s movements. Sometimes I get the feeling adults should be looked after as children haven’t lost their instincts yet and fear is not a risk factor. That helps a lot in climbing!

Route setting was this time responsibility of pro climber & coach Gaz Parry and route setter & future pro climber Yann Genoux. I have to say that the final route was a well thought pain in the ass but it did get exciting and that’s what matters.

It was also amazing to see the Female finalists sharing the third place. I will never get enough of scenes like this where people just decide to forget about competitiveness and unnecessary ambition and share their success.

Next round is at Mile End climbing wall and although it’s in the neighborhood it will be my first visit there. Have no idea why I never went. Heard they have the tallest bouldering wall in the UK and this is a good sign.

Hopefully in Round 6 we’ll see more girlies battling with the male setting. Come on ladies, don’t be shy! We need to show the guys how it’s done – with style and grace.

The next one will be the last for this year so I’ll try to get you a bonus and interview the overall male winner. Finger crossed he will agree.

Happy climbing and don’t forget to keep it real.

Photos on Flikr

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

The format of this competition is not like the usual climb hard / win or die type of comps. Everyone is having fun trying their best without thinking too much about the end result. Of course you get the ambitious talented climbers but somehow the whole atmosphere puts the nasty competitive pressure off everyone, even the most ego-driven bouldering enthusiasts.

Watching so many children enjoying themselves made me realise that climbing is much more than just another extreme sport. I found this very refreshing and decided to give you a taste by reporting the remaining four rounds on my blog.

If you want to know more about the rules & structure of the competition click HERE.

I also found this on the SIBL website and thought it might be quite useful for people who would like to hook up with other climbers. (no, this is not match.com :-}) www.climbfind.com

And now the best part!

Male Final

Scott

Sam

Richard

Bodley

And the winners are:

Awards