In an era where climbers typically have four minutes to solve complex coordination combos and the counterintuitive intricacies of the latest dual-tex labyrinth, it seems that pure power has taken a backseat. However, on September 21st, The Boulder Field hosted its second event of the Masters Series, The Force Majeure, a throw-back to the grip-and-rip PCA days.

On Friday night, Pro competitors had 10 problems to try with unlimited attempts. The first ascensionist of each problem was awarded 1,000 points, the second ascensionist 750 points, and the 3rd 600 points. Each subsequent top earned less and less points. Scaling the field in this way rewarded those who could attack and execute quickly, similar to how a first ascent outside is a coveted accomplishment. 

While this qualification round was far less nail-biting than The Greatest Flasher due to the fact that competitors were allowed to work problems into submission as opposed to the previously imposed ‘one-try’ restriction, there were still some exciting moments. One of the most memorable head-to-head battles naturally transpired between Timothy Kang, one of the Bay Area heroes, and Daniel Woods, the alpha lion patrolling among the cubs for the weekend. It’s not everyday that you get to witness a V15/5.15 first ascensionist and 9 time Bouldering National Champion have a ‘friendly’ session with the local talent on a 45-degree overhanging thug problem. Both climbers were able to send after trading agonizingly close tries for over an hour. 

After this physically draining round that would leave athletes sore for the next week, the top 6 men and women advanced to Finals by toping 7 out of 10 problems with an average of around 20 tries. As usual, these professional comp climbers brought the heat Saturday night. 

“The event featured a new kind of format for Finals, which I was really into. We had 6 final climbs and 1 hour to complete as many as possible--no iso, we were all just sessioning together,” wrote Woods. “The theme of the comp was straight forward power climbs--though there were a couple slabs haha...guess they were power slabs.”

At this point in the series development, one can only wonder what results might have been like if all slabs were eliminated from both rounds. Regardless, while Daniel displayed his supreme power on the steepest most difficult pinch boulder that remained unrepeated in the round, it was Joe Diaz who won overall by completing more problems in less tries. Ross Fulkerson, 7-time National Team Member, tied with Daniel, proving yet again that he is a verified up-and-coming professional comp climbing threat that will have to be reckoned with for years to come. 

“Competing at the TBF Masters comp last weekend was incredible and made me deeply appreciate the creative new competition formats gyms are coming up with,” wrote Fulkerson. “For me, it was super interesting trying to figure out the best strategy, in real time for a finals format no one had ever tried before.”

For women, Maya Madere stole the show with her impression performance on a close-handed crimp fest by repeatedly throwing herself at a problem that had previously no tops until she unlocked her hand-match beta following a snappy hand-flip. This moment brought the crowd to a roar and you could feel for a second the depth of commitment it takes for these climbers to succeed and also their vulnerability on the big stage, putting it all on the line for an hour in front of the camera and hundreds of locked eyes. Despite her knock-out punch, Meagan Martin was able to secure her first win of the series with her sole ascent of a steep pinch problem, while Alison Vest, Black Diamond athlete who recently climbed Terminator (V13) in Squamish just weeks before, finished with a solid 3rd place. 

“So glad I was able to make the trip out to the Force Majeure event,” wrote Vest. “Thanks for keeping competitions creative and engaging.”

As the Master’s Series continues to gain momentum, attracting higher levels of competitors from further reaches throughout the country, The Boulder Field plans on ramping up for the next event, The Modern Climber, on December 6-7. This time the format will play on an entirely different set of rules designed to test the wide-range of skills that it takes to dominate the 21st century comp climbing game.  - Dave Wetmore