Over the past weekend, The Edge Climbing Centre played host to the 2015 Provincial Bouldering Competition sanctioned and organized by Sport Climbing BC. The action took place over two days, with qualifiers taking place on Saturday and finals on Sunday. This year was the first time the event used IFSC formatting for both the Open qualifiers and finals, with competitors having to try four boulder problems with four minutes for each problem.
Men’s finalists having a look at the problems. Photo courtesy of Ken Chow ©.
Saturday of the event featured a fully packed day, with competitors starting at 10 am and going well into the evening. According to a number of competitors, the new format for qualifiers was a pleasant surprise, allowing each competitor to focus more on their own climbing rather than worrying about what other people were doing, which is often the case in a scramble format. At the end of day, the scene was set, with nine male climbers and nine female climbers entering the finals. The only complaint about Saturday’s action came from the route-setters themselves, who were unsatisfied with the separation between competitors on the Men’s side of the competition.
The final event on Sunday evening started with great anticipation. From the women’s side, fan favourites were back (Maria Celkova and Tiffany Melius) along with returning local climber, Thomasina Pidgeon, who had been living abroad for the past two years. We also saw powerhouse Shannon Russell from Seattle’s Vertical World back for more action and Hung Ying Lee, an experienced competition climber from Taiwan. With four boulders of varying difficulty and style, the field was split, with great action on all four problems. Third place came down to a flash of Women’s #3 by Thomasina that ousted Tiffany Melius from her third position spot. However, first place would come down to the last problem, a technical crimpy test-piece with a long difficult move at the end. Up first on this problem was Russell, who saw her hand flutter an inch below the final jug. The problem was then topped by Hung Ying (Chris) with great style, completing her top of all four Women’s problems.
Thomasina Pidgeon flashing Women’s #3. Photo courtesy of Ken Chow ©.
Shannon Russell trying her best on Women’s #4. Photo courtesy of Shane Murdoch ©.
Hung Ying (Chris) Lee on Women’s #1. Photo courtesy of Ken Chow ©.
On the Men’s side, a number of strong climbers from Alberta including Marc Eveleigh, Dan Archambault, Andrew Funk and Eric Sethna showed up to rival the local competitors Gavin Johnson, Tristen Gosselin, and Jesse Taplin. Even a small contingent from Seattle’s Vertical World, including Alex Fritz and Sam Wolff, dropped in to make things even more exciting. Men’s Problem #1 started with a lot of action on sloppy glittering volumes to a dyno finish and ended with a very difficult crimpy problem. In between, the men flashed, topped, and fell throughout, leaving the outcome rather ominous. Providing the most crowd pleasing action was Men’s #3 that saw a number of competitors falling on the last hold. First topped by Marc Eveleigh, this problem was for sure a competition favourite. In the end, it came down To Eric Sethna showing a full performance on all four problems to take the top of the podium.
Gavin Johnson get glittery on Men’s #1. Photo courtesy of Shane Murdoch ©
Alex Fritz on Men’s #3. Photo courtesy of Ken Chow ©
Jesse Taplin on undone Men’s #4. Photo courtesy of Ken Chow ©
Marc Eveleigh pumping up the crowd. Photo courtesy of Shane Murdoch ©
Overall, this competition was a great success. The route setting team created some fantastic problems and the competitors kept the crowd going. If I had to change one thing during the event, it would be the music. Somebody has got to pump up the jams next time around! Special thanks to all those who volunteered for this event and made it happen as well as the parents and competitors who traveled across imaginary lines to bring our climbing community together.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this event including Arcteryx, Blurr Stuff, Flashed, Evolv, Mad Rock, Metolius, and Blue Ice.
Men’s Open Final
1. Eric Sethna
2. Alex Fritz
3. Jesse Taplin
4. Marc Eveleigh
5. Dan Archambault
6. Andrew Funk
7. Samuel Wolff
8. Tristan Gosselin
9. Gavin Johnson
Women’s Open Final
1. Hung Ying (Chris) Lee
2. Shannon Russell
3. Thomasina Pidgeon
4. Tiffany Melius
5. Rebecca Frangos
6. Maria Celkova
7. Alyssa Weber
8. Mika Hosoi
9. Alison Stewart-Patterson
Stay tuned to Squamish Climbing Magazine and like our facebook page to follow us. Special thanks to Ken Chow and Shane Murdoch for letting us use their photos of the event.
The boys behind the setting, Simon Parton, Kaleb Thomas, and Aeron Matthew. Photo courtesy of Shane Murdoch ©