Rock Master Festival 2014: a great climbing show at Arco

Here we go again. It seems impossible, but another year's gone by already, flown past to tell the truth, and an idea about time passing comes from the fact the another Rock Master is at the doorstep. Yes, because the traditional appointment during the last weekend of August and the first weekend of September always marks an important turning point: summer is about to end (in actual fact it looks as if it's only about to start) and with it comes one of the the most important events in the competition calendar: the legendary Rock Master come. For the 28th consecutive year, the Rock Master marks the passing of time like a metronome and there's a ritual that is always repeated: people migrate to Arco, to its limestone crags, the climbing amongst the olive groves, the obligatory ice cream in the center while looking at the shop windows, Lake Garda that literally takes your breath away every time you first see it. And above all people flock towards that beautiful green lawn, almost perfectly English, nestled at the foot of Mount Colodri and surrounding the Climbing Stadium wall on which the best athletes in the world contend for the title that simply cannot be missing from their results.

So on Thursday morning the Rock Master Festival gets underway, with the Open International Lead and its new formula invented a couple of years ago that gives everyone a chance to compete and qualify for Saturday's battle against the 6 strongest athletes in the world, invited to Arco on the basis of the IFSC World Ranking.

LEAD. Those who have accepted the invitation this year are current Lead World Champion Jakob Schubert, two-times World Cup winner Sachi Amma, 7-times Rock Master winner Ramon Julian Puigblanque, the highly talented Domen Skofic from Slovenia and Italy's big hope, Stefano Ghisolfi. On Saturday they will compete against the best six who qualify from the International Open which has over 50 athletes, including the Italians Francesco Vettorata, Marcello Bombardi and young Stefano Carnati, three athletes who really don't need introducing.
In the women's event those to beat on Saturday are two-times Lead World Cup winner Mina Markovic, Austria's Magdalena Rock (3rd in World Ranking), Russia's Dinara Fakritdinova, Hélène Janicot from France French, Russia's Evgenia Malamid and the Italian hope Jenny Lavarda (5th, 7th, 10th and 19th respectively in World Ranking). They will meet the best six of tomorrow's Open; almost 40 athletes will compete, including the battling French duo Alizée Dufraisse and Charlotte Durif, "highlander" Maja Vidmar from Slovenia, Austria's Christine Schranz, America's Alex Puccio who as somewhat unusually decided to compete in the Lead event as well, and the strong group of Italians led by Federica Mingolla, Andrea Ebner, Claudia Ghisolfi and Ilaria Scolaris. In total, the athletes in Thursday's Open will represent 21 different countries, proving how international the Rock Master is and how much it is felt worldwide.

BOULDERING. After Thursday's efforts, the Festival continues on Friday with much the same system, but with another discipline: Bouldering. The top athletes that take the stage on Sunday in the Sint Roc Boulder Contest are three-times World Champion Dimitrii Sharafutdinov, the winner of the 2012 Bouldering World Cup Rustam Gelmanov, Jernej Kruder from Slovenia (who stunned all with his silver medal in the recent World Championships), and the powerhouses Rei Sugimoto and Jeremy Bonder. And of course the ace Italians Gabriele Moroni and Michael Piccolruaz, always capable of putting on superb displays of power and talent. In the women's event there's the winner of the 2014 Bouldering World Cup Akiyo Noguchi, America's Alex Puccio (silver at the recent Bouldering World Championships), and the talented Fanny Gilbert, Katharina Saurwein and Petra Kingler, 8th, 9th and 10th respectively in the World Ranking. This list alone suffices to pack your rucksack and rush off to Arco, but if you add to this the fact that they could be joined by six Open athletes, by the likes of Yulia Abramchuk, Annalisa De Marco or Damiano Capulli, then it's easy to understand why this year's Festival is more important than ever.

PARACLIMBING CUP. But that's not all. In fact, on Friday there's also the Paraclimbing Cup, the discipline that experienced an unforgettable first at Arco: the first ever Paraclimbing World Championship in 2011 Three years have passed since then, the movement has continued to grow and the athletes have improved continually. The Spaniard Urko Carmona Barandiaran and Italians Giulia Poggioli and Matteo Stefani are just three examples of athletes who have provided Arco with a spectacular show and profound emotions.

ARCO ROCK LEGENDS. Talking of spectacle and emotions: on Friday night the curtain lifts onto the IX Arco Rock Legends. Those nominated for the sport climbing Oscars are, for the La Sportiva Competition Award, Urko Carmona Barandiaran, Sachi Amma and Dimitri Sharafudtinov, while those in the running for the Salewa Rock Award are Alexander Megos, Adam Ondra and Muriel Sarkany. Before the winners are announced, the writer, sculptor, mountaineer and climber Mauro Corona will receive the prestigious Climbing Ambassador by Aquafil award for his valuable contribution to the climbing movement. This will be given to him, with her usual verve, by the journalist Kay Rush and thanks to her this will certainly be another memorable evening. To be concluded at the Climbing Village which, as always, hosts all the best climbing companies, but which this year has been moved right into the historical centre of Arco.

SPEED WORLD CUP. Saturday morning starts early, and quickly. I.e. with the qualifications of the IFSC Speed World Cup. The vertical sprinters will race up the slightly overhanging 15 metre wall in an attempt to beat the world record, set by Evgeny Vaitsekovsky in 2012 at Xining with his incredible 5.88 seconds, and by Julia Kaplina in 2013 at Wujiang in 7.85. This lightening fast start paves the way for the moment of truth: the Lead semi-finals and then the Finals. Only the best 8 qualify from the Semis, also dubbed the "on-sight" round, and they'll have 20 minutes to "work" the route they'll then attempt in the final few hours later. A true tour du force in order to finally win the legendary Rock Master Trophy!

BOULDER + DUEL LEAD. Sunday is a rapid succession of events: in the morning the best boulderers work the problems they'll compete on later that afternoon using the unique KO formula. Before that though, there are decisive heats of the Speed World Cup and also the Duel, the competition reserved for the best eight Lead athletes. They'll shoot upwards, on two identical, parallel routes of utmost difficulties, and the fastest climber wins. It's a compelling formula, invented here in Arco which, for the 28th year in a row, stands as a reference point for the sports climbing world.

For further information visit: www.rockmasterfestival.com