Vikki Weldon

Well, I’m sitting here back in Munich, Germany once again. The coaches said goodbye to our athletes today in Imst. It was so very cool to see how the whole team came together in the very end, having developed new relationships and strengthening present ones. The wide-eyed new climbers left feeling comfortable, donning their various team jerseys after some exciting trading during semi-finals and finals (Elise Sethna proved to be the designated jersey trader. That girl can sweet talk her way into anything, and she has an Austrian jersey signed by Johanna Ernst to prove it).

The semi-final event was very exciting Team Canada. Dung, Sean and I were in isolation with our four athletes, Elan, Alannah, Miles and Marc. Due to a complete 180 degree turn in the weather from blistering heat to freezing rain and snow in the mountains, the event was delayed for 1-2 hours. This is tough for athletes, as they warm up with a specific time frame in mind and then have to maintain this warm up while waiting for the new scheduled time to climb. Our athletes handled this very well however, and each one was calm and collected waiting as the route-setters reset the ending of each route to finish on the roof instead of over the lip due to the rain.

Miles and Marc were both out immediately after preview and as I stayed in isolation with Alannah and Elan, and I was unable to watch their climbs. Both athletes were able to improve upon their qualification results with Marc moving up to 24^th place in Youth A and Miles moving up to 22^nd in Juniors. Congrats boys! As Alannah headed out to the wall, I bundled up and joined up with the rest of Team Canada, who were busy trading t-shirts with goofy grins on their faces despite the cold.

Marc Eveleigh on his first ever World Cup semi-final route!

Miles Adamson looking strong in semi's

Alannah had an AMAZING semi-final climb. Watching the girls climb previous to her, I saw that everyone was falling just after a great blue feature high up on the wall before the roof. I was confident that Alannah would make it up to the crux, yet I was concerned that she would rush this section and pump out too quickly. However, I’m usually wrong when it comes to predictions, and I am happy to say that I wrong about this as well. Watching Alannah climb was inspiring. She was calm and confident through the technical section in the beginning of the route and climbed strongly up to the blue feature. As I watched her stop, rest and reassess the next section, my heart was beating so fast. I wanted her to make these next few moves so badly. With the entire Team at the bottom of the wall, yelling their hearts out, Alannah stuck each move with determination and ease. She was able to fight hard to be able to be the first competitor in her category to reach the roof. I was so excited for her that I definitely had tears in my eyes when she came down from the wall with a big smile on her face. It is so amazing to see a climber fight so hard and fall at their max. Congrats Alannah, I’m so proud of you!

Alannah climbing strongly past the blue feature bottleneck

Look at that smile!!

Our last climber to go was Elan. This boy can climb! And, as we all found out last night, he can sing as well! I think every time I hear “The Edge of Glory”, I will think of Elan. He climbed very well on his semi-final route, climbing high on the route despite looking a little more shaky than usual, which I found out later was due to the cold. Such a change from the day before.

Elan representing Canada well in semi's!

Unfortunately, neither Alannah or Elan made it through to the final round (13^th and 15^th place respectively), exemplifying the extremely high level of climbing here in Europe. We returned later on in the evening to watch the final round. It was spectacular. The two highlights that stand out for me in this event was watching Julia Serriere (FRA) climb from 8^th place to 1^st place in the Junior category, as well as watching Domen Skofic (SLO) be the only climber to top his route. The advanced standard of climbing here in Europe is so humbling and inspiring. I could see stars shining in all of our athletes’ eyes that night. I know they were shining in mine!

Yesterday was speed finals, which our athletes used as a day of fun and relaxation at the event. Last minute jersey trading was completed, and they said good-bye to the friends they had made from various countries all around the world. We then returned to the hotel for one last dinner, a great slide show made by Ian Stewart-Patterson (our team manager), and fun and games. With a 1am curfew, the kids were psyched! I felt very lame when I fell asleep watching a movie at 10pm. Wandering down at midnight to check on the kids, I was greeted with two of our athletes walking down the hall, soaking wet and fully clothed from being pushed into the pool (I put a stop to that game), and another group of kids playing “drinking games” with espresso as a substitute. Finally, a group of kids were giggling and psyched as Chris Neve had told them he would drive them to McDonald’s for a late night snack, immediately earning the “cool coach” status.  It was a great last night for the team and I just love the community that developed during these last 8 days.

Team Canada

Coach Chris showing off his Hungary jersey. Only a little tight!

Last Group Shot of the 3 out of 4 coaches (Chris, Sean and myself)

The Espresso Group

I fly home tomorrow, back to Vancouver and immediately back to school. I had an amazing trip, and I learned so much from all of our athletes and team officials. Next year is Singapore! I hope all the kids maintain the psych they felt at this comp and use it as a motivator for the upcoming season!

What another great day for Team Canada!

It was another hot day here in Imst. With the second qualifier and speed qualifications for all categories, it was also a looooong day! We were at the wall from 8:00am until after 8:00pm. Phew! Our early climbers enjoyed the morning coolness, while poor Robert Stewart-Patterson who climbed near the end of the largest category (Youth A Boys) climbed in the heat of the day. Despite the heat, he still pulled off a great climb, sticking a move that spit the majority of the category off.

Coach Sean forerunning Junior Boys Qualifier #2

After another great round of qualifiers, we have four Canadians moving forward to the semi-final round. Congratulations to Alannah Yip (Junior Girls), Elan Jonas-McRae (Youth A Boys), Marc Eveleigh (Youth A Boys) and Miles Adamson (Junior Boys)! I also want to congratulate every other team member who competed this year. I felt that everyone climbed extremely well and made Canada look good!

Alannah Yip climbing her way into 16th place!

Marc Eveleigh pushing hard for a well deserved 25th place finish

Elan Jonas-McRae placing an impressive 13th place despite being unable to see during half of his route

Miles Adamson squeezing hard for a 23rd place into semis

I especially want to congratulate those climbers whose first year it was: Becca Frangos, Amy Sutley, and Caitlin Wu of Youth B Girls; Navy Gale, Andrew Funk and Matt Hendsbee of Youth B Boys, as well as Alyssa Webber of Youth A Girls and Sean Beaudoin of Junior Boys. Worlds is a massive first experience, and you all climbed extremely well! It was great to see the wide eyes, the smiles and the energy!

Sean Beaudoin givin' the wall a back scratcher

Finally, I would like to congratulate all those athletes who are aging out this year after multiple years of participating in the Youth World Cups. Arianne Forbes and Ayesha Khan of Junior Girls and Eric Sethna of Junior Boys. You’ve all grown so much from being those wide-eyed little gaffers in Youth B!

Arianne Forbes climbing her final competition route as a youth climber

Ayesha Khan looking solid and fighting till the last move

Eric Sethna looking good!

Speed is always a fun experience for the Canadian Team. We do not have a separate speed team, so our difficulty competitors are given the option to compete. In years past, we have had athletes dressed in capes and wearing mustaches. Yet this year, Canada was told to act a little more seriously due to the possibility of climbing being incorporated into the 2020 Olympics. Therefore, we resorted to some face paint and sent the athletes on their way. The most memorable moment was little Becca Frangos pushing hard to finish the route and falling off after being unable to reach the buzzer. She may have not gotten a time, but she sure had the loudest cheering squad!

Robert Stewart-Patterson speeding up during qualifications; fastest Canadian time!

Elan trying hard!

Jarred and Ryder duking it out for Team Canada

Congrats Canada. Looking forward to some fun spectating tomorrow and cheering on our four semi-finalists! Semifinals start at 10:00am in Austria! Tune in and check out the IFSC website for results.

It’s just after 10pm here in Imst, Austria and we’ve just tucked in 25 tuckered athletes after their first qualifier at the YWC! What a great first day for Team Canada! I am extremely proud of how all our athletes climbed today, as well as how they handled themselves and represented their country. This has to be one spectacular team!

This year in Imst is very unique, as it marks the first time that all continents are present here at the Youth World Championships. The sport is growing! There is also great excitement and many remarks have been made regarding sport climbing’s chance of becoming an event in the 2020 Olympics. It’s amazing how far this sport has come since my first World Cup.

It was a hot day here in Austria. The kids who climbed early in the morning were psyched! The indoor gym at the Kletterhalle was used as the warm up area, while the comp wall was down the hill. Team Canada came prepared with walkie-talkies for team officials to communicate and keep track of running orders. It was a far better option than running up and down that hill all day.

The Youth B Boys (Scott, Navy, Matt and Andrew) had a long day, being the only category that climbed both of their qualifiers. All four boys fought hard on their routes, but none advanced to the semi-final round. Congrats though boys, many more years to come!

Scott Eveleigh on Youth B Boys Qualifier

Matt Hendsbee on Youth B Boys Qualifier

The highlight of the day had to be Marc Eveleigh fighting hard on the Youth A boys route. I could hear him yelling from way back up the hill. It was impressive to watch him climb the route extremely well, and fight hard to end up in a fantastic position. 17^th place! It’s what each athlete wants, to come off fighting hard. Unfortunately, not every athlete can have that satisfaction, and we had a couple upsets today. But the best part is that tomorrow is a new day! The kids are psyched and ready for a brand new day and new routes.

Marc Eveleigh giving it his all on Qualifier 1

Elan Jonas-McRae looking solid for a 5th place finish on Day 1

Youth A Boys scoping out Qualifier 1: Elan, Marc and Jarred

Caitlin Wu on her first ever international comp route!

Maegen Kelleway shaking off the nerves and pulling off a great first qualifier!

Becca Frangos on Qualifier 1

Miles Adamson giving the blue hold "the look" on qualifier 1

The opening ceremonies also occurred today. It was fun to march in the parade, listen to a few speeches and watch a high-line slackliner. Short and sweet! Sean and I can remember suffering through some loooooooong opening ceremonies, so it was nice to experience an enjoyable one in the cooler evening air! We all looked incredibly sharp in our bright red t-shirts as well. Always stylin’ Canada!

We look good!

Highliner for Opening Ceremonies. Very cool!

That’s all for now. Thank you so much to Pam Eveleigh for the use of these fantastic photographs! Good luck to all the athletes tomorrow!

Here are the results after Qualifier #1:

Youth B Girls

21. Pia Graham

59. Becca Frangos

64. Caitlin Wu

70. Amy Sutley

Youth B Boys (Qualifier 1 and 2 Result)

43. Matt Hendsbee

60. Scott Eveleigh

68. Navy Gale

74. Andrew Funk

Youth A Girls

30. Elise Sethna

41. Iyma Lamarche

41. Alyssa Weber

55. Alison Stewart-Patterson

Youth A Boys

5. Elan Jonas-McRae

17. Marc Eveleigh

25. Ryder Hoy

53. Robert Stewart-Patterson

66. Jarred Plamondon

Junior Girls

16. Alannah Yip

32. Maegan Kelleway

39. Ayesha Khan

40. Arianne Forbes

Junior Boys

23. Miles Adamson

23. Eric Sethna

40. Zach Watson

41. Sean Beaudoin

Beautiful Austria

Hello from Imst, Austria! I’m currently sitting in a very beautiful hotel with one of the most amazing and fun group of kids I’ve had the pleasure of working with in a very long time. I was chosen this year to attend the Youth World Championships with the Canadian Youth Nationals Team as a coach! I attended this event for 6 years between 2002 and 2007. My first World Cup was in Canteleu (sp?), France when I was 13 years old. It is such a distant memory, but I can still remember the excitement of being at such a prestigious event. Looking at the youngsters competing here for their very first time is such a treat.

Scott, Youth B Boy, revealing his secret pre-training snack: Pickles

3 out of the 4 youth B girls. From left to right: Becca, Pia and Caitlin

We are one day away from the competition. Since meeting up with the team on August 21st, we have been having a blast. The kids were able to work through their jet lag by sweating and getting their pump on in the fantastic gym in Innsbruck. The climbing in Europe is a very different style, with longer routes, unfamiliar holds and route setting. The kids all did very well and were able to feel confident moving forward to the competition. Yesterday was a fantastic day. We went to an amazing water park called Area 47. With a deep water soloing wall, a giant tube jump, an air pad, water slides and floating trampoline, the kids were in paradise. It was a fantastic day and a great team builder. To top it all off, we organized a formal dinner, a tradition that was begun the previous year in Scotland. I have to say; we have a very good-looking team! These kids look amazing after you wipe away the chalk and sweat! (Not that they don’t look amazing with the chalk and sweat!)

Arianne and Alyssa enjoying water and sunshine at Area 47

Maegan, Ryder and Ayesha lookin' like superstars at the formal dinner

Alannah, Alyssa and Alison. Beautiful!

Coaches cleaned up nice too! (Note the massive amount of hair gel in Sean's hair)

Today is a day for the kids to prepare for the competition tomorrow. I can see the jitters beginning and am getting some myself! It’s going to be an overwhelming experience tomorrow, with some categories having up to 90 competitors! The wall is outdoors and we have been learning how to deal with the heat and humidity over the past few days in order to prepare. No matter what, I know it will be an amazing experience for each athlete.

The first late punishment was handed out this morning to Marc, Robert and Jared. Pushups while singing Oh Canada. Such a treat.

I will be attempting to update this blog each day after the competition. There will also be a live feed available at www.ifsc.tv. The time difference for Calgary is 8 hours and for Vancouver is 9 hours. The first qualifier round will begin at 9am here in Imst. Check out the running order for each athlete at www.ifsc-climbing.org. Go under the link Calendar and click on the each category under the Youth World Championships event. It is here that you’ll be able to see results!

Let the games begin! Go Canada Go!

I’m sitting here jittering in my seat, my head exploding with all the things I want to share with all you wonderful people! I have so many things to say, where to START?! Beginnings are always a good place, but I’m going to be a rebel and start in the middle, because the beginning can be summed up in one word: RAIN. So who wants to hear about that? Noooo thankyou. THE MIDDLE: Beginning of July and it’s soooort of beginning to look like summer in Canmore. Mrs. Sunshine is being a bit of a flake and only showing up every so often, more interested in doing her make up in her big cloud house up in the sky. (But don’t worry, when she decides to show up she looks FANTASTIC!). I’ve settled into my amazing job at the Canmore Hospital working as a student nurse, learning a lot and being mentored by some of the most amazing nurses I have ever met. It’s a wicked hospital that I have my mind set on coming back to after I graduate and become a real nurse. Canmore is a town that warm the heart and brings an eternal smile to your face. I have thrived in this gorgeous setting, and have my heart set on making it my home in the near future!

Beautiful Canmore

I’ve also been ROCK CLIMBING. And it’s amazing. I virtually climbed on every single one of my days off work (minus Rainy days, but those seem to fade from memory..), and it was amazing. I love the Rockies. I love limestone. Acephale, one of Canada’s premiere rock climbing destinations, is my own personal Heaven. My love for outdoor climbing was fostered here, and each subsequent visit confirms the fact that I made a very wise choice copying my big brother and sister when they began climbing. I also enjoyed a number of days climbing at Planet X and the Coliseum up on Grotto Mountain. All of these crags can be found in Derek Galloway’s new guidebook, Bow Valley Sport which arrived in early July. It’s an amazing guidebook, full of colour photos and all that jazz! Check it out here.

The Bow Valley's amazing new guidebook. Author: Derek Galloway

Stacey gettin' her speed psych on before busting her ass from Canmore to Calgary. What a trooper

I’ve been really lucky to have amazing friends here in Canmore who share my passion for climbing and smilin’! I’ve been living with my big sister, Stacey, who I love to bits and pieces! She’s doing her final practicum in Canmore for nursing. We’ve worked together for a handful of shifts and had some great bonding experiences that only two sister nurses can have.

I had an amazing month in July. I have to say it was my single most productive month of rock climbing EVER. I was successful in climbing a handful of 513′s, including a bunch of wicked lines at Acephale. Naissance de la Femme (5.13b) is a stellar line at the Lower Wall, with a massive heart breaker deadpoint at the very end. After sending this line, it only got better. After a few days of work, I sent Whale Back (5.13c) at the Upper Wall. This line is such a star. It contained everything from massive heel hook rock overs to a rose move to a wicked slab crux! The day I sent Whale Back, I quickly took my draws down and walked 50 feet up along the wall and stood below a dream. My dream. Since I was 13 years old I have had this single route floating in the back of my mind, waiting until I was ready. I achieved this life long dream this month. In fact, it was only a couple of days ago, and I’m still riding the high!

Joe Kinder on Endless Summer. Photo: Keith Ladzinski

Endless Summer, graded 5.13d, is situated at the far right of the Upper Wall, before the Pavement area begins. It climbs up through the cave that it shares with routes such as Existence Mundane (5.14b) and Bunda de Fora (5.14d). The crux is situated at the beginning of the small roof and continues until you bust over the lip. It’s wicked and powerful. Putting the draws up that day was an epic. I could not complete a single move for the entire bottom section of the climb. My butt was handed to me over and over, and although I was laughing and having fun, a little voice in my mind was sayin’ “Hoooooooly moly, this may not be possible little miss Viks”. Yet each day, I began to link moves. I gathered beta and I worked hard to link sections together. I ended each day breathing hard and feeling an entire body soreness that I love. Soon I had it down to 3 sections. Then down to 2. Each day, as I packed the rope away, my glimmer of hope shone brighter and brighter. Next day. My body had to be fresh to link the moves through the roof and my mind fresher to hold it together though the “mono” (I stuck 2 tips in that sucker!) section at the top. On Sunday morning, my good friend Alex Quiring and I headed to the crag in the early morning. We were at the ditch by 8:00am, an alpine start by sport climbing standards. I had to be back at work for 3pm, which left only a few hours to give the project some burns. We arrived at the crag just after 9am, and immediately felt we were in an alternate universe. The Upper Wall was blasted with sun. Anyone who climbs at Acephale knows that a down jacket and a thermos of hot tea are staples up there, as the sun moves off the wall at around 11am. Al and I were PSYCHED.

Pre Hike Psych!

It's SUNNY!

Look Guys! I rodeo clipped the first draw and no backclip! Wow!

Warming up in the sun felt fantastic. With the crag to ourselves, we bathed in the sunshine as I prepped for my first burn of the day. I was feeling a little slow, a little stiff, and was keen on a warm up burn. Yet something wonderful happened as I grabbed that first crimp at the bottom of the route. My mind was clear, I was still chuckling over a joke shared earlier, and the rock felt good. I did not float up this route. No. I worked hard. I yelled a bit, I breathed hard and I tried my darndest. But it went. As I pulled over the lip, the sun hit my back and I breathed and smiled at the rest. I took my time and felt strong pulling to the chains. As soon as the rope snapped in, I let out a whoop! I sat back in my harness and felt the best high a climber can feel. I sent my dream route on my 5th day of attempts, in the sunshine, with a great friend, in my own personal heaven. Yahoooooooooooooo!

The Send! Photo courtesy of my belayer/photographer AQ!

At the Top!!!!

Happy would be an Understatement

But wait, the fun doesn’t stop there! Yesterday, Al and I set out on our second day of fun in the sun. Or so we thought.. We were psyched to get on a sport multi-pitch by the name of Sisyphus Summits. The route takes a prime line up the North-East face of Ha Ling Peak, a striking mountain on the edge of Canmore.

Sisyphus Summits (5.10d). 21 pitches. Photo: www.banffrock.ca

We had decided on an early start, but waking up felt tough and we bumbled around for a while before we headed out.

Organizing..or something like that

Too kool for skool

Rosy Cheeks and Eager Smiles

We left the car at 9:30am and arrived at the base of the route just under an hour later. To our dismay, a party of 2 was just leaving the second pitch. After some discussion, we decided to give them an extra birth of half an hour, hoping that would give us enough space to not have any issue. WRONG. As we reached the first set of anchors, we saw that they had not even left the third belay station. They were struggling. Worse, the sun we had so hoped to stay with us began to leave the cliff. We were left in the shade with a core-chilling wind that would stay with us all day. For the next 3 hours, we shivered at each belay station, waiting for the first party to climb. After only 4 pitches, we began to seriously contemplate bailing. At this rate, we would be climbing in the dark. What made matters worse is the following conversation, after which we promptly gave this party the nickname Team Douchebag or (TDB for short)

Al calling up to the belayer “Hey! Do you guys mind if we pass you?”

A pause. TDB “Ya”

Did we hear him right? Al “You do mind?”

“Ya!” Douchebag.

Check out Video #1

But shortly after, things turned around. To our joyous surprise, TDB decided to bail! Psyched! After exchanging some pleasantries as we passed them (Turns out they were pretty nice guys, yet after much deliberation I have concluded they still deserve their nickname), Al and I were PSYCHED!

Yahoooooo Moutain Dew!! We finally get to climb!

After that, it was smooth sailing. We doubled up on pitches, which made for a speedy and fun ascent, with awesome rock (expect for the death pitch #13. 2 bolts in 26 metres through complete choss). The only downside was the cold that shook up to the core. It wasn’t a wintery cold. My fingers were fine, my feet has blood in them. But my core was frozen. My shoulders are sore from shivering. It wasn’t until we ate dinner that night did my chill abate. After a total of 9 hours, Al and I reached the top, incredibly psyched and all smiles. The best feeling was the moment I peeked my head over the lip and sunshine blasted my face. I will never take sunshine for granted ever again!

The Final Pitch

Waaaaa SUNSHINE!!!!!

Video #2

Look over there!!

Looong way down

All Smiles

End of the Day!

After a beautiful hike down in the sun, scoping out new cliffs on the way, and an amazing dinner at the Grizzly Paw in the company of our good friend, Canmore’s sweetheart Zak McGurk, I crawled into bed, completely tuckered to the core.

I love my life.

(And the goofiness that goes with it!)

Goof