Hound Ears Bouldering

Alex Johnson and Jon Glassberg won the 15th annual Hound Ears Bouldering Competition on a splitter day near Boone, North Carolina. Johnson, a Midwesterner now living in Colorado, fought off a challenge from Southeast local Kate McGinnis, last year’s Triple Crown Bouldering Series winner, to eke out a win. Boone local Glassberg, fifth overall in last year’s Triple Crown, overcame stiff competition from Jimmy Webb to launch a serious bid for the 2008 crown. 

More than 450 climbers seized the once-a-year opportunity to explore Hound Ears—the blocks are on private land and are closed to climbing throughout the rest of the year. Fund-raising efforts, including a post-comp raffle, raised $7,000 to support the Carolina Climbers’ Coalition’s purchase of the Laurel Knob climbing area. 

Chad Wykle, event co-organizer said, "Fantastic weather, a sold-out crowd, and amazing support from our sponsors combined to produce one of the best Hound Ears Comps since Jim Horton started the event 15 years ago!"

The Hound Ears comp was the first event in the 2008 Triple Crown. Still to come are comps at Horse Pens 40 in Alabama (Nov. 1) and the Stone Fort in Tennessee (Dec. 6). 

For more results, visit Triplecrownbouldering.com. 

Date of Event: October 4, 2008 

Sources: Triplecrownbouldering.com, Seclimbers.org, Carolinaclimbers.org 

Open Women
1.   Alex Johnson
2.   Kate McGinnis
3.   Alex Puccio 

Open Men
1.   Jon Glassberg
2.   Jimmy Webb
3.   Wills Young

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