Ice Climbing World Cup 2006

Sunday 5 March at Hemsedal in Norway, the 2006 ice-climbing World Cup ended. Planetmountain’s Vinicio Stefanello and the athlete, mountain guide AnnaTorretta tell us how things went.
Oscar Durbiano

News of an iced circuit
Ines Papert and Harald Berger even in Norway climbed higher than everyone else, therefore conquering the Ice Climbing World Cup 2006. It happened on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March at Hesedal, in Norway, during the fifth and last stage of the ice-climbing world cup. The circuit saw the start at Daone the 20-22 January with a record number of participants (over 90), proceeded onto the Czech town Spicak, the Swiss Saas Fee and the new Romanian entry of Busteni to conclude with the Norwegian Hemsedal.
As we anticipated, the tour’s response was for the German Ines Papart and for the Austrian Harald Berger, favourites right from the beginning and winners of the Trophy with full marks. For Ines it was even a unanimous series of wins (5 out of 5), who never lost the highest step of the podium. While Harald brought home 3 victories (at Daone with Samuel Anthamatten, at Busteni equal with Evgeny Kryvosheitzev, and finally at Hemsedal) adding the 5th place of Saas Fee and the 3rd of Spicak.
On the last stage Papert overcame in order the French Stephanie Maureau (2nd) and our Jenny Lavarda who with this third place confirms her potential even on ice. The male podium instead, as well as Berger saw the Ukrainian Evgeny Kryvosheitzev at the second place and the Austrian Markus Bendler at third place. The other Italians competing were Anna Torretta who was fifth, Barbara Zwerger tenth while Herbert Klammer is 7th . Looking at the general ranking we need to register Anna Torretta’s great second place in front of Stephanie Maureau. While on the male podium the Swiss Simon Wandeler is second in front of the Ukrainian Evgeny Kryvosheitzev. The speed World Cup instead was won by the Russians Maxim Vlasov and Julia Oleynikova, followed respectively by the Swiss Urs Odermatt (the only non Russian of the two podiums) and by Igor Fayzulin, and by Natalia Kulikova and Maria Shabalina.
This first World Cup under the UIAA is over. A first time with lights and shadows, which sometimes seemed to hardly find an identity. Stages, “expert” and established like Daone and Saas Fee (let us remember in fact that this kind of ice climbing with a race number exists from 1999), were joined by others in which logistical problems tied to this discipline were not overcome.
-notice the inadequacy of Spicak’s and Hemsedal’s competition structures. In this sense we must positively point out Busteni’s experience which faced up to its first experience really well.
To all this was added, and should not be hidden, a certain “difficulty” on the part of the International Federation in preparing regulations suitable for ice climbing, in terms of general organization. It was the first time, we said, therefore there is the space to improve but also to get to know one another better between the competition’s single organizations and the Federation itself: it is not impossible. In the meantime, as we have done for other stages even this time we will host the opinion of athletes like Anna Torretta who talks about her Norwegian experience; an experience between lights and shadows, precisely.
Vinicio Stefanello

Norway and the World Cup
I disembark at the airport of Torp, the equivalent of Bergamo for Norway, on the southern coast; with a snowstorm that does not allow you to see 10 metres ahead : well done to the pilot who lands on a totally white runway! The Grivel team is here to taste the ice of the mythical Norwegian ice falls, as well as to conclude the ice climbing World Cup. It is a small world, there is a small group of people from the region of Trento guided by Loris Manzana heading to Rjukan…
Many Italians, in this very cold and “very expensive” Norway. Ryanair, the official sponsor, has shortened the distance and sent for all the European athletes, English, Russians, Austrians, Germans, French and Italians. The Romanians travelled 2 days by car, the Slovenians had a shorter trip. But not only, Koreans and Japanese have also arrived. There are 14 women and 32 men at the start.
Let us talk about the Italians, finally numerous in a World Cup competition, after the Italian stage in Daone. Finally the new generations which will mark the rankings for the next years! The very strong Jenny Lavarda arrives with Angelika Rainer and Barbara Schwerger, the “big” all female, Italian team, is completed with yours truly. Amongst the men there is Herbert Klammer. But let us talk about the competition, or better still about the structure, or better still about the organization, or better about the disorganization of the event…the Norwegians made a real fiasco, but before accusing them, we need to go and see who the guilty party is: who allowed the Norwegians to host the “World Cup final”? The Norwegians decided how to organize this event after an evening at the pub…they had never seen an ice competition before.
The World Cup final in Norway is the first ever ice competition organized in this country! Doesn’t make sense?! The UIAA probably was in a hurry to put together 5 stages to organize a cup which no one took care of? There was never a general ranking, and to this day I cannot find it on internet. The page of the Uiaa web site (www.uiaa.ch) has the category of ice climbing blank and I think that it will unfortunately stay that way.
I will go back to talking about the competition. The final is moved by one day at the last minute, is that possible? The reason: if the competition had not been moved it would have been cancelled, with a complete flop for the World Cup. It would have been cancelled because the climbing structure did NOT allow for an open competition to be carried out, for a semifinal, and a female, male final. The competition would have been cancelled the week before it was carried out with all the athletes having already paid and booked their ticket and accommodation!
The structure is made of four toothpicks planted in the ground, structurally very instable, but the project is signed by an engineer… Only the creation of two itineraries were possible, consequently cancelling the open competition straight away. The female semifinal is climbed top rope, in fact it is impossible to lead without suffering multiple leg fractures if one falls! The female final is carried out on the male semifinal course and the male final is moved to a canyon, 20 km from Hemsedal. The canyon has a number of ice flows and amongst these there are a few dry tooling routes. One is created especially for the competition. What an idea! The athletes ask themselves: why did they not carry out the whole competition here, instead of a skimpy structure, not iced, unstable and ugly (really ugly!) to see? Sponsors wouldn’t have been happy, that is the answer!
The solution turns out to be excellent: finally a route to interpret for real mixed terrain climbers, where you need to have a feeling for the ice. Some of the hooks in the rock have been drilled, but this way the Norwegians will have a harder route to train on next year! The most famous American ice climbing festival at Ouray in Colorado is like this. At Saas Fee for a number of years the competitions were carried out on a natural structure. Why did no one think of this outdoor solution straight away seeing that the Norwegian structure was not up to scratch as well as the high temperatures.
The real “deus ex machina” of this event, the one that saved the day, was the Slovenian Andrei Pecjak helped by his wife Jasna, who set out the routes, was a judge and coordinated the Norwegians; the two of them really did a wonderful job. The routes of the final were great to climb in the end, and in the final only the winners reached the final chain, Harry Berger and Ines Papert.
My congratulations go to the Italian athletes, especially to Jenny, who trained specifically for these competitions, even if she does not admit it, but you can notice and the great results she achieved prove it. She has acquired the technique for dry tooling climbing, strength linked to a balanced use of the spur which is the essential technical part to make certain moves, without killing the biceps! Even Angelika proved that she had also practised with ice tools and had put in a lot of effort as had Barbara, the new Italian champion: they all pleasantly surprised me. I am convinced that the next World Cups will speak Italian and will especially be female…
Yes…but will there be other World Cups? Will we manage to set up a Cup calendar before the 15th December? Will be there be a UIAA member who will check the structures? Will there be prize money for each competition? The rules impose a minimum amount of prize money, but there are no sanctions for those who makes athletes travel all over Europe and offer them wooly jumpers or a leg of lamb or climbing gear as a prize! Will there be spurs?
After the disappointment of this competition, the idea that I should stop and that now is the time to go back climbing, the missed party, the vice world champion trophy, I went looking for the real Norway, for its endless ice falls, its fjords, its wooden huts, for the white light, the elks, for those silences which do not make the news but fill you with satisfaction.
Norway is the ideal place for a World cup stage, the structure is in front of ski slopes…the flight hardly costs anything, for everything else you just need to organize yourself, the ice falls are enormous…but the structure and the competition budget…should be something else. I am definitely going back to Norway, to climb!
Anna Torretta