Count Down to the World Cup: The World’s Best Climbers are Coming to Canada

The June 1 and 2 World Cup will attract some of the best climbers in the world as well as showcasing the best talent Canada has produced. Gripped will be profiling some of the athletes who will be pulling down next month in Hamilton in the first East Coast, and second ever World Cup held in Canada! First up are the Austrian comp power couple, Kilian Fischuber and Anna Stohr.

Thirty-year-old Fischuber is currently ranked second in the world and has already taken first at the World Cups in Millau, France in April. He has won eight World Cups to date, and garnered multiple first overall rankings. On the rock he is also no slouch, having climbed Action Directe 9a and flashed 8c. One of Fischuber’s strongest assets as a competitor is his versatility. Rather than favour one style of problem, Fischuber is usually able to handle whatever the setters have thrown up, whether it be a powerful thugfest, or a balancey slab requiring finesse. His motivation to dominate in Hamilton this year will be high, as he is committed only to competing in World Cups right now.

Anna Stohr, at 25, is now ranked number one in the world. So far this year her wins include World Cups in Chingquing China, Kitzbuhl Austria and Millau France. Storhr is a two-time Bouldering World Champion, in 2007 and 2011, the only woman to have won the prestigious biennial competition twice. She has also got a long list of hard bouldering sends in Europe and the U.S. up to 8b. Determined and powerful, Stohr represents one of the outstanding favourites in Hamilton.