for Foregn Readers (ROCK & SNOW No.58 2012 Winter)
P_005 Brief Overview of 2012 World Cup
2012 Climbing World Cup ended on November 17 in Imst, Slovenia. Men’s category had a thrilling development and we had to wait until the final competition to know who would win the overall championship. Eventually, Amma Sachi won the championship by winning the final game.
P_007 Tomoko Ogawa completed V14
On October 21 Tomoko Ogawa completed Catharsis (5-dan, V14) at Shiobara, setting the new world record for women.
P_008 The VII Piolets d`Or Asia
On November 10 the Review Board of the VII Piolets d’Or Aisa met in Seoul, Korea. There were four nominations: the variation route of Mt. Hunter north face (Korean party); the traverse from the southwest ridge to the north face on Namu-nani-feng (Japanese party); the new route on Himjung southwest face in Nepal Himalayas (Korean party); the new route on the northwest face of Jiazi (6540m) in Ta-hsuch Mountains of Sichuan Province (Chinese party). Each accomplishment was unique and it was not easy to decide who would win. After an impartial review, the golden pickles went to the Korean party that climbed Himjung and the Chinese party that climbed Jiazi.
P_011 Ashima Shiraishi completed two 5.14cÅfs
In the Red River Gorge, 11-year-old Ashima Shiraishi successfully climbed two 5.14c routes: Southern Smoke and Lucifer.
P_013 CLIMBING-net
“ROCK&SNOW” will open a portal site of climbing “CLIMBING-net” in January 2013. In addition, the route guides of the popular “100 Crags in Japan” will soon become accessible by smartphone. Yama-kei Publishers Co., Ltd., publishers of “ROCK&SNOW,” will be actively involved in electronic media.
P_016 IFSC Climbing World Cup – Inzai 2012
The general attention was to the two climbers who had been in a neck-and-neck race for this year’s championship: Sachi Amma of Japan and Ramon Julian of Spain. Before this competition started, Amma was in first place and Ramon in second. At the end, it was Ramon that won the competition and Amma was placed third. There were 26 participants from Japan, but only three of them made it to the finals. They were Sachi Amma in men’s category and Momoka Oda and Akiyo Noguchi in women’s category.
Text by Makoto Kitayama.
P_021 Featured Article #1 – 165 Famous problems in Japan
From among over 50 bouldering areas all over Japan, more than 100 famous problems were selected. The areas include both the newly opened ones and the classical ones such as Mitake, Ogawayama, Toyota, Kitayama-koen and Ojigatake.
P_037 Toyamagawa Boulder
Toyamagawa boulder is in the southernmost area of Nagano. Taking as long as 10 years, this area has been developed by two brothers Toru Nakajima, who is known for trad climbing, and Wataru Nakajima, who climbed Highball in the States plus their father who is a pioneer of free climbing in Nagano.
Text by Takeshi Nakajima.
P_042 Yes, you can climb! – Challenging Freerider
Freerider is located in the center of El Capitan and is the simplest with the grade 5.12c as its highest grade. It is simple for the world’s top climbers, but, for ordinary climbers, it is beyond their reach. On behalf of ordinary climbers, Toshiyuki Kikuchi challenged Free Rider. Here is his report.
Text by Toshiyuki Kikuchi.
P_081 Featured Article #2 – Skiing down the mountains in 2012
This article examines what the world’s top-level extreme skiers are doing now and where they are heading. Andreas Franson, who skied on Denali South Face, and Xavier de Le Rue, who snowboards on the steep slopes of the Alps glaciers, talk about their skiing and snowboarding styles, purposes and equipment.
Interview and text by Naoyuki Kato.
P_088 Latest Ski Equipment
This article looks at what equipment the world’s top skiers and riders are actually using. Alpine skiers Masaaki Sato and Shinichiro Matsubara, snowboarder Yuta Watanabe and telemark skier Teppei Tsukazaki explain about their equipment.
Structuring and text by Tadashi Sekine.
P_096 Full Love for dry and ice
Excellent autumn conditions have hinted for extremely difficult mixed climbing in Mont Blanc Range. Chamonix based climbers, Jeff Mercier, Korra Pesce, Julien Desecures and Jon Griffith climbed hard mixed and thin smears of Fullalove-Robertson route on Aiguilles du Peigne on 17-18 October. The 550m climb was rated V/5+ M6 R 85 degree.
P_102 Interview with Steve House
Steve House visited Japan and publicized his book “Beyond The Mountain.” Between talk shows, he went to Mizugakiyama and enjoyed climbing with the Japanese climbers. Reporter Akihiro Oishi interviews Mr. Light & Fast to capture who he is.
P_112 Cafecito Necesito
Yuji Hirayama opened 5.14b/c route on Kanmanboron of Mizugakiyama. This must be the fourth or the fifth most difficult grade in Japan. The route was named “Cafecito Necesito,” remembering his Chilean partner.
Text by Yuji Hirayama.
P_115 Toru Nakajima in Colorado 2012
Toru Nakajima sprang to fame worldwide as a trad climber. This summer he visited Colorado and achieved a number of results such as completing V14 and flashing V13.
Text by Toru Nagajima.
P_118 The Essence of Bouldering
Takao Kiori visited the States and climbed the problems created by the great boulderer John Gill. He talks about “the Essence of Bouldering,” which he came to see through the classic problems.