Deep Water Soloing 2015: Semi-Finals

In 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.

Deep Water Soloing 2015: Women's Finals

This years finals took the form of a speed elimination, with each of the six finalists climbing the same problem and the fastest three — and those with the highest points in the event of a failure to complete the route — going through to a second round. Timing was via the hugely sophisticated device of a small bell hung above the last hold.

The women were first to climbing a red problem with a giant sized version of the EP wrecking ball used during qualifiers. The route started with a dyno up to a jug on an orange triangular volume...

Emma Twyford makes the first dyno look easy.
...next up to the disco ball...

Rhos Frugtniet moves onto the disco ball
...then a heel hook out to the a hold on the next volume...

Sarah Pashley moves off the ball
...a move over to a pocket...

Jennifer Wood hangs on three fingers
...up over the overhang...


..a quick traverse using the disco ball...

Ellie Rymer on the traverse
...cut loose...


...up on to the teardrop...


...reach up for the bell...


...and done!...

Frances Bensley finishes the problem.

For the record, Jennifer Wood managed to flash the problem in an astonishingly quick 1:20.6 seconds. After a break to allow the men to complete their first elimination round, the three fastest women — Wood, Twyford and Frugtniet — returned to repeat the problem in order to determine podium position. The only minor difference being the removal of the final hold so now, to ring the final bell the competitors had to dyno for it, guaranteeing themselves a dunking:

Emma Twyford

Rhos Frugtniet

and Jennifer Wood on the cusp

The end result: Twyford first, Frugtniet second, and Wood third.

Deep Water Soloing 2015: Men's Finals

As with the women's final, the format of the men's competition was also a speed elimination, with top six going head to head on the same problem with the fastest three going through to the second round. The problem, set in the middle of wall and featuring the wrecking ball, featured a number of dynos, including one across a big star of volumes in the middle of the upper section.

The problem starts on the volume and then up to a couple of footholds:

Vincent Boucher at the very start.

...a move on to the wrecking ball...

Max Ayrton moves onto the wrecking ball

...out again with a move to a mono pocket...

Nathan Phillips makes easy work of the pocket

...down to a volume...

Matt Cousins moves down to the volume

...and the first real dyno...


...round the overhang using the crack created by the two volumes immediately above...

Wiz Fineron moves past the overhang

...a little campus onto the star...

Matt Varela-Christie campuses

...ready for another dyno...


...across the face of star...


...on to a couple of tiny crimps...


...with a last throw for the big ledge...


...and the bell and the finish!


The times for all this were nothing short of astonishing: Matt Cousins set the pace in the first round, flashing the problem in the staggeringly quick time of 38.06 seconds! After a rest to allow the second round of the women's final, the top three men — Cousins, Matt Varela-Christie, and Vincent Bouchet — returned to duel it out.

On his second attempt Varela-Christie managed to get his time down to 28.56 seconds. So with Bouchet on 35.69, it all came down to Cousins' final run which was superbly quick right up to the point where a slip on the final crimp cost him valuable points thanks to a premature splashdown, giving victory to Matt Varela-Christie and second place to Vincent Bouchet.

Deep Water Soloing 2015: Postscript

With Exeter DWS comp over for another year, the six male finalists decided to celebrate with a simultaneous leap from the top of the wall:

Touching the void...

...synchronised splashdown!