Deep Water Soloing 2015: Semi-Finals
Aug. 30th, 2015 04:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sawylIn line with the forecast, the morning was every bit as a cold and wet as predicted, so I took a while to get going and didn't get down to the river until eleven or so, just in time to see Jenna on her last problem. Conditions were pretty grim and the wall was quite wet despite an improvised awning of umbrellas along the top, and eventually a hour's halt was called to allow the setters to rig up a shelter out of planks and tarpaulins.
By the time the women's semis resumed at one, the new canopy was in place and the weather was starting to break but sadly it was still too drizzly for photos. Emma Twyford completed her series of top-outs, Rhos Frugtniet was on very strong form much to everyone's delight, and soon we were into the men's semis.
All the semi-final problems were extremely tricky, with few of even the very best of the competitors making it up to the middle sections of the final problem. Steve McClure was on particularly good form — the setting rewarded his more static style of climbing over the dynamism of some of the others — but only a very small number completing the problem, although Matt Varela-Christie came very close but was unable to quite match both hands on the final hold for the required two seconds.
Running behind schedule after the break for rain, the setters were coming down to start stripping off as soon as the last competitors were through, with the wall swung back into the dock almost immediately to allow them to reset ready for the finals.
By the time the women's semis resumed at one, the new canopy was in place and the weather was starting to break but sadly it was still too drizzly for photos. Emma Twyford completed her series of top-outs, Rhos Frugtniet was on very strong form much to everyone's delight, and soon we were into the men's semis.
All the semi-final problems were extremely tricky, with few of even the very best of the competitors making it up to the middle sections of the final problem. Steve McClure was on particularly good form — the setting rewarded his more static style of climbing over the dynamism of some of the others — but only a very small number completing the problem, although Matt Varela-Christie came very close but was unable to quite match both hands on the final hold for the required two seconds.
Running behind schedule after the break for rain, the setters were coming down to start stripping off as soon as the last competitors were through, with the wall swung back into the dock almost immediately to allow them to reset ready for the finals.
