Last Saturday I put my training to the test and joined a "novice" and "fun" competition in Power Up Tandang Sora (or TS). I've been going to TS regularly now for the past month (plus the occasional mountain rockstar sessions), and I can feel some progress on my overall strength. Besides, they said it's a fun event, so no pressure to win (as if I would!).
The rules of the event are simple. Each color-coded route has a corresponding point (e.g. White = 50 points, Red = 100 points, etc.). Climbers are given three hours to climb as many routes as possible, racking up points in the process. The more difficult routes you climb, the higher your chances of winning.
Since the most difficult routes have significantly higher points, i.e. 50 for white vs. 250 for blue (the most difficult), some climbers choose the latter, since the amount of total effort might be lower in doing blue route than five whites. But to be successful in this, you must have the requisite strength and technique; otherwise, you'll fail miserably, and exert more effort in the process.
The climbers all seemed stoked and quickly queued in the walls for their turn. I started a bit tentative because, a) I didn't have a climbing partner and I needed time to muster my social skills, and b) I left my shoes at home. After shelling out a C-note for the shoe rental, I started with a White route on the Russian Pump (overhanging wall at the center), and managed it without much struggle (Gax said they relaxed the difficulty for all colors. This is a fun event, after all). I then slowly tried the red routes in the other "easier" walls, to maximize points and conserve my muscle strength. Then I attempted the Green route (150 points) in the easiest wall, but failed to reach the last hold.
An hour has passed. The gym got very loud, amid the shouts of "betas" and the sudden heavy downpour. I was alternating with Rodel, trying to finish as many red routes as I can. But my hands can only take so much, so after a solid rally, I started failing. This wasn't entirely unexpected, but disappointing all the same. I never had the chance to count how many routes I completed, All I know is that I fell six times in total. It did not matter too much. After seeing the guys who won--the same people I watched climb all those blue and green routes with confidence--I knew I was way way off.
An hour has passed. The gym got very loud, amid the shouts of "betas" and the sudden heavy downpour. I was alternating with Rodel, trying to finish as many red routes as I can. But my hands can only take so much, so after a solid rally, I started failing. This wasn't entirely unexpected, but disappointing all the same. I never had the chance to count how many routes I completed, All I know is that I fell six times in total. It did not matter too much. After seeing the guys who won--the same people I watched climb all those blue and green routes with confidence--I knew I was way way off.
There were side competitions after the main event. Those were fun to watch. The ladies handily beat the guys in the dead hang (though it wasn't a direct match between sexes). Rounds of beer made the crowd rowdy. Bullet Dumas capped the event with an awesome acoustic set. What more could you ask in a fun competition?
I didn't get to take a lot of photos. I was climbing after all. So I'll leave you with this awesome video produced by Mikko Gonzales (you can see me briefly as I start my climb in the Finals wall).
Go Climb a Rock! July11, 2015 Power Up Diliman
... a glimpse of more action! Thank you Petzl, Mojo Sandals, Climb Philippines, the Power Up staff, all the volunteers and Mikko Gonzales for this video!
Posted by Power Up Climbing on Tuesday, July 14, 2015
I heard from Joey Cuerdo that there will be another fun competition in October, in time for the anniversary of Power Up. Like their Facebook page here to get updates.
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