Ice World Cup 2003.
Comments by Erik Svab
The fourth edition of the Ice World Cup has been put to the files,
and now it’s time to make some considerations about the
evolution of ice climbing competitions.
First of all, it has to be pointed out that IWC (Ice World Cup)
has established itself as a fixed competition series of the winter
season. Especially this last year was useful to achieve the confirmation
of UIAA, fundamental premises to gain the international dignity
that is necessary to aim new targets, like a possible participation
to some Winter Olympics in future years.
The general opinion has been positive about the just ended season,
during which national and international events have taken place.
The Italian competition series, called Alpin Cup, consisted in
three events: Lanzada, Monguelfo and Val di Fassa. Italian was
also the World Cup event that has become, in everybody’s
opinion, the reference point of the whole circuit: Val Daone.
Several athletes participating, about one hundred, all in very
good physical shape. And further, lot of medias and many passionate
spectators. Signs that give much hope for the future of the activity.
Pitztal, 10-11 January.
Start of the season in Austria. In the men’s field victory
for the reigning champion, Russian Dmitry Bychkov. In the women’s
field, win for German Ines Papert, reigning World Champion, who
got her title exactly in Pitztal last winter.
The competition has taken place on the big tower, called Big
Ben, over 35 meters high. This year the competition structure
has been improved with overhanging walls and artificial panels
for dry tooling. These improvements have allowed the route setters
to create routes that were very hard, although may be questionable
from the aesthetical point of view. On the other side, the high
performance level reached by the top climbers makes necessary
a continuous research of physically demanding progression, and
this goal couldn’t be achieved remaining in the vertical
environment of traditional ice climbing.
Quite good performance of the Italian athletes in the competition.
Four Italians in the semifinal: Mauro Bole, the Italian Champion
Kurt Astner, Massimo Farina and Mario Prinoth. Even better perform
the girls, with Anna Torretta and Orietta Bonaldo who will close
in sixth, respectively seventh position.
Finals on Saturday night, with spotlights and temperature of –15°.
Second position for Austrian Harry Berger, behind Russian Dmitry
Bytchkov. Third young Swiss Simon Anthamatten. Among the Italians
sixth place for Mauro “Bubu” Bole, who, although
he went to Pitztal “just for fun”, shows off another
time his great ice climbing capabilities.
In the women’s field, behind Ines Papert, the other German
Kirsten Buchmann and then the young Russian, Ksenia Sdobnikova,
winner of the IWC 2002.
Val Daone, 20-21 January.
Big success for the World Cup leg in Val Daone, small valley in Trentino, which
in three years has become the reference point for the ice climbing competitions.
The credit goes to the organizers and to the experience of engineer and alpine
guide Maurizio Gallo, designer of the most beautiful and appreciated structure
of the series. The climbing wall, realized also thanks to the work of several
volunteers, who contribute every year to the event, represents an outstanding
example of energy and passion originated from the love to the mountains. Competence,
technology and spirit of enterprise are the ingredients that have permitted
to transform a small valley of northeastern Italy and to project it to the
international stage for the whole month of January, and this for the third
year in a row.
Another success for Ines Papert, who gives a great show. Behind her the Russian
Natalia Koulikova and Ksenia Sdobnikova. Best Italian as usual Anna Torretta,
who closes in ninth position.
In the men’s category the surprise is called Alexei Tomilov, is twenty
years old and arrives from Russia. The new phenomenon from the eastern countries
has managed to barely beat Austrian Harry Berger, one of the favorites of the
day before. Third position for Samuel Anthamatten, sixteen-year-old brother
of Simon Anthamatten, bronze medal in the Pitztal leg. Seventh position for
Kurt Astner, only Italian in the final. We must point out the efficiency of
the competition routes, particularly appreciated by the athletes and set by
Attilio Munari, assisted by Pietro Dal Pra and Erik Svab.
Saas Fee, 25-26 January.
Nothing noticeable in the women’s competition, dominated also this
time by Papert, too strong for her competitors.
Behind her young Russian Ksenia Sdobnikova, winner of the WC 2002, who,
with the second place, attains also the second step of the World Cup podium.
Third Swiss woman Petra Müller.
In the men’s competition strong fight between Harry Berger and alien
Alexei Tomilov. This time the Austrian prevails and with his victory he
manages to win also the World Cup 2003 Trophy. Tomilov must be satisfied
with the second position, which means also silver in the IWC 2003.
Lowest step of the podium for the reigning World Champion, Ukrainian Evgueni
Kryvosheytsev, who will end fourth in the general WC ranking. The bronze
medal in the general ranking goes to Dmitry Bychkov, winner of the first
event of the year, the one in Pitztal.
A short mention about the competition wall of the Swiss event, a vertical
ice tower connected with a few wooden and metal roofs and panels. The problem
of the structures, particularly if referred to the remarkable psychic-physical
improvement of the athletes, represents a limit for the evolution of the
difficulty. Walls like the one in Sass Fee are outdated because they don’t
allow the development of the competition in accordance with the principle
of modern difficulty, which is independent from the time factor. The future
instead moves toward always more overhanging and complex structures, which
allow maximum expression freedom to the competition route setters.
The protagonists.
A few surprises in the 2003 series. In the women’s category it has been
a monologue of the German champion Ines Papert, definitely far above the others,
so much that the girl could easily compete in the men’s category.
Pretty good the results of the Italian women team, with Anna Torretta, Orietta
Bonaldo (winner of both Coppa Italia Difficulty competition), Monica Gemelli,
Claudia Colussi and Francesca Chenal.
Among the men the generational exchange is being completed, among the veterans
of the first international ice climbing competitions, started in the by now
far away 1999, and the new young climbers. And now names like Lombard, Lamiche,
Bole, Anderle, Odermatt, Premrl have to compete always more with the new protagonists
like Evgueni Kryvosheytsev, Kurt Astner, Harry Berger and Yann Bonneville.
Further, this year the French dream-team was missing: Dulac put out of action
by a foot fracture, Husson struggling with back pain, Lombard out of shape
and Lamiche who doesn’t manage to find the right concentration. A pity,
because it would have been interesting to see the French cousins fighting at
the highest level, as they usually do.
At the same time, after a few defections, some new talents emerged, like the
young Swiss brother Anthamatten or the pleasant surprise of the very young
Alexei Tomilov.
At last, we have witnessed the partial consecration of Russian Dmitry Bychkov
who had a blazing start (Pitztal), that let predict an absolute domain, but
he later slowed down, achieving, nonetheless, an outstanding third place in
the general World Cup ranking.
Perspectives.
Everything considered, it’s clear that such a big success of athletes
and public promise good perspectives for the future. It was a pity that this
year there have been only three World Cup events, because also the World Championship
has been organized, taking place away from potential organizers of other events.
It was also a mistake not to repeat, for various problems, the two best events
of the past year, beside Val Daone: Chamonix (France) and Quebec (Canada).
Unfortunately ice climbing competitions require a great amount of energy, means
and luck. They are harder to organize than a climbing competition, regarding
both climbing wall and route setting. Further, environmental conditions have
a fundamental role, because a temperature constantly below zero is necessary,
otherwise nothing can be done.
All this effort doesn’t always correspond to an immediate image return.
Therefore it happens that some resorts aren’t any more satisfied with
a simple positive sportive message, but they look for other confirmations,
before they commit for the following year event. And of course the complete
success of the event becomes a determining factor for the course of the experience.
This is the reason why the activity should be planned always better, widening
the offer in such a way that maximum visibility is guaranteed to every resort
that gets involved in hosting a World Cup leg. The Ice Climbing movement must
regain the show occasions that are worth something, to implement the ones that
already exist, and finalize it all to a continuous improvement of the credibility
of the project-show “ice climbing competitions”.
Potentially Ice Climbing has the qualities to become a valid winter alternative
to traditional seasonal sports, but new ingredients are needed, to improve
the course and to make it tastier.
The best solution is to place side by side the event “competition” and
the “meeting”, for athletes, passionates and public, so that, after
the end of the competition, they all climb together on the frozen waterfalls
of the area. In the evening it would be possible to visit the booths of the
companies that introduce new equipment, and then there would be slide shows
of personalities of the mountain world. A socializing moment, in short, where
the aggregation of the people represents an instrument of constructive comparison.
From this point of view, it is significant the experience of Val Daone, where
the World Cup competition, combined with the “Pareti di cristallo” meeting,
has brought together thousands of persons and involved important media, included
the national RAI.
Erik Svab
IWC 2003 FINAL RANKING - WOMEN
PLACE IWC-POINTS FIRST NAME LAST NAME NATIONALITY
1 300 INES PAPERT GERMANY
2 225 KSENIA SDOBNIKOVA RUSSIA
3 186 KIRSTEN BUCHMANN GERMANY
4 130 PETRA MÜLLER SWITZERLAND
5 129 MISUN GO KOREA
IWC 2003 FINAL RANKING - MEN
PLACE IWC-Points FIRST NAME LAST NAME NATIONALITY
1 260 HARALD "HARRY" BERGER AUSTRIA
2 211 ALEXEI TOMILOV RUSSIA
3 184 DMITRY BYCHKOV RUSSIA
4 163 EVGENY KRYVOSHEYTSEV UKRAINE
5 103 KURT ASTNER ITALY
