Page 8 - 2007 AMA Summer

On Thursday
all competitors moved to
the renowned Beacon Climbing Centre for the finals. A number of VIP's attended to give their support including Col (Retd) John Peacock (1976 Everest Expedition) and Col (Retd) Chris Harris, secre­ tary Army Sport Control Board. After the elimination rounds the climbers were sorted into three categories; “Top Rope Final”, “Open Lead Semi Final” and "Elite Lead Semi Final” . The routes, set by the staff at the beacon and checked by international route setter Andy Long, were
Meet member out on the natural stuff.
Fightinggravityat the bouldering comp.
much longer and a lot steeper than those at JSMTC.
The day started with the Top Rope competition. The com­ petitors climbed in reverse order from their results in the elimination rounds. A number of climbers reached a high point but could not get past the final small roof, until CpI Aiden Carbutt managed to unlock the last three moves. He score the max 100 points with Sgt John Leitch a very close second.
Next came the Open Semi final. This route climbed
a fiercely overhanging roof that test­
ed the climbers to the limit. Only three managed to over­ come the roof and complete the route but 12 climbers were select­ ed to progress through to
the finals.
The seven Elite climbers had been sent straight to isolation on arrival at the Beacon. This is a frustrating experience but essential for fair play. All other routes had been demonstrat­ ed but to ensure no prior knowledge the final routes for the elite category were a complete secret. The com­ petitors were brought out in random order and all but 2 completed the first route. This gave a start order for the Elite final.
During the afternoon, com­ petitors who did not achieve a
final were able to compete in a boulder competition. This was won by LCpI Matt Hopkinson, 17 Port & Maritime. The 12 climbers for the open comp were shown their final route, a very long and steep route up the main wall which was demonstrated by Andy Long. Again the climbers were in reverse order from the semi final round. The final produced a few surprises as favorites from the initial elimination rounds fell off. The eventual winner was OCdt Josh Conway from NUOTC. Meanwhile the elite category had been sweating it out in isolation. Again their route had been kept secret to ensure it was completely on- sight. This route was far more difficult than the semi final and produced a steady stream of fallers. LCpI Ian Karcoutli managed to gain a fraction of extra movement during his attempt and was eventually proclaimed the