Noah Beek Makes Italy Ice World Cup Semis, Watch Here

This weekend marks the final leg of the 2017 UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup season. Rabenstein, Italy hosts competitions in Lead and Speed on Jan. 28 and 29. Canadians Noah Beek, Gord McArthur and Ineke Rhebergen competed in Qualifications. Beek made Semis for the fifth straight comp. Follow results here.

The famed ice wall of Rabenstein, located in the Italian province of Bolzano and nestled in the Dolomites, will host the final weekend of action in the UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup season. The event will determine who wins the World Cup series.

Congrats @thatnoah_kid from BC for advancing to Semis at @uiaamountains Ice World Cup. Crushing for Canada. #uiaa #climbing #gocanada #competition

A photo posted by Gripped Magazine Comps (@grippedmagazinecomps) on Jan 28, 2017 at 9:42am PST

In Women’s Lead can Korea’s Han Na Rai Song (312 points) see off the determined challenge of local favourite Angelika Rainer (250 points). Song has won the last two competitions in lead, Rainer has two silver medals to her name and keen to add a first season gold. In the Men’s competition, Song’s compatriot HeeYong Park holds the advantage (327 points). Park is in supreme form and leads Nikolai Kuzovlev of Russia by 61 points.

No competition is as close as the Women’s Speed Event. The only certainty is the winner will be from Russia. Ekaterina Koshcheeva (240) has the edge over multiple champion Maria Tolokonina (225 points). Nadezhda Gallyamova has an outside chance on 185 points. Vladimir Kartashev has been in a class of his own in Men’s Speed. Two silvers, one gold. On 260 points he still has work to do to see off his Russian teammates, notably Pavel Batushev (216 points).

While the World Cup season finishes on Sunday, the main event in the 2017 UIAA ice climbing calendar is still to come. The biennial World Championships will take place in Champagny-en-Vanoise, 4-5 February.