On August 11, some of the strongest climbers in the United States congregated in Salt Lake City at The Front Climbing Club, for SENDFEST. This was the second annual competition held during the Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow (an event attended by many of the country’s top sponsored athletes). There were also some surprise darkhorse climbers, like Brian Kim, Tyler Haack, Patrick Luther, and Tyler Davis; familiar faces, like Chris Sharma, Daniel Woods, and Obe Carrion — yes, he’s out of retirement; and the young guns destined to make Hot Flashes news, Paul Robinson, Jon Cardwell, and Tyler Landman (the U.K. phenom who’s been tearing up Colorado this summer). Taking 20 topnotch men and women climbers from isolation and throwing them into the American colosseum of bouldering competition for a high-energy, no-holds-barred battle royal made for an inspiring experience. Now, let’s get into the meat of the comp:

The Format:
Four problems with five minutes to make unlimited attempts on each problem (attempts recorded for tie-breakers). Climbers receive a five minute rest in between each problem, so they could potentially earn as much as nine minutes of rest if they flash. Finishing a problem earned 1,000 points, with point values varying based on each climber’s control of the last hold reached, with a 100-point flash bonus. No previews. Warm-up in isolation. What qualifies as control? “Holding for three seconds or more, or on the hold well-enough to make progressive movement towards the next hold,” says Chris Danielson, head route-setter for SENDFEST. 

Qualifiers:
During Qualifiers, the Women dealt with more of a bottleneck than the men. Most had little trouble with problem #1 and #3.  But a tall, crimpy #2 and a heinously slopey #4 allowed only the strongest few to pass. 

1st Alex Johnson 4295.00
1st Angie Payne 4295.00
3rd Alex Puccio 3936.36
4th Ally Dorey 3897.07
5th Cicada Jenerik 3856.67
6th Alexandra Balakiyero 3845.45
7th Amy Cockerham 3740.45
8th Sydney McNair 3705.05
9th Emily Harrington 3614.14
10th Natasha Barnes 3609.14
10th Portia Menlove 3609.14
11th Melissa LaCasse 3599.14
13th Kate Reese 3523.23
13th Lani Adamson 3523.23
15th Kasia Pietras 3513.23
16th Tori Maisey 3402.12
17th Jody Hansen 3393.03
17th Cheryl Pirozzi 3286.01
19th Noella Nykyforuk 3210.10
20th Nadya Vorotnikov 3184.90