Deep Water Soloing 2015: Women's qualifications

A fun first day at this year's Exeter Deep Water Solo competition, with the morning dedicated to the women's comp with the afternoon focusing on the men. Unlike last year, where the sponsored team climbers joined at a later stage, this year's format required everyone to climb in each round — a response to the large numbers of very strong climbers who did so well that they ended up in the semi-finals.

Emma Twyford jumps in after her final problem. The wall is designed such that competitors can't top out even if they succeed in sending the most difficult problem, guaranteeing that even the very best have to get wet at some point!

The first of the women's comp problem looked relatively straight-forward and everyone seemed to cruise up it with ease:

Eve topping out on the first problem. It was an extremely slick performance and she positively breezed up it.

The second problem was far harder, with a ball a couple of feet in diameter and featuring a couple a handholds dangling from a chain in the middle of the set. The official beta involved hooking a heel on one of the holds below the overhang and before sitting on the wrecking ball — as it inevitably got called by the commentators!

Izzy Bentley makes easy work of the EP wrecking ball...

The whole section was extremely unforgiven to anyone who inadvertently cut loose, with recovery only possible by building up enough momentum to swing back on to the wall:

Andrea Kovacs-Simon campuses on the wrecking ball. (ETA: Monday's Express and Echo features a very similar photo on the cover!)

The final problem was extremely hard, with small crimps from the start and a pull up over the first overhang using the orange volume:

Izzy Bentley on the third and final qualifiers problem.

Once past the overhang, the next move was up to a sloper and a couple more crimps before an extremely delicate move to the final hold:

Jessie Tucker on the upper section of the last problem. I have a feeling she didn't quite send it, but she came very, very close.

Christine Lowry was one of the few to complete the problem:


As was Emma Twyford, who obviously wasn't enthusiastic about the state of the water in the dock:

Deep Water Soloing 2015: Men's qualifications

The afternoon of the DWS competition was dedicated to the men's qualifiers. The problems went from relatively easy — even I could have sent the first one — to a tricky but do-able middle problem to an extremely hard third problem with a very difficult dyno on the penultimate move that only a handful of people managed to stick successfully.

Rory Bascombe making very light work of the first problem.

The second problem featured an early dyno up from a volume to a large blue feature:

Adam Scott sticks the first dyno.

This was followed by a swing through on the wrecking ball...

Gary Anning swings through. I couldn't resist including this photo — I just love the photographer's expression of delight!

with a reach out to the handhold on the left:

Elliot Vanstone campuses off the wrecking ball

Then it was back on the ball, with a brief sit followed by a move up to a pair of tiny crimps on the volume above:

Andrei Burton, the very last person to compete, working his way into position

The last couple of moves were very tough, with an unforgiving sloper just before the final jug:

Local Quay hero Jacob Straw was one of the few to make it to the end...

... but alas, he didn't quick make the dyno!

The final problem featured a nasty start and a hard move up passed the first overhang that separated out a number of the competitors:

Jacob was one of the select group who managed to make it up to the purple section.

Once past that, the problem featured a tricky little traverse and a dyno to a very unfriendly orange volume.

Philip Rose in mid-move...


...and safely on the volume, at which point he got a huge cheer as everyone realised he was going to be the first person to send the problem.

After which, almost no-one managed to complete the problem until a late flurry of senders towards the end — corresponding with a cluster of very strong climbers on at the end of the order...

Deep Water Soloing 2015: Food and cake!

Stayed for the first part of the evening event, with a fantastic Greek feast from Paul — with a "sort-of-moussaka" for the non-meat eaters. There was even a fantastic cake in the shape of the DWS wall:

I think it's pretty safe to say Izzy was more than a little impressed...