World Cup winners Kilian Fischhuber (AUT) and Alex Johnson (US)

The 2008 Teva Mountain Games hosted the Bouldering World Cup this past weekend in Vail, Colorado. Thousands of athletes and spectators converged on the Disney-esque mountain town, including kayakers, mountain bikers and climbers. Mad props to the 6 men and women who battled it out in finals. Austrian Kilian Fischhuber won the men’s, red-headed Italian Gabriele Moroni landed in second and Paul Robinson—U.S., slid into third. Daniel Woods placed fifth and Ty Landman, for Great Britain, sixth.  Alex Johnson (US) won the women’s, Katharina Saurwein (AUT) came in second, and the favored Anna Stohr (AUT) placed third. Impressive efforts by Tiffany Hensley (US) 4th and Alex Puccio (US) 6th. Usual suspects Angie Payne, Chris Sharma and David Lama didn’t make finals. Honestly, it was super inspiring to see so many strong climbers try so hard. A palpable “I get paid by my country to climb” vibe accompanied the typical chalkbag throwing, wall kicking and screaming. And to top it all off I had a blast partying with the Euros and doing the worm with DW—yep, the worm.

MC Timmy O’Neill

Tiffany Hensley (US) and Paul Robinson (US)

Daniel Woods (US)

Anna Stohr (AUT) and Alex Puccio (US)

Chris Sharma, Ty Landman, Kilian Fischhuber. Ty, Gabri and Kilian.

David Lama (AUT) and Paul Robinson (US)

It is not tomorrow yet, though, so i searched a little and remembered why I like where I live at le

ast a little bit. 

I drove to New Jersey this last weekend for the 2008 Mammut Gravity Brawl. 

I got to watch Matt Bosley, Kevin Jorgeson and Rob D’Anastasio and others duke it out in the finals with la femmes Alex Johnson, Paige Claassen and other hard pulling women sorting out their differences via colorful plastic blobs and techno music. 

It was a spectacle to be sure. The lights. The people. The energy (ugh please forgive me but it’s true). It all came together to bring me a little piece of climbing love. I remembered why I fell in love with this sport and why I continue in poverty to keep at it.

Here are some photos fro

m the event. They are by no means excellent photos at all, rather just some of what went on. Shit I don’t even know all these guys names which may be even bette. They were climbing and got me psyched. 

Enjoy and keep climbing. 

(click the pics for larger versions) (edit: ugh. more pics coming. technical difficulties.)