What if you threw an international bouldering competition and didn’t provide decent pads for the landings? At the European Championship in Russia last weekend, the result was no contest. Ninety-seven boulderers from 21 countries had registered for the European Bouldering Championship in Ekaterinburg, Russia, but on Saturday the international competition jury voted first to delay the bouldering comp and then to cancel it completely, leaving Europe’s top boulderers to contemplate a wasted trip to Russia. The decision was made “because the safety of the competitors can not be guaranteed with the existing mats,” according to the competition website. 

Meanwhile, the European lead-climbing championship went on as planned, and 15-year-olds David Lama of Austria and Charlotte Durif of France stole the show, winning the men’s and women’s competitions. In a little over a month, the young Lama has now won a lead-climbing World Cup, a bouldering World Cup, and the European lead-climbing championship.