[flyguy]

Followed the link, everyday is a learning day.

[dontfollowme]

sack the band

[flyguy]

A bit tedious. The climbing is good tho Anna is a machine.

[Dave Garry]

I think I may well have just fallen for Anna yesterday 

That aside I'm really enjoying this years comp...not sure why its attracted me more this time around but it has definitely grabbed my attention that's for sure.

 

[finbarrr]

I think I may well have just fallen for Anna yesterday 

get in line

i really enjoyed the problems by legend jacky godoffe , hardly a boring bolder in the whole comp

[Ti_pin_man]

the band was ... well, ok.  but what the hell was the point of the dancers before the comp?   

[highrepute]

Anna is amazing. She just looks so much stonger than the others, very impressive to watch.

Here's a link to the final vid

Here's how the brit's (and honorary) faired.

3. Coxey Shauna
7. Puccio Alex
14. Leslie-Wujasytk Mina
17 Crane Leah
27 Tracy Michela
31. Merrick Diane

8. Barrans Dave
35. Newman Tom
49. West Ben
53. Partridge Jon

Well done to all.

[r-man]

Anna is on fire this year, though it's been pretty close a few times, which the results don't always show. For instance, if Shauna had stuck the penultimate hold on problem 2 - @1.07:24 in the vid (last move looked straightforward) - she'd have had 3 tops in 4 attempts, and would have got gold.

Similar could be said for several of the competitors, which is great - makes it exciting.

Tehnical issues, just in case Graeme is reading - Would be nice if the clock timer actually fitted on screen (though this seems to have been fixed for the replays?). Also, the live results on the website aren't well displayed - 1. they only display the first 5 names (why not just make the box bigger??), and 2. when you scroll down they turn white, making them really hard to read.

Overall though - great comp, good setting. I also think the commentator has grown into his role and is doing a good job - he might not know climbing inside out (a co-commentator would help here) but he brings the right level of enthusiasm.

[highrepute]

Overall though - great comp, good setting. I also think the commentator has grown into his role and is doing a good job - he might not know climbing inside out (a co-commentator would help here) but he brings the right level of enthusiasm.

I agree - it is always good when Chris WP joins him.

A test-match special type thing with rolling co/guest-commentators could be cool. get some of the other competitors to come and say a few words.

[a dense loner]

Are you trying to get Chris out of a job?

[r-man]

Chris is the best co-commentator they've had, though he isn't there very often. Shame Daniel didn't persuade Mina this time round - he kept mentioning that she was standing right next to him.

[standard]

The camera work is repeatedly poor in the finals unfortunately.

When the women's and men's problems are next to each other, they refuse to use a camera angle that shows both climbers at the same time, and only focus on one of them. It's bewildering why this is done. Even more bewildering is why they don't then show replays of what was missed from the other climber

Then there was the bizarre 'let's look at the ladies' arses' shot on W1.

http://imgur.com/a/ekZaA

Agreed that the commentator is getting better, but he still needs a co-commentator who can talk about the climbing side of things.

[GraemeA]

In the finals the blocs that are climbed simultaneously aren't next to each other, they are always leap frogged to make best use of the space ie the top of mens 3 might be above the start of women's 2. So a single camera wouldn't cover both men and women.

I thought they were showing replays in Kitzbehuel. They couldn't do it in Log because on Saturday the mixer self destructed and the spare one they flew outon Saturday could only record the stream, not the feed from the other cameras so could only show trye replays rather than the stuff you hadn't already seen.

BTW I don't really see much of the stream as it goes out as I often have other shit to do when I am at the comps, mainly sorting out issues involving Jakob 

[r-man]

For those struggling to find what they want on the new site, looks like the old website is still being updated...

http://egw.ifsc-climbing.org

[r-man]

Just spotted this page about prize money, which is something that never seems to be mentioned. Just curious - where does the money come from, not just for this but for the whole comp circuit?  Think someone said spectators get in free, so is it funded by sponsors or membership fees?

http://ifsc.egroupware.net/?page_name=prizemoney

[mr__j5]

For those struggling to find what they want on the new site, looks like the old website is still being updated...

http://egw.ifsc-climbing.org

I find that I use the old site more than the new site, since it is more readable and way more functional.

[gme]

God the prize money is shite. £250 for getting to the finals, it wouldnt even cover your flight and hotel. I didnt realise that it was so bad, is it the same for the lead comps.

Comparing it to surfing, which i thought had a similar participation rate, where the prize fund for each comp is $500,000 shared between 35 surfers it blows me away.

[T_B]

When Moon has its on boutique in Meadowhall (a la O'Neill) then maybe the prize money will increase?

[Johnny Brown]

Northface and Patagonia etc have their own shops in inner cities though don't they?

I suspect its more to do with viewing figures and the interest (or lack of) from the majority of climbers, let alone the wider public.

[standard]

I thought they were showing replays in Kitzbehuel. They couldn't do it in Log because on Saturday the mixer self destructed and the spare one they flew outon Saturday could only record the stream, not the feed from the other cameras so could only show trye replays rather than the stuff you hadn't already seen.

Apologies then, complaint retracted!

[T_B]

I suspect its more to do with viewing figures and the interest (or lack of) from the majority of climbers, let alone the wider public.

I don't know, they should send em up everest or something

[Durbs]

Indeed - plus if you look at an average surfers gear vs a boulder, there's more money to be spent in surfing...

I thought the venue looked quite empty for finals, especially given it's free.

The live band... at first I hated it, then they got better. They had another live band at an earlier final who were better - rode the atmosphere more. When done well, I think it works - possibly one of the issues was the sound quality, ambient mics mostly picking up the cymbals and snare with just farty bass notes...

Graeme - What Jakob issues?


Top comp overall. Anna's looking pretty un-stoppable at the moment, men's looks pretty open.

[r-man]

God the prize money is shite...is it the same for the lead comps?

Says on that page it's the same for each discipline.

[gme]

Its too easy to dismiss it due to the fact that no one is interested in comps as the same thing can be said of surfing, in fact i would say that there is a lot more anti comp sentiment in surfing than climbing.

I also dont get the "sold in meadowhall" arguement as the likes of North face and Berghaus are sold in a lot of the bug department stores. Climbing and surfing are very similar sports if you forget the actual physical activity. Both individual rather than team and both very much lifestyle activities that involve lots of travel to exotic places.

I would also say that there is less stuff available to buy for surfing than climbing and that the surf companies basically sell tee shirts, sweatshirts and shorts to make there billions. Why cant climbing do the same?

Final comment is that i would guess that climbing/mountaineering get more mainstream media coverage than surfing (maybe not in AUS).

I dont have an answer just wondering

[r-man]

Final comment is that i would guess that climbing/mountaineering get more mainstream media coverage than surfing (maybe not in AUS).

The image of surfing is cooler and sexier, thus more lucrative. Lots of people would like to spend their days on a beach, with sunshine and scantily clad men/ladies. That's what makes the money. Surfing footage also looks exciting with a music backing.

Climbing is seen and marketed as EXTREME - thus not for the avergae person. The thought of clinging for dear life to a cliff, or falling into a crevasse, or battling the raging wind and snow...not quite so easy to sell.

However, I reckon the audiences of the climbing comps will increase over the next decade. The live feeds are the beginning. It's good entertainment, and whilst there might be a body of (mostly older) climbers who don't want to know, I'm sure the next generation of younger climbers will embrace it as yet another facet of the climbing world.