The North Face Ice Climbing World Cup and Swiss Masters in Saas-Fee

Silver and Gold for Switzerland in the Ice Climbing World Cup. With his victory in Saas-Fee, Simon Anthamatten from Zermatt assured himself of the Overall World Cup victory as well as victory in the Swiss Masters. Saas-Fee’s multi-storey car park was this year for the ninth time in a row the rendezvous for the Ice Climbing Elite. More than 2000 spectators and 102 athletes from 20 nations were once again inspired by the super atmosphere and spectacular backdrop.

 Lead World Cup Men…76 athletes from 19 nations assembled for the Lead-World Cup (formerly Difficulty). Of the best 8 athletes to qualify for the finals, none were able to complete the climb to the top of the demanding 40-metre long final route in the permitted time. Two suspended columns of ice about two thirds of the way along the route proved particularly appealing to the audience and the entire crowd of spectators was in a fever of excitement each time an athlete prepared to swing from one ice block to the other. Simon Anthamatten of Switzerland, who was in first place in the semi-final, was the last competitor in the final to start and his almost perfect climb brought him victory at Saas-Fee to add to his World Cup victory in Daone (Italy). Last year’s Overall World Cup victor, Markus Bendler from Austria, unfortunately fell through an ice rupture after approximately half the final route. This caused Bendler, who up to this point had also been this year’s leader in the Overall World Cup, to lose the Overall World Cup victory to Anthamatten.  Evgeny Kryvosheytsev of Ukraine, in second place in Saas-Fee, was able to secure third place in the Overall World Cup. Third place in Saas-Fee went to the Korean, Park Hee-yong.  Lead World Cup Women…A first and second place similarly went to athletes from Italy:   Angelika Rainer was the only competitor in the 30m long final route to reach the last hold in the permitted time, thus winning through against Jenny Lavarda, World Cup victor of Daone (I) and Overall World Cup victor for 2007 and 2008. Third place went to the Russian Ksenia Sdobnikova.  Speed World Cup Men/Women …The Russian athletes quite clearly dominated the course of the competition in this discipline (Speed Climbing). The 15m high Speed Route was climbed in the case of the men in a remarkable best time of 14:28 seconds and in the case of the women in 27:59 seconds.In the women’s event Maria Tolokonina triumphed over five further athletes from Russia. The men’s victor was Kirill Kolchegoshev.  The only competitor who could put up any sort of a fight against the Russians was Switzerland’s Urs Odermatt, who achieved second place. Swiss Masters Men…

1. Simon AnthamattenPatrick Aufdenblatten
2. Samuel Anthamatten                                        

 Swiss Masters Women…

Further information…

www.mountain-life.ch/iwc