Before printing think about environment!1-1-2014
Was the year 2013 good for the Belgian sport? Will we remember any other performances than the qualification of the Red Devils for the 2014 World Cup or the three medals won at the London Olympic Games? The performances of these athletes have awoken some Belgian fans who have been waiting for a long time but what about climbing and alpinism?
2013 had the same standards for climbing. The beginning of the year saw some incredible climbers achieve performances such as the first 9a on sight (Alexander Megos) or another 9b+ redpoint (Adam Ondra). In July, the Austrian Gerlinde Kattenbrunner became the first woman to climb the K2 without oxygen by the Chineese side. Three months latter, the Swiss Ueli Steck managed to get on top of the Annapurne in Nepal by the South face, alone and in 28 hours!
These achievements also have their opposites. In April, the same Steck with Simone Moro and Jonathan Griffith get into a fight with sherpas on Everest. The World's roof isn't living it's best hours. End of May, we learn that the olympic dream is over. The application of the IFSC doesn't pass the qualifications level.
In Belgium, we'll remember that size and age don't influence much the performances when the motivation is there. In October, Muriel Sarkany reminds us she is still on the track. She becomes the fouth women in History to send a route in the 9th grade. With her 152 centimeters and 39 years, the ex-competitor lights the Belgian colours in a new way. On the other side, Anak Verhoeven finishes being 17 years old her first adult competition year with 4 finals in a row. A bit further, Stef Maginelle gets to the top of two 8000 meter summits in one week. Can we hope with all this some other good performances for the coming year?
All the Belclimb team with you the best in all your projects in 2014.