Bolzano/Corvara, 17 January 2018 – The countdown is running: In just over a week the tranquil South Tyrolean hamlet of Corvara will be transformed into the “Mecca of ice climbing”. The population of this 230 strong community will increase tenfold virtually overnight, because the 100 top athletes from over 20 countries will be accompanied by more than 2000 fans travelling to Val Passiria.
This is expected again for this year, when the Ice Climbing World Cup comes to Val Passiria for the sixth time. The UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup in Corvara takes place on Friday, 26 January (qualification) and on Saturday, 27 January (finals). There will be competitions in the discipline of Lead (difficulty) and Speed on one of Europe’s most beautiful and demanding artificial climbing structures.
Friday, 26 January begins at 10:00 am with the qualification in difficulty climbing (Lead). After a short break the winner in Speed will be determined from 4:30 pm. The finals will take place by floodlight, which will give the sporting events at the ice tower its own special atmosphere. The Lead semi-finals on Saturday also start at 10:00 am. From 1:00 pm the men fight for their place in the finals. The finals themselves start at 6:00 pm. Afterwards, the best ice climbers in the world attempt to break the speed record to the top of the 25 m high ice tower.
The most demanding artificial ice climbing facility in Europe
The structure consists of a single 25 m high ice tower rising up vertically, an ice cylinder (14 m) and a steep ice wall (15 m), ideal for the world’s elite to test their ability. These elements are rounded off by extremely demanding horizontal climbing routes, numerous overhangs and difficult crossways that demand everything from the world’s top ice climbers. After all, the overhangs boast gradients of 57, 62 and 72 degrees.
Among the athletes at the start is last year’s winner HanNaRai Song from South Korea. The strong Russian team will be led by brothers Maxim Tomilov and Alexey Tomilov, and by Maria Tolokonina. Not taking part this year will be the South Tyrolean ice climbing queen Angelika Rainer, who has three World titles to her name. The climber from Merano is taking a break this year.
As every year, the organizers are looking forward to hundreds of spectators. Those who are unable to come to Val Passiria can still experience the event close‑up. This year, there will be live streaming of the event offered free to anyone interested by the organising club Eisturm Rabenstein. A click with the mouse is all it takes to be able to watch the best ice climbers in the world. The live stream can also be accessed on the website www.eisklettern.it. Streaming includes the Speed competitions on Friday (from the semi-finals from 4:30 pm) and the Lead competitions on Saturday (also from the semi-finals from 10:00 am).
UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup Corvara (26. – 27.1.2018)
Friday, 26 January 2018:
10.00 am: LEAD QUALI men
10.00 am: LEAD QUALI women
4:30 pm: SPEED QUALI + Semi Finals women
6:00 pm: SPEED QUALI + Semi Finals men
7:30 pm: SPEED FINALS women
8:00 pm: SPEED FINALS men
Saturday, 27 January 2018:
10.00 am: LEAD SEMI FINALS women
13:00 pm: LEAD SEMI FINALS men
6:00 pm: LEAD FINALS men + women
7:30 pm: Speed record 25 metres
8:00 pm: Awards ceremony + celebrations in the heated marquee with the band “Männer der Berge”