The end of the vertical millennium seems definitely projected towards Bouldering. Everywhere people speak always more about the emerging phenomenon and with more excitement than ever. All this ferment is visible analysing the competition calendars, calendars that are always more divided in two distinctive disciplines, difficulty and bouldering. This year for instance, the First Bouldering World Cup starts and also in national field we assist to the beginning of the speciality trophy. The Fair of Leisure Time in Bolzano, the national appointment that since quite a long time represents the national beginning of the competition season, has decided to be godfather for the new discipline. Therefore first competition of the series, for the moment consisting in two meetings, the second in Rovereto on September 18, and potentially very interesting. Also regarding the number of the partecipating competitors, about a hundred. Totally different competition also, from a spectacular point of view definitely anomalous compared with a classical difficulty competition. The spectators and even the insiders have to get used to it, because many things change. In bouldering the situations and also the rules of the game are different. It becomes fundamental to understand, at least in general, the principles of the new discipline, to interpret it correctly and therefore to appreciate it.
During the bouldering competition the athlet must climb a certain number of problems and for each problems he has a limited time available to solve it. In Bolzano, for instance, thay had 8 qualification boulders and 6 in the final. For each boulder the athlet has 5 or 6 minutes time, and then the same time to rest between a boulder and the other. It is all about managing, in the best possible way, a very intense effort. From the physical point of view, you need power and a good deal of resistance. The athlet must do a strenuous workout that can last till 40 minutes, as in the case of the qualification on 8 boulders. In theory also 40 minutes work (5 minutes for each boulder) and 40 minutes rest. Each athlet has in fact 5 minutes to solve the problem. If the boulder is solved at the first try, the remaining 3 or 4 minutes can be used as further rest. Otherwise the athlet can make more tries, until the expiration of the available time. The
boulder is solved when both hands reach the last hold. If the last hold hasn't been reached, a lower hold, already difficult to reach, called the "zone" hold, is considered a plus point. Two competition days, men's selection on Saturday and final on Sunday.
First day dedicated to the men's qualification, with 8 problems consisting in 5 to 10 movements, definitely committing and spectacular. In particular evidence the specialists of the Italian explosive power, Core, Ghidini and Calibani. Confirmed among the "strongest of the peninsula" with a powerful come back in great style, Alippi from Lecco, definitely in great form on the first qualification day.
On the successive day it's time for the girls to begin. In only one round the very young Jenny Lavarda beats a group of strong conpetitors, led by Marchisio and Iovane.
Big bagarre instead in the men's field, with Christian Core from Savona in
front of Luca Zardini "Canon", completely transformed compared with the first competition day. Behind them a strong Riccardo Scarian, and after Calibani, Ghidini and Brenna.

A very beautiful and appealing competition, appreciated by both spectators and competitors.
Problems weren't lacking though, as it is normal and natural in the first competitions of a new discipline. Nothing really bad anyway. The experience made in this occasion by the organisation Fair-Fasi, will be useful in the future to improve the formula of the competition and may be to make a proposal to change the actual rules, rather ambiguous and incomplete.
To make a concrete example, it doesn't seem right that an athlet like Calibani, who reached the last hold of two boulders, that nobody has climbed, is penalised in his sporting performance, because he is evaluated as if he had touched only the "zone" hold. It is useless, for the ranking,
that he has made this big sporting performance (he has kept and blocked holds that nobody else has even touched). It is clear that there are rules, and whoever enters the competition accepts them inconditionally. But it is also true that it would be possible to do better, if somebody wants.
For instance, looking for a argument that praises the quality of the sporting performance and not only the concept "climbed to the top or not" boulder, it would be enough to mark, in the longest boulders, two "zones".
Adopting this small expedient would avoid misunderstandings like the one occurred to Calibani. Another problem regards the logistic of the judges.
If in a difficulty competition two or three judges are sufficient, in a meeting like Bolzano you need at least ten, because the competitors climb rotating continuously. The videocameras are also missing, to solve complaints, numerous as always, and that, in theory, shouldn't exist. To avoid doubts about the complaints, you would need as many cameras and operators as boulders. And this is not a little thing.
Vertical demagogies, that in some cases would avoid scenes like those of Alippi, going away as a protest for the judge who denied him a "zone" hold, which was instead conquered with great effort in front of everybody, or other similar complaints.
Youth mistakes, in conclusion, easily surmountable, that go in favour of an organisation, like the one of the Bolzano Fair, doubtlessy courageous and motivated to stimulate the climbing phenomenon, also with new and still to improve initiatives like this one.

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