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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Boulderfest 2014 Results

 Mark Derksen
 3920






 Dave Trudel
 3838





 Taylor Hudson
 3766





 Nathan Wong
 3715





 Lucas Chan
 3621





 Adrian Tomei
 3567





 Ryan Frecka
 3508





 Brayden Baynes
 3410





 Justin Speelman
 3327





 Trevor Macmillan
 3230





 Orrin Hawke
 3217





 Henrique De Se' Ellwanger
 3087





 Frazer Wilde
 3043





 Alexis Demecha
 3036





 Cam Murray
 2913





 Graham Harder
 2842





 Tyler Johns
 2720





 Shem Simmons
 2670





 Calvin Gee
 2575





 Colton Wilde
 2570





 Jon Koegler
 2540





 Brad Fleming
 2527





 David Tavernini
 2468





 Ashlee Matkin
 2422





 Kevin Funk
 2377





 Jordon Harmatiuk
 2265





 Graeme Collins
 2222





 Will Kwan 
 2120





 Lauren Kwan 
 2096





 Daniel Wolfe
 1973





 Kelly Ryan
 1931





 Kieran Meadows 
 1916





 Christine Wallace 
 1761






 Megan Davis
 1750






 Salix Hurkett
 1687






 Eric Bly
 1482






 Michelle Ryan
 1450







 Ciara Meadows
 1420






 Myla Sept
 1375






 Aaron Trozzo
 1361






 Cole Gillard
 1311






 Ty Orich
 1300






 Michael Doherty
 1281






 Justin Bly
 1267






 Ryan Titley
 1215






 Pierre Dillon
 1190






 Meghan Orica
 1096






 Yameka Ogita
 1085






 Takumu Ogita
 1045






 Auburn Phillips 
 1012






 Brooke Johns
 1011






 Robyn Simmons
 980






 Machkenzie Harms
 961






 Sierra Harms
 896






 Kaitlyn Rice 
 835






 Jessica Morton 
 830






 Richard Belchamer
 815






 Tristan Meadows
 635






 Erica Lind
 450



















Sunday, April 3, 2011

How to do your best at Boulderfest

Anyone who has participated in Boulderfest would agree that it is one of the best events of the year. It's a social gathering and a festival of climbing that introduces new and experienced climbers to the sport of bouldering and a series of around fifty brand new bouldering problems for them to climb. It's purpose is to expose climbers to the atmosphere of a large scale climbing event, introduce them to one of the formats of a typical bouldering event, but most importantly, Boulderfest is meant to be fun for everyone.

If 2011 was your first Boulderfest you're probably wondering where we got the idea for holding an event with judges, scorecards, and everything else. The answer: Boulderfest is modeled entirely off of a scramble format bouldering competition. Many national, and world championship bouldering competitions are modeled the exact same way. The only real difference between Boulderfest and a serious competition is that we don't give cash prizes to the winners.

Lots of people, especially new climbers, are turned off by the word, "competition." But the best thing about climbing competitions is that even the best climbers in the world will cheer on a beginner that is trying hard on a route. Everyone comes out a winner because everyone has a good time. That is the sport of bouldering, it is a social event that that brings people together to do something they all have fun doing and build off of each others enthusiasm.

Now that you've had a chance to sample Boulderfest, you can go ahead and participate in other climbing competitions at other gyms with confidence, knowing that it is going to have the same atmosphere as Boulderfest, leave you with the same good feeling, and be just as much fun if not more fun than Boulderfest was. Most people don't even go to competitions to compete, they go just to have fun, play on all the new problems, and get a chance to watch and learn from some of the really strong climbers.

For those of you that are interested in going on and participating in other competitions, or simply want to learn how to do your best at Boulderfest next year, here are a few pointers that will help you achieve the highest score you can.

1. Prepare.

If you climb a lot, you know that even going a couple of weeks without climbing is enough to throw you off your game. If you want to climb your best at Boulderfest or any other competition, then you need to keep a regular climbing routine. Simply climbing regularly is more than enough, but if you're the type, then you might have a training routine that you would like to follow in order to get you into peak physical condition.

2. Relax.

Going into a competition on nerves will ruin you in more ways than one. First of all you're gunna be terrified about looking like a dork in front of all the strong climbers. Second, you're going to be all shaky when you're on the problems which is only going to increase your chances of falling. Third, your body is going to pumping out all kinds of chemicals into your system that are just going to pump you out faster than ever. Fourth, and most importantly, you're not going to have fun! If you're not going to have fun at a bouldering competition then you're not going for the right reasons. If you're not trying to win the comp, then just go to hang out, and enjoy yourself, go with some friends or make some friends there. Chances are that whoever is trying to climb the same problems as you is probably just as good of a climber as you, so introduce yourself, and voila, you have a new climbing buddy to sesh the comp with.

3. Warm up.

Everyone that has climbed has been pumped out more than once. Climbing competitions seem to pump you out faster than ever, because you get there, the music starts playing and there are just SO many problems that you want to try to play on! If you're in a playing mood then I would say just go play, but if you're trying to get your high score, then you are going to need to take time at the beginning to warm up your muscles and get you blood flowing, watch other people climb while you do this, that way you can learn how some problems are done so you don't wear yourself out trying them.
Most people have their own warm up routine, but if you don't have one, try climbing on something that you would consider SUPER easy, take your time on it, climbing it slow, down climb it even. You're simply trying to activate your muscles and get them ready for a lot more climbing. If your warm up starts wearing you out, then you need to slow down. If you start getting pumped out, try running on the spot, doing jumping jacks, or hopping up and down with your arms above your head, this will get your heart pumping, your blood flowing, and displace the lactic acid that is building up in your arms. Sometimes expert climbers will take up to an hour and a half to get warm while they are planning out what problems they want to try, which is the next step:

4. Plan out your Problems.

There is some strategy to getting a high score, and it doesn't involve having big muscles and climbing the hardest problem. You need to climb a series of problems that will all contribute to your final score, at Boulderfest it is your top seven problems, other places it may be your top five, or you may even go somewhere they count all of your problems towards your top score.
The most important thing you need to accomplish is to make sure that you at least fill your scorecard! For example, if you only try to climb the hard stuff at Boulderfest, but you only send five or six problems, then you're not going to have enough sends to get your full scoring potential. The second most important thing to do is to group all of your problems. Getting seven problems in a row is going to give you more points than if your top seven are spread out across your score card.

For example, compare these two score cards:

Climber #1: Problems sent= 41, 38, 27, 22, 16, 11 & 9. Falls=31 SCORE=1609 points.

Climber #2: Problems sent= 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 & 26. Falls=0 SCORE=1610 points.

Climber #1 tried really hard to get problems that were at his limit, problems he knows he can get, but probably not seven of them in three hours. As a result, he fell a lot of times, only finishrd a couple of the really hard ones, then when time was running out he was too tired to fill in his score card with anything else but problems he would normally consider really easy.
Climber #2 on the other hand, she took her time, warmed up, watched some people climb some of the problems so she could figure out the beta, and then climbed a series of problems that she knew she could get. The final result, even though she isn't as strong of a climber as Climber #1, she ended up beating his score.

So try a couple of problems and try to figure out where in the range you could get seven in a row, keeping in mind that they are never rated perfectly. If you can't get one problem, try the one just above it. If you think you've climbed the hardest problem you can, then start filling in the gaps in your scorecard below it.

5. HAVE FUN!

I've said it before, but you can't say it enough, climbing is a recreational sport, people do it because they enjoy it, so enjoy yourself.

These are all general pointers from the experiences of someone who has gone to a variety of comps after first competing in a Boulderfest. Some of you will probably take something from this article, apply it to your climbing strategy, and perform better at the next Boulderfest as well as start going to other comps. Just keep in in mind that the problems change every year and vary at every gym, just because you got #28 this year doesn't mean that you're guaranteed to get #28 next year. (This year the highest score was 3407, whereas last year the highest score was 3848. This isn't because the climbers got weaker, the problems were just different, and we had fewer of them. The more problems you have means higher numbers, and thus, higher scores. Different gyms cater to different climbers too. My first Boulderfest I got problems 47-53 out of 54 problems. My first comp in Calgary the highest problem I sent was #36, and it was the only problem I got in the 30's, but I still had a tonne of fun, and there were more than enough problems for me to play on.) A lot of people may not like to associate Boulderfest with competition climbing at all, and continue to think of it as strictly a festival of climbing.

However you want to think about Boulderfest. It isn't going to change what Boulderfest is, and that is simply climbing in Lethbridge at it's best.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

BOULDERFEST 2011 FINAL RESULTS

MENS CATEGORY

MARK THIBADEAU 3407
JON SHEPPARD 3403
KYLE MARCO 3360
COLTON WILDE 3179
NATHAN WONG 3166
SCOTT FRIEBEL 3162
BRENDAN HEDERSON 3136
ERIK JOHNSON 2957
JOSH SCHELLENBERG 2956
MIKE FAST 2954
TYRONE OLER 2893
KAI LOUSTEN 2850
COREY STEVENS 2546
TIM PEARCE 2332
LOGAN TOWNSEND 2320
JUSTIN SPEELMAN 2143
TONY STUMBO 2075
CALVIN GEE 2045
TIM APPLEBY 2000
TYLER JOHNS 1943
BEN MITTEN 1915
CARSON BELL 1845
TOM RUTHERFORD 1721
BLAIR STARK 1688
MARSHALL GARDNER 1659
DAVID FISHER 1539
JASON VANDERWAL 1500
JANSON SMITH 1418
TOM ARJANNIKOV 1406
MATTHEW CORBET 1352
CRAIG HAWKINS 1318
TRISTAN SJODEN 1223
AARON ROSENKE 1192
JASON RANGER 1180
CARLYN DERKSEN 1086
BRETT BORIX 1086
DAVID KRUZER 1076
CARSON WILDE 773


WOMENS CATEGORY

ISABEL KURCEBA 2466
NICOLE SUTHERLAND 2455
BETH NORRIS 2208
MAUREEN VANDE LIGT 2144
ZANETA NAVRATILOVA 2004
BETH MILLIONS 1855
JILLIAN COOK 1731
MEGAN BANMANN 1720
LEAH FAIRS 1589
ASHLEY TAYLOR 1498
SERENA WALLACE 1311
KRISTY PARSONS 1290
KELSEY PRATT 1137
LISA MACIVER 1129
CHRISTINE WALLACE 1126
ANGELA VAN SPRONSEN 1111
ALEXIS DEMECHA 1107
KYRA GALEY 925
KATERYNA MORAYKO 816


YOUTH CATEGORY

GRAHAM HARDER 1636
CHELSEA GAST 1492
OLIVIA ARMFELT 1440
BROOKE JOHNS 1258
LISA BASIL 984
KIERAN MEADOWS 935
LAUREN KWAN 775
WILL KWAN 743
CIARA MEADOWS 669

Friday, September 17, 2010

ALL ACCESS "pure climbing action"



For our upcoming movie night the U of L Climbing Club presents, "All Access" A film created to support the preservation of outdoor climbing areas. The Petzl All Access DVD contains ten amazing short climbing films:


  • Catching Reality – Emil Sergel
  • Hey Presto – Paul Diffley, Hot Aches Productions
  • Infinity Lane – TLC Productions
  • Medeoz – Guillaume Broust
  • PURE: Sonoma County with Kevin Jorgeson – Chuck Fryberger
  • Steph Davis – Sender Films
  • Steve McClure, Hubble – Ben Pritchard
  • Weeks Before Winter, featuring Chris Sharma – Mike Call

  • One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of All Access goes to the Access Fund and their revolutionary Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign, a multi-million-dollar revolving fund that helps local climbing organizations secure access. Petzl America covered the production costs for the DVD, while the filmmakers donated their work. All Access is an entertaining way for climbers, climbing filmmakers, and Petzl to work together in supporting the access cause.

    Date and location for the viewing of this film will be announced over Club e-mail.


    Tuesday, March 23, 2010

    CORE PREMIERE April 15th 7-9PM PE275


    The U of L Climbing Club is proud to present "CORE". We are part of the exclusive international film tour of this groundbreaking climbing film. The film will show at 7PM on April 15th at the U of L in room PE275, upstairs from the climbing wall.

    ***Tickets go on sale March 24th at Ascent Climbing Centre***

    ***$10 for the public ***
    ***$5 for club members***
    ***Free for Boulderfest problem setters***

    CORE goes to the heart of climbing. Join an international cast of the sport's most dedicated athletes as they stick it when it matters most. Shot in 35mm Ultra High Definition, get ready to see every detail of some of the nastiest pieces of rock ever climbed.

    CORE exposes the contrast in landscape and lifestyle that defines the sport. A close examination of each character offers perspective beyond just their achievements on the stone.

    Be there, in the moment, as a 5.14 traditional route gets its first ascent. See the actual first ascent footage from Livin Large, Nalle Hukkataival's monster 8C. See first ascent footage from Fred Nicole's hardest-ever project in Switzerland. These are the moments and the athletes that define our sport, captured in Cinema-quality 4K Ultra High Definition.



    Check out the event on Facebook

    Go to the official CORE website.

    Saturday, March 20, 2010

    BOULDERFEST 2010 FINAL STANDINGS

    MENS ADVANCED

    CHRIS HUMPHRIES

    3848

    JON SHEPPARD

    3780

    MARK THIBADEAU

    3780

    COLTON WILDE

    3730

    TEETHSUN HOYLE

    3602

    HANS BOWDEN

    3523

    JAMES CLARK

    3518

    ERIK JOHNSON

    3510

    BRENDON KRUGER

    3358

    BILL TURNER

    3311

    MATT MACDONALD

    3285

    MIKE DOHERTY

    3230

    SHANE RYBCHINSKI

    3115

    STEVEN LEGAULT

    3112

    SCOTT MALMBERG

    2942

    JANSON SMITH

    2762

    COREY STEVENS

    2744

    ED CHIN

    2705

    GORD COX

    2697

    PAUL MCDONNELL

    2550

    BRODIE PATTENDEN

    2480

    BRENDAN HENDERSON

    2413

    KEVIN KING

    2408

    JOHNNY KORTHIUS

    1998

    BEN FULLER

    1952

    MIKE FAST

    1783

    DAVID STEPHAN

    1660

    STEPHEN MAYALL

    316


    WOMENS ADVANCED

    NICOLE SUTHERLAND

    2759

    VICKI VANDERPYL

    2688

    LANA MILLER

    2631

    ISABEL KURCEBA

    2556

    CHRISTY GOLDHAWK

    2458

    ANDREA VISSER

    2088

    JANELLE WATSON

    2066


    MENS BEGINNERS

    LUKE BOOKER

    2523

    MATT MITTEN

    2283

    KYLE O'BRIAN

    2009

    LOGAN TOWNSEND

    1869

    LOGAN COHLS

    1724

    CALVIN GEE

    1531

    WILL GOVENLOCK

    1466

    BASIL JEFFERIES

    992

    MATT WHITE

    906

    JASON CAMPBELL

    894

    CALVIN ARREY

    317

    WOMENS BEGINNERS

    AUBREY DEMCHUK

    2408

    MICHELLE HUYNH

    2014

    NORAH FINES

    1955

    ASHLEY TAYLOR

    1698

    KRISTA OMAN

    1537

    MAUREEN VANDELIGT

    1469

    SERENA WALLACE

    1344

    CHRISTINE WALLACE

    1308

    BRIANA SMITH

    1295

    STEPHANIE WALICKI

    1202

    BOYS 14 UNDER

    AIDAN HANSEN

    1222

    KIERAN MEADOWS

    855

    WILL KWAN

    436

    GIRLS 14 UNDER

    OLIVIA ARMFELT

    2079

    CHELSEA GAST

    1493

    LISA BASIL

    1153

    HANNAH DYCK

    787

    LAUREN KWAN

    772