Last Friday, the 29th of May witnessed the debut of Summer Boulder Bash which was held in Dubai’s Rock Republic – a place where expats and locals alike could immerse themselves in challenging wall climbing as the summer heat settles in on the Emirate.
The first event of its kind in the region, eager participants of all ages and skill levels had to face the problems of taking on the bouldering walls of this facility. Each area presented a certain degree of challenge which was, despite being difficult, it was extremely enjoyable. Some seasoned mountaineers and climbers, others amateur enthusiasts were also seen measuring themselves up against themselves, promoting an environment of self-improvement during the event. Pete Aldwinckle, partner and manager of Rock Republic, explains:
“Our facility is open to everyone and we are witnessing more and more beginners finding love for the “little mountains”, as we call boulders; of course experienced climbers are welcome too and we have special challenges for them in store. As we approach summer and most outdoor events dry up, it was obvious this would be the best time to put together a series of events for our members and occasional climbers.”
Guida Verschut, partner, adds: “We are very pleased with the turn-out and pleasantly surprised that a portion of our competitors were walk-ins. For a center opened a month short of two years, Rock Republic is getting a lot of buzz just by word of mouth and so we run our center as a neighborhood community-style place for everyone to not only pack in a good workout, but also to enjoy themselves, meet fellow climbers and find new friends and buddies as well as, naturally, to keep active.”
Of the two hours allocated to the climbers, most time was spent on the walls, solving “problems” (color coded routes with different grades of difficulty) that were assigned certain points. Climbers were scoring themselves and had a choice of over 100 problems that are currently set up.
“I came on the spur of the moment, really. I have minimal experience and climbed a couple of times in the past but have never signed up to anything like this. I should have felt intimidated by the power here; I mean some of these guys were pulling off gravity-defying moves! Instead, the guys of Rock Republic were really encouraging and supportive of everyone who came to the event. One of my friends even got a sport prize on the day. We left really stoked and happily tired” says one of the participants.
Summer Boulder Bash has four more events in the pipeline; June 12th, June 26th, July 10th and the final one July 24th 2015 (all Fridays, 11am to 13.30pm). Registration is available online, in person or on the day of the events. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/rock.republic.dubai
