Ice Climbing 2013 News

Maxim Tomilov didn't make the final barrel to the dismay of the crowd but he still won the Men's Lead final in Saas Fee.

Dutch climber Dennis Van Hoek made history and got a huge cheer as he won the Speed finals in the Saas Fee phase of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour.

Van Hoek's unexpected win came after he beat out a team of Russian climbers who have been the dominant force in competitive speed ice climbing.

Each stage of the UIAA Ice climbing Tour has its own unique character and Saas Fee, one of Switzerland’s most famous ski resorts has "cool" written all over it.

The Swiss village of 1,600 people which can handle as many as 7,600 people during peak season has become one of the liveliest and interesting stops on the tour.

Russian climber Maria Tolokonina was in tears after her climb.

The Russian champion who came second to Angelika Rainer as the overall leader in last year’s UIAA Ice Climbing Tour will qualify for the semi-finals despite her sub-par performance. What worries her and others is how her final standing in the semi-finals might be affected if she’s tied with somebody who has a better time-score from the qualification round.

The final results and standings for the first UIAA Ice Climbing Youth World Championships held in Saas Grund (12 - 13 January) can be found here.

The first stage of the 2013 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour concluded today before thousands of cheering spectators in Cheongsong, South Korea with winners and final results announced in the Lead and Speed competition.

The tour now moves to Saas Fee, Switzerland.

Cheongsong is famous for being the apple capital of South Korea.

Now it’s making a name for itself, carved in ice, as the first regular stop during the annual UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, a place where thousands of spectators gather around a spectacular, artificial ice climbing wall to watch the world’s best climbers in action.

The first full day competition at the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour in Cheongsong, Korea saw a major upset when last year’s world champion Maxim Tomilov (Men’s Lead) fell early and unable to qualify for the finals on Sunday.

The athletes have arrived in Cheongsong, South Korea for the first leg of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour and are ready for action.

Let the games begin!

Young climbers from 10 climbing federations have gathered in Saas Grund, Switzerland this weekend for the inaugural Youth Ice Climbing World Championship organized by the UIAA Youth Commission.