After coiling their ropes and taking off their harnesses after yesterday’s lead competition, today YUMC and LUMC turned to bouldering.For anyone who isn’t well versed in the world of climbing disciplines, bouldering differs from sport climbing due to its lack of ropes, shorter walls and focus on explosive strength rather than the more endurance focused lead competition.
So first up after their impressive set of 10 qualifying climbs were the women, after York’s win in the qualifying team round, Em Verry and Eden Turner came out on top and represented York in this final, with Ellie Leigh and Sophie Brining climbing for team Lancaster. It was an impressive showing all round, Ellie and Sophie did Lancaster proud, displaying their technique, precision and strength beautifully, and their support from the crowd was truly amazing to watch , and after a nasty fall during qualifiers York’s Eden returned with spectacular form, not only did she exhibit the exact explosiveness that makes her so skilled at bouldering, but watching her try different routes up the climb and almost seeing her brain working as she figures them out makes her amazing to watch. But the star of this women’s bouldering final has to be Em Verry, who was up to defend her roses individual title from last year, and defend it she certainly did, finishing number 1 in the women’s category while flashing climbs that others failed to top. All around the female catagory was an incredible one to watch, with both sides putting up an intense fight, giving the open catagory something seriously hard to follow.
So moving onto the open bouldering individuals, which gave us some talented climbers from both sides, Jonny Quinn and Hugo Satchell from York; Charles Dryer and Sam Lavender from Lancaster, tackling some seriously difficult routes (with some seriously strange holds). Both Jonny and Charles were clearly well loved by the crowd, unwavering support throughout whether the climb was topped or not, and both exhibited intense strength no matter how many times a climb was attempted. While Lancaster took the victory in this category, a standout climber of this contest was York’s Hugo Satchell, as a climber Hugo is a real all rounder (I think he could climb a flat wall if presented with one) and he really is wonderful to watch, this was his first Roses performance and it was certainly one to remember, both an impressive sheet in qualifiers and some incredible strength during the final climbs. But following on from his outstanding performance in the lead competition, Sam Lavender once again took the top spot, proving his reputation is certainly for a reason. Much like Em, Sam had last year’s open individual title to keep, and as the red-clad crowd cheered him on, he certainly earned that title again. Sam is unquestionably a showman, appearing for his final climb in a lovely pair of ‘F* York’ sunglasses, but his confidence is not unwarranted, topping the third climb on his second attempt after competitors before him had struggled to get past the challenging start hold.
Overall the open category was a very strong one, it really displayed why bouldering is such an respectable discipline, and I personally can’t wait for next year on York soil to see if titles are defended or if new climbers shine through.