by Tom Markiewicz on March 5, 2009
Sean McColl writes about warming up for competitions. He has some good advice that can be adapted to any climbing warm-up routine. My 75 minute warm up starts with 5 minutes of cardio. You can do anything, jump up and down, go for a run, jump rope, anything to get your heart going. For the [...]
by Tom Markiewicz on February 25, 2009
Sean McColl examines the various bouldering competition formats and discusses how he prefers the zone format scoring system. Another reason why I like the zone is because it rewards smarter climbers rathan than always the strongest. I’ve seen very strong competitors make mistakes during qualifyers and semis and as a result, they did not make [...]
by Tom Markiewicz on February 17, 2009
When I had a couple minutes between competitors at ABS Nationals, I tried to take some quick photos. Here’s some of what I saw from the floor:
by Tom Markiewicz on February 17, 2009
This past Friday I had the opportunity to volunteer at the ABS Nationals. I’m not sure how they picked people for the various positions (pretty sure it was random), but I ended up being the judge for the first problem in the men’s open qualifiers. I mainly wanted to volunteer for two reasons. First, I [...]
by Tom Markiewicz on February 15, 2009
While I volunteered one shift at the ABS Nationals this weekend at The Spot, I wasn’t able to attend the finals. Ryan of BoulderDiaries and the ClimbingNarc though both have posted updates. Men’s Results Daniel Woods Paul Robinson Sean McColl Women’s Results Alex Johnson Chauncenia Cox Alex Puccio The entire finals results are posted on [...]
by Tom Markiewicz on December 30, 2007
The following is a collection of all the upcoming ice climbing festivals in 2008. January 4 – 6, 2008 Kandersteg Ice Climbing Festival The 8th annual Kandersteg Ice Climbing Festival will be held in the Bernese Oberland. Over 450 ice climbers are expected to attend this festival in Switzerland. January 9 – 13, 2008 Ouray [...]
by Tom Markiewicz on January 3, 2006
The Mammut Bouldering Champoinships are gearing up and promise to be the “epicenter of North Eastern bouldering for the winter of ’06″. The first stop of the tour will be Earth Treks Climbing Gym in Timonium, MD on January 13-14, 2006. The next two events are MetroRock in Boston (February 10-11) and the New Jersey [...]
by Tom Markiewicz on April 21, 2005
The University of Idaho Climbing Center recently hosted the third annual Palouse Climbing Festival with 60-70 climbers in attendance including Will Gadd. The University of Idaho claims to have the most comprehensive climbing facility in North America, featuring a 55-foot pillar and a 6,000-foot climbing area.
by Tom Markiewicz on February 26, 2005
The Tuscaloosa News reports that the Southeastern Climbing Coalition held the Moss Rock “Chalky Dreams” Bouldering Competition on February 19 at the Moss Rock Preserve in Birmingham, Alabama. The group held the event to raise funds to purchase a climbing area near Little River Canyon in northeast Alabama known as Jamestown.
by Tom Markiewicz on February 12, 2005
Sponsored by Red Bull, Cedar Falls, Iowa is hosting an ice climbing competition this weekend on silos. For the past five years, University of Northern Iowa outdoor pursuits teacher Don Briggs has been icing down four silos for the purpose of climbing. The largest ice wall stretches 68 feet from the ground, while two others [...]
by Tom Markiewicz on January 30, 2005
The Governor Stable Bouldering Competition, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Alliance of Climbers (PAC), will be held this year on March 19, 2005. This annual competition hosts over 200 climbers and registration for the comp includes a one year PAC membership.