The World Cup in Saas-Fee (Hardwear Sessions)

By Malcolm Kent

Rocking up to the Ice Climbing World Cup in Saas-Fe, Switzerland, I thought to myself 'what on earth is gonna happen here?'. The World Cup is a truly funny event. A contrived game for a few people who are obscenely mad enough and physically strong enough to take part. There are a list of rules. What you can do and what you can't do. And most interesting of all there is a monstrous climbing structure sitting attached by wires and rope, in the middle of a 12 story carpark on the edge of the town. The town itself epitmomzes 80s skier heaven. No cars allowed within the town boundary, only hideously expensive and overpriced hotels and tons of fake fur.

The Saas-Fee round of the competition is accepted by all as the most well organized and well attended. Val de di'one being more of a mixed bouldering competition and Busteni being a test of whether the climbing structure will stay together. This efficiency sees everyone booked into hotels and sent into isolation before the climbing.

In isolation the air is tense and edgy. As many sit and stare into the infinite distance, Markus Bendler stands up furiously throwing shapes in an effort to practice some moves for the evening's party and warm up his shoulders simultaneously. Around him some huddle round the heater, lining their comp boots up to get them warm. Like Simon Anthamatten I found the way forward to be in i-pod mode. Not everyone was that pumped up or focused though. Doctor Rob Cotter decided that it was all far too stressful for him and knocking back a few beers was the answer.

The atmosphere never really gets going until the final though. And in a sexist kind of way, the men's final at that. As the centre piece of saturday night's entertainment all the locals came out to watch the proceedings and cheer on the local hero, Simon Anthamatten. He somehow managed to sketch his way past Evgeny Krivosheitsev's high point. But as he stood on the makeshift podium at the prize giving, I pondered. What a ton of effort to come all this way - a bunch of the most talented athletes in the world. Just to be rewarded with a commemorative tool and an amount of prize money that would just about pay for a return air ticket. Someone commented 'if this was tennis or football, these guys would be on million dollar salaries and massive sponsorship deals'. Or even if it was skiing or snowboarding for that matter.