Adidas Rockstar Climbing Event

It almost seems as if the stars of the international bouldering community have waited for a new impulse – athletes have embraced the new top-class boulder invitational contest adidas ROCKSTARS that connects sports with live music. The inaugural event will take place in the course of the adidas OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE in the impressive AREA 47 in Tirol’s Oetztal valley (Austria) from 28 to 31 July, 2011.

The invitational contest is geared towards the top athletes of the world ranking. 36 world cup boulderers have already signed up, including eight of the Top 10 men and five of the Top 10 women. “We are thrilled about the positive feedback from the community”, says initiator Axel Burkhardt, head of Olympic Sports, Cycling and Outdoor at adidas Global Sports Marketing. „We were seeking the dialogue with the athletes when we first started planning this project, because for us it is important to align our competition with the needs of the athletes. At adidas events the athlete takes centre stage, this is also the case at adidas ROCKSTARS.”

To cite an example, the new boulder invitational waives the unpopular isolation period, a fact that’s highly appreciated by the bouldering community. The live music concept is also well received by the athletes. “Music animates the public and motivates us when climbing”, says 23-year-old Katharin „Katha“ Saurwein from Innsbruck. „I hope the hall will shake”, says Lukas „Lu“ Ennemoser (21) from Längenfeld in Tirol. And Gareth Parry (38) from Great Britain hopes that “adidas ROCKSTARS will set the precedent for the future”.

A total of 40 men and 25 women are allowed to participate in the event. 20 men and 10 women can qualify in the AREA 47 on Friday 29 July for the semifinal. In both, the qualification and the semifinal, the athletes have four minutes at four different boulders, respectively. The top 6 men and women advance to the final on the evening of 30 July. The 3 best finalists of this round compete on another boulder problem for a place in the superfinal. There the two best male and female athletes compete in direct comparison on a “super boulder”. They have five minutes to simultaneously climb an identical route on two sides of the same boulder. The competitor who first stands upright on top of the super boulder wins the battle. In this thrilling duel the athletes need both, excellent skills and good nerves. Although the climbers cannot see each other, the beat of the live band „Orange but Green“ and the cheers of the crowds will reflect what is happening on the other side. The person who first stands on the super boulder is the merited adidas ROCKSTAR 2011 and wins the high prize purse. A total of 20,000 Euros is distributed among the top five men and ladies.

The current list of participants reads as the who’s who of the boulder world cup: Anna Stöhr (AUT), Alex Johnson (USA), Juliane Wurm (GER), Mélissa Le Nevé (FRA), Cecile Avezou (FRA), Katharina Saurwein (AUT), Alexandra Balakireva (RUS), Sabine Bacher (AUT), Kilian Fischhuber (AUT), Dimitry Sharafutdinov (RUS), Rustam Gelmanov (RUS), Stewart Watson (GBR) Guillaume Glairon Mondet (FRA), Alexey Rubtsov (RUS), Stefan Danker (GER), Wouter Jongeneelen (NED), Lukas Ennemoser (AUT) and Jonas Baumann (GER), to just name a few.

"I am excited that I can take part in adidas ROCKSTARS”, raves Mélissa Le Nevé (22) from France, currently ranked 7th in the world. “I am completely passionate about music and climbing so I don’t want to miss a competition that combines both in one big event! The band plays with notes while the climbers play with holds! I love this kind of comp, because it is usually crowded and you can play with the audience. It's more spectacular and at the same time I feel like I can outdo myself giving my very best. Climbing is a growing sport, with strong values - it deserves more recognition. I wait impatiently until the end of July!"

GORE-TEX „Be a Rockstar“ Amateur Contest Amateurs who would like to compete with the world’s best boulderers should enter the “GORE-TEX Be a Rockstar“ contest in the course of the adidas OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE, because the winners of the qualification receive a wild card for the adidas ROCKSTARS invitational. In addition, the top 3 amateur men and women of the qualification will be in the limelight at their very own final, the “Build your Boulder“ contest on Friday, 29 July 2011.
To the musical backdrop of some the world’s best beatboxers, each finalist must first build a boulder route and then climb all three problems as well as a fourth route built by chief route setter Reini Fichtinger. To claim victory the participants need creativity, speed and self-evaluation, because only those who top their own problem and avoid demerits have a chance to win. The finalist who topped the most boulders claims the prestigious GORE-TEX “Build your Boulder“ champions title.

For further event information and athlete profiles of the registered pros please refer to www.adidas-rockstars.com.

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