Petzl hosts successful Roc Trip

Petzl America told SNEWS that the recent Roc Trip-Bishop, held Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, the company’s first international climbing benefit held as part of the Petzl World Bouldering Tour, attracted more than 400 climbers and raised $7,765 for the Access Fund.

The four-day event featured a bouldering benefit with a competition that pitted U.S. climbers against European climbers, a service project, slide shows and entertainment.

The Mandala bouldering route, considered one of the most famous and difficult in the world because of its V-11 technical difficulty rating, was ascended seven times in one day. Adding in technical difficulty, French climber Tony Lamiche increased the ascent’s technical difficulty to a V-13 by adding a sit-down start (starting in a sitting position). For each level of difficulty, a monetary amount was assigned ranging from $1 for the easiest problems to $500 for the hardest test pieces. Every time a climber reached a new V rating, Petzl donated more to the Access Fund. Lamiche was the competition’s overall winner with Chris Sharma taking second and Spain’s Pedro Pons claiming third.

“The purpose of this event was to bring together the international climbing community and raise awareness of important environmental and access issues,” said Scott Hinton, Petzl’s sports division manager. “The event, which was the first of its kind, showcased the sport of climbing, the energy behind the sport, and our responsibility to take care of the precious surroundings where we climb.”

For more information about the Roc Trip events, log on to www.petzl.com.