THE MAMMUT BOULDERING CHAMPIONSHIP
by PATRICK WELSH
An orange and pink sunset came on slowly, lighting the eastern mountains and
buildings surrounding the Shiloh Inn in the heart of Salt Lake City. On the roof of the hotel is an overhung bouldering wall surrounded by a mass of excited spectators. They are there to watch some of the best climbers in the world compete against each other in the Mammut Bouldering Championship, an annual event at the summer Outdoor Retailer Show. It is not a fake contest or just a show; but a very serious competition that is taken seriously by everyone in the climbing community.
A large number of skilled and strong climbers entered the competition, but in such a strong field only the best of this elite field will see the finals. The qualifications saw 13 women and 12 men move on past the first set of challenging problems. The women’s qualifiers were:
1) Alex Puccio
2) Kate Reese
3) Paige Claassen
4) Portia Menlove
5) Sasha Di Giulian
6) Alex Johnson
7) Ally Dorey
8) Laura Griffiths
9) Asaki Hagiwara
10) Tiffany Hensley
11) Cicada Jenerik
12) Kassia Pietras
13) Elizabeth Hardwick
The men’s qualifiers were:
1) Daniel Woods
2) Paul Robinson
3) Guillaume Glairon Mondet
4) Chris Sharma
5) Kevin Jorgenson
6) Dave Marquess
7) Sean McColl
8) Tyler Landman
9) Steven Jeffery
10) Zach Lerner
11) Mark Hobson
12) Chuck Fryerberger
As the afternoon heat gave way to the cooler nighttime temps, the stage was set for a clash of titans. Chris Sharma, largely considered the worlds top all around climber was favored to win the men’s division, but a field of young comers mixed with strong comp regulars, including Daniel Wood, were ready to take the top spot from him. The women’s field was more open. Strong favorites Alex Johnson, Kate Reese, and Alex Puccio were up against a varied field of competitors including talented local Portia Menlove, and young Cicada Jenerik. The women’s final results were:
1) Alex Johnson
2) Alex Puccio
3) Portia Menlove
4) Laura Griffiths
5) Sasha Di Giulian
6) Cicada Jenerik
The men’s results were:
1) Chris Sharma
2) Paul Robinson
3) Daniel Woods
4) Guillaume Glairon Mondet
5) Kevin Jorgenson
6) Tyler Landman
In the end, Chris Sharma showed he still is the cool and controlled master of his discipline, and Alex Johnson gets to add another notch on her already accomplished list of wins. For more info on upcoming climbing comps and events look at: www.boulderingcomps.com.
If you are looking to get involved in an upcoming local climbing event, sign up to volunteer for the 6th Annual Heart Climb for Life, Sept. 13-16, 2007. It is a great fun weekend dedicated to raising money for Breast Cancer Research through climbing and other activities. For more info look at: www.climb4life.org.