Bouldering's where it's at

"Bouldering is a more laid-back approach to climbing. It's more social and less serious -- you're just playing on the rocks. It's more fun, and to me that's the most important thing about climbing." --Chris Sharma

Competition climbing comes out of a long, proud history of rock climbing, which in itself grew out of the practice of mountaineering. Sport climbing with it's quick learning curve, relatively short routes and perception of greater safety has lead to the explosion in the popularity of rock climbing

In 1998, Americans were told in climbing magazines that their standard left much to be desired compared to the rest of the world -- particularly Europe. Adding to the frustration, the climbers carrying the best U.S. hopes were not allowed to compete in World Cup competitions, as both Katie Brown and Chris Sharma were too young. Was it Europe's last hope of keeping the Americans at bay?

With Brown winning the last two X Games events and Sharma poised to be a real threat, the Europeans had reason to be afraid. All the two young Americans had to do was wait for a birthday to roll around. For Sharma the wait was worth it, as he became the first American man to win a World Cup event. For Brown, her World Cup debut in the final event of the year produced a disappointing seventh-place finish.

Since the 1997 X Games there have been seven major international events -- Five World Cup's (up from three last year), the July International Open held in Serre Chevalier, France, and the very popular Masters event held in Arco, Italy, in September.

The gloom that had once threatened international climbing events due mainly to sponsorship or the lack thereof has dissipated. With extra confidence in the sport, the demand for competitions continues to grow. This has no doubt been fueled by the media and general public's interest in the sport caused in part to the ESPN X Games and the success that American competitors are now having in the international arena.

It is a little ironic that in a sport dominated by Europeans, the latest trend among the top competitors is toward the aspect of climbing that is traditionally very strong in America -- bouldering.

The growth of bouldering competitions in Europe has been enormous. They have broad appeal; climbers, spectators and especially organizers love them. There is no isolation, no ropes, no long extended routes, but there is plenty of dynamic, exciting and committed climbing.

Bouldering focuses on the movement being a lot more powerful and intense, and so the climber that does well at bouldering rarely does as well at roped climbing. Bouldering competitions are also a huge hit with spectators, as the competitors are close to the ground and every expression on their face inspires wild cheering and screaming.

Chris Sharma, in his fourth year of X Games competition, finally struck gold and won the first-ever men's X Games sport climbing bouldering competition. His previous best was a bronze medal finish at the 1997 X Games on the difficulty wall. Sharma, the youngest competitor to advance to the finals, was the only climber to reach the peak on three different routes, finishing with a score of 92.18. Francois Petit and Stephane Julien took home the silver and bronze medals.

"It's fun here with everyone cheering you on," Sharma said. "You can be the strongest person in the world, but if you don't have the mindset, you won't win. I had a shift in attitude on the third problem, and that made the difference."

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For in-depth news and reviews on the 1999 Summer X Games go to http://espn.go.com/extreme/xgames/index.html

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