The Occasion
The second UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup of the 2023-2024 season, partnered by Out of doors Analysis, will probably be held within the Swiss Alps from 25-27 January. The resort of Saas-Charge has hosted top-level UIAA mountaineering competitors because the early 2000s. The occasion is organised in partnership with the Swiss Alpine Membership and the host group, led by Kurt Arnold and Dario Andenmatten.
Saas-Charge is a definite venue. Constructed inside the resort entry level, it’s positioned deep underground, is famend for its chilly temperatures and welcomes lots of of spectators who pack vantage factors which wrap the competitors tower.
Programme
Friday 26 January will witness the lead qualification rounds earlier than the velocity competitors takes over with motion accomplished in a day. The velocity finals, athlete in opposition to the clock format, begin at 20:00 native time. Saturday 27 January is reserved for the lead semi-finals and finals. The latter, commencing at 19:00 native time, is the primary occasion and brings in large crowds. The complete occasion programme will be discovered right here.
Athletes and Nationwide Groups
A complete of 112 athletes from 20 international locations are at the moment registered. The US (15 athletes) and host nation Switzerland (14) cleared the path with dwelling followers hoping to see a repeat of previous gold medal climbs from the likes of Yannick Glatthard, Sina Goetz and Petra Klingler.
Within the lead competitors, Woonseon Shin of South Korea would be the athlete to beat. Shin received the opening World Cup leg in Cheongsong and triumphed on the Continental Open in France final weekend. Nonetheless, Saas-Charge has not all the time been a fortunate venue. Final 12 months she didn’t qualify for the ultimate and victory in Switzerland has eluded her since 2019. Challenges will come from native athletes Sina Goetz, Saas-Charge winner in 2023, and Vivien Labarile. European Tour chief Marianne van der Steen will search to construct on the primary World Cup medal she received final outing. Spectacular as double UIAA World Youth Champion final weekend, Liechtenstein’s Lorena Beck, and sister Lea are prone to push in each the lead and velocity occasions. Czech Republic’s Aneta Louzecka, having fun with a powerful season, Eire’s Eimir McSwiggan, Poland’s Olga Kosek and France’s Marion Salmon-Thomas, third in Champagny final weekend, will all have making the highest eight ultimate in agency focus.
The lads’s competitors, dominated by South Korea in Cheongsong, might effectively be a French affair. Reigning world champion Louna Ladevant returned to competitors final weekend in Champagny and produced a virtuoso efficiency to take the gold medal. A robust French group additionally contains Louna’s older brother Tristan, silver medallist in Champagny, Nathan Clair and Virgile Devin. The Iranian squad are primarily targeted on the velocity self-discipline however Mohammad Reza Safdarian is an athlete who has carried out impressively in lead earlier than. The rising athletes from Spain notably Javier Cano Blazquez and Jorge Veiga Rodriguez will search to show spectacular continental kind into the World cup format. Switzerland’s chief menace is prone to come from Benjamin Bosshard.
Within the velocity occasions, the boys’s competitors ought to produce an exciting contest between athletes from Iran and Mongolia. World champion Mohsen Beheshti Rad of Iran will probably be in attendance and has climbed to victory in Saas-Charge earlier than. Mongolia’s Kherlen Nyamdoo claimed the primary gold of the season in Cheongsong with compatriot Mandakhbayar Chuluubaatar taking the silver. The South Korean group, notably Yang Myungwook will even be in rivalry.
The ladies’s occasion could also be extra open with solely Louzecka of the three medal winners from South Korea prone to characteristic. The Beck sisters, Kosek, Labarile and a powerful squad from the US will all hope to contest the dramatic ultimate rounds.
Breakdown of athletes per nationwide federation:
Canada (1), Czech Republic (5), Finland (2), France (7), Nice Britain (10), Germany (3), Hong Kong, China (2), Iran (9), Eire (1), Japan (7), Liechtenstein (6), Mongolia (6), Netherlands (2), Poland (5), Slovenia (2), South Korea (6), Spain (4), Switzerland (14), Slovakia (5), United States (15)
A full checklist of registered athletes will be discovered right here.
The right way to observe
A livestream of the competitors will probably be obtainable from the UIAA YouTube channel. Please subscribe for updates.
Begin occasions:
Pace ultimate, Friday 26 January, 2000 CET, 1900 UTC, 1400 ET, 1300 PT
Lead semi-final – ladies, Saturday 27 January, 0845 CET, 0745 UTC, 0245 ET, 1145 PT (*)
Lead semi-final – males, Saturday 27 January, 1300 CET, 1200 UTC, 0700 ET, 0200 PT
Lead finals, Saturday 27 January, 1900 CET, 1800 UTC, 1300 ET, 1000 PT
For extra time zone particulars please click on right here.
(*) signifies day earlier than
Embed codes and hyperlinks for the livestreams will be discovered right here:
Additional Info
Preview and evaluate press releases are distributed for all world-level occasions. To subscribe to press releases please click on right here.
Photographs, freed from restrictions for editorial use, are posted for every competitors on the UIAA Flickr channel. A number of season preview pictures for media use will be discovered right here.
Comply with the UIAA social media channels, notably Instagram and Fb, to entry short-form content material and reside updates from competitions.
Stay outcomes can be found for all occasions right here. Go to the UIAA Ice Climbing web site for particular person occasion programmes and registrations.
Photographs: UIAA/Kaspar Kellerhals
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