The IFSC World Cup has started already in Briancon, France this weekend. Our Canadian athletes continue to make a push for the cup, including Sean McColl, Elan Jonas-McCrae, Kyle Murdoch, and Francis Bilodeau.
The competitors have completed qualifications today. Both Sean McColl (6th) and Elan Jonas-McCrae (20) have made Semi-finals which will take place tomorrow. Francis Bilodeau placed 65th and Kyle Murdoch placed 71st.
Here are the feeds for tomorrows action. Good luck everyone!
Last weekend, Squamish played host to the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy. Here is a write up by Ryan Proctor from the blog.
With a new venue, a new name, a smokey haze and a little rain – the 2015 Arc’teryx Climbing Academy has wrapped. Despite some lingering smoke from the current B.C. wildfire fight, which almost halted the weekend’s program before clearing out just hours before kick-off, the Academy’s schedule stayed on course.
Nearly 200 participants from North America, Asia and Europe combined, took part in more than 20 sold out clinics and seminars over the weekend. A team of professional guides from Canada West Mountain School as well as a large group of Arc’teyx climbing athletes spread through the Squamish valley and alpine teaching a variety of techniques including Crack Climbing, Top Rope Rescue, Lead Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing as well as Friday night’s Classic Mountaineering and Bivy Clinic on Sky Pilot.
For full article, please visit the website here.
New video by Epic TV featuring Mike Foley on Permanent Waves (13d), The Silent Menace (aka Smell the Glove), and getting a gym started at Quest University.
VICE Sports travels to Lebanon with professional climber Sam Elias to face the dual challenges of exploring his family’s heritage during a time of cultural and political upheaval, and to climb the toughest routes on Mount Lebanon. Made possible by The North Face.
Here are the final results for the IFSC Lead World Cup Chamonix. Great turn out from our Canadian athletes. Worthy to note is Libor Hroza’s first place finish in the Men’s Speed competition. Libor competes for the Czech Republic team but lives and trains at The Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich, BC.
She’s been trad climbing for only three years, but The North Face & Petzl Athlete, Emily Harrington didn’t let that sway her from the magnetic pull of El Capitan’s ‘Golden Gate’ (5.13 VI). 6 days and 40 pitches later, she stood on the summit with broken skin, aching muscles and a smile that stretched across Yosemite Valley. Here Emily shows us that it’s just as much about the journey as it is the destination.
Tonight, atop the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, BC, the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy will host Vikki Weldon and Brette Harrington as they share their most recent adventures in Morocco and Patagonia respectively. Their presentations are a part of the Sunset Speaker series followed by a live music performance by Jon and Roy.
For those who have not heard of these ladies, Vikki Weldon is a local Squamish climber that comes from a family deeply involved in climbing. With her primary focus on sport climbing Vikki has travelled the world in pursuit of new adventures while climbing at a very high level along the way. originally from Calgary, who has travelled around the globe finding new adventures while climbing at a very high level.
Vikki Weldon on Fudge Packer in the Canadian Rockies. Photo courtesy of Vikki Weldon
Despite some very warm weather, Jamie Finlayson has managed to send his first V13, climbing Terminator in the North Walls. This excellent long problems links Squaminator into Squaminator Traverse and requires a unique blend of power and endurance. Jamie posted this photo and caption on his Instagram feed:
Worth a watch if you have ever been to Tonsai!
With the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy taking place this weekend, we thought we would check in with Jonathan Siegrist about his trip to Squamish and future plans. Jonathan has always been a huge inspiration in the sport climbing world, from his recent ascent of Biographie (5.15a) to his sport climbing expeditions across the globe. Jonathan is truly dedicated to the climbing life and seems to really value not only the future of the sport, but also its past. Here is what he had to say about his upcoming ‘Advanced Redpointing Clinic’ on Saturday and his participation in this weekend’s event.
Jonathan Siegrist on Chikane. Photo by Bear Cam Media.
Peter Winter / Leavenworth WA / Grand Wall Boulders / 25 V4 Circuit / Home Campus Board
Hope BC / Jeremy Smith / Scrub your Face / Godman Creek / Ring Workouts / Wiretap