The Esforta Arena in Hachioji, Japan, will be the venue for the first stage of the Boulder World Cup of the 2023 season this weekend. After further stops in Asia and the USA, the Cup moves to Europe at the beginning of June. From 9 to 11 June, the best climbers in the world will once again be on show in Bressanone.
The entire climbing elite from no fewer than 40 different countries is in action this weekend in Hachioji. For the world’s best athletes, the start in Japan is an important assessment after the many exhausting training sessions of the past months – also in view of the World Championships, which will take place in Bern from 1 to 12 August. Two South Tyrolean climbers will also be at the start at the opening of the Cup in Hachioji. Michael Piccolruaz and Filip Schenk from Val Gardena will represent Italy in the men’s event, while Laura Rogora, Camilla Moroni and Giorgia Tesio will be in action for the Italian national team in the women’s event.
After the opening event in Hachioji, the bouldering elite will stay in Asia and hold the second stage one week later in the South Korean capital Seoul. Schenk and all the others then head to Salt Lake City (19-21 May) for the third stage, before the European tour begins in Prague on the first weekend in June. A European tour that, with a stage in Bressanone from 9 to 11 June, has a real treat in store for the many fans at home and abroad who are already looking forward to it. Preparations for the international climbing festival in the cathedral city have been in full swing for weeks.
Inspiring non-climbers for the World Cup in Bressanone
The organisers of the Bressanone faction in the Alpine Club around Ralf Preindl and Alexandra Ladurner are not only focusing on top sporting performances at the second edition of the Boulder World Cup in Bressanone. A colourful supporting programme is just as important to them. “We also want to address those people who have not (yet) had so many points of contact with climbing but who could get excited about this great sport through the World Cup,” the organisers explained. For example, the well-known Austrian singer-songwriter Hubert von Goisern will give an outdoor concert in the Vertikale on Friday, 2 June, one week before the Boulder World Cup in Bressanone. On Thursday 8 June, the OC managed to secure the Italian premiere of “REEL ROCK 17”. As part of this renowned film festival, which is extremely well known in the climbing world, the best climbing and adventure films of the year are shown at the Vertikale in Bressanone. After the qualifying rounds on Friday evening (9 June), the live band “Spremuta” will ensure a party atmosphere, while on Saturday, 10 June “Shanty Powa” and a DJ will bring the Vertikale to life. Tickets for the Boulder World Cup in Bressanone, as well as the concert by Hubert von Goisern, are already available on the official website of the event at https://climbingfestival-brixen.it/tickets/.
