Page 34 - 2009 AMA Winter

Ian realising he is actually short
BOULDERMANIA
By Henry Crosby
Hot on the heels of individual suc- ‘ethics lite’ European competition style
cesses at the Army Bouldering
Championships a team of eight were selected to represent the (One) Army in the Belgian Army’s Bouldermania com- petition. After last year’s 4th International Team place we were keen to push onto the podium. Six hours, thirty problems, count- less heelhooks, slaps, crimps, falls and lay- ers of skin later the team stood on the sec- ond step of the podium behind only the hosts.
Last years efforts were improved partly due to an understanding of the Belgian scoring system where unlike in the UK problems can be redpointed prior to calling over a judge to assess your scored attempt. This
Gary ‘not being greedy wi’ it’
allowed for some more creative, difficult and plain thin moves in the problems. There was also a difference in the number of points scored per problem depending on difficulty; the effort expended struggling up the overhanging rockover on crimps being rewarded with more points than see- ing away the jugfest next to it. This howev- er required a little more strategy on the competitors’ part than just throwing our- selves at every problem, as over the course of the day fatigue began to creep in after multiple practices on the hardest problems.
Individual successes of note must go to Mark Stevenson, Oli Lewis and Tom Odling who came 3rd, 4th and 6th respectively, forming our second place team. Also to Sgt Gary Reed who achieved 3rd place in the Masters (Old Buggers) division.
Poor weather cut short the plans of Sport Climbing in Belgium and so the team moved on to Fontainbleau for some inten- sive bouldering training. Accommodation of the highest grade was booked with Formula 1 Hotels, three men to a room for just 30€ – a definite preference to camping in the Forest where theft and rain are com- mon. Training was conducted in a number of different styles around the forest. The first day consisted of a blue circuit – appar- ently easy – of 46 boulders and was a test of endurance for us all. It also introduced some members of the team to the varied and at times unique style of climbing in Font. The slopers and rounded top outs of the boulders make those found in The Peak look positively pedestrian.
After damaging ourselves on the first day
Tom on Big Jim
much ‘climb on’ was used to repair skin in order to allow a further siege. The subse- quent days produced a good variety of routes – mainly with sloping top outs – slabs and overhangs were tackled with equal vigour. A number of the lower grade ‘Classic’ Fontainbleau routes lead to more difficulty than their statistics would initially indicate but some big grade routes also fell. Oli Lewis climbed Carnage – a vicious dynamic crimping overhang – at 7b+, Tom Odling and Mark Stevenson climbed Fleur de Rhum at 7a+. A number of 7a’s were climbed by the team in a variety of areas and a couple more will still be there as pro- jects for later years.
Overall the trip was a tremendous success achieving both good results in Bouldermania and an excellent training week in Fontainbleau setting the seeds of bouldering power ready for the all round fit- ness required for the Sport climbing sea- son ahead.
32 ARMY MOUNTAINEER