Rock Master is an international competition climbing event that is held every year in Arco, Italy. The event takes place in two rounds: the first is an on-sight session and the second is called "after work". The final classification is given by the sum of the two events. On Friday the athletes are given a chance to survey the work route, and the actual climbing takes place on Saturday and Sunday. At the competition, two prestigious awards, known as the "Oscars of climbing", are presented: the Salewa Rock Award, and the La Sportiva Competition Award.
History In 1985 it was disputed for the first time Sportroccia to Bardonecchia. The following year the event was tied to a stop at the side of the Colodri of Arc. Right on the wall of the Colodri in 1987, played in the first Rock Master. The following year, the race left the rock and from that moment is played only on artificial in a large open space at the base of Colodri. Since 1999, in addition to lead climbing, bouldering and speed climbing competitions were also held.
Since 2006, during the event, a jury give out the "Arco Rock Legends", two awards that are considered the Oscars of climbing: Salewa Rock Award for the athlete with the best performance on single-pitch sport climbs and boulders. La Sportiva Competition Award for the best athlete who has competed in the previous competition season.
Format The competition is usually held the first weekend of September, with a few exceptions: in 2010 has been brought forward to July as a pre-event of the World Championship of climbing that would take place in 2011. Instead of the usual two rounds (worked and view) a competition was held to only classical view in three rounds: qualifiers, semi-finals, and finals. in 2011 instead of the Rock Master was held in July at the Arco Climbing World Championship in 2011. The title of the Rock Master was, however, given the evidence of the Duel, a competition demonstration that took place at the end of the World Championship and was attended by the first sixteen male and female athletes of the league lead.
In 2012 the speed test was valid also as the fourth leg of the World Cup speed climbing 2012.
Winners Lead Year Male Female 1987 Stefan Glowacz Lynn Hill 1988 Stefan Glowacz Patrick Edlinger Lynn Hill 1989 Didier Raboutou Lynn Hill 1990 François Legrand Lynn Hill 1991 Yuji Hirayama Isabelle Patissier 1992 Stefan Glowacz Lynn Hill 1993 Elie Chevieux Susi Good 1994 François Legrand Robyn Erbesfield 1995 François Lombard Laurence Guyon 1996 François Lombard Katie Brown 1997 François Legrand Katie Brown 1998 François Legrand Liv Sansoz 1999 Eugeny Ovtchinnikov Muriel Sarkany 2000 Eugeny Ovtchinnikov Muriel Sarkany 2001 Christian Bindhammer Tomáš Mrázek Yuji Hirayama Muriel Sarkany Martina Cufar 2002 Alexandre Chabot Sandrine Levet 2003 Alexandre Chabot Angela Eiter 2004 Alexandre Chabot Angela Eiter 2005 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Angela Eiter 2006 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Sandrine Levet 2007 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Angela Eiter 2008 Patxi Usobiaga Johanna Ernst 2009 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Angela Eiter 2010 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Jain Kim 2011 - - 2012 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Angela Eiter 2013 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Mina Markovič 2016 Romain Desgranges Anak Verhoeven 2017 Jakob Schubert Jain Kim 2018 Jakob Schubert Janja Garnbret
Bouldering Year Male Female 1999 Daniel Andrada Elena Choumilova 2000 Tomasz Oleksy Natalia Novikova 2001 Salavat Rakhmetov Corinne Théroux 2002 Mauro Calibani Ol'ga Jakovleva 2003 Mauro Calibani Olga Bibik 2004 Matthias Müller Mélanie Son 2005 Kilian Fischhuber Mélanie Son 2006 Nalle Hukkataival Anna Stöhr 2007 Gareth Parry Anna Stöhr 2008 Kilian Fischhuber Katharina Saurwein 2009 Kilian Fischhuber Alizée Dufraisse 2010 Anna Stöhr 2011 - - 2012 Dmitrij Šarafutdinov Alex Puccio 2013 Rustam Gelmanov Alex Puccio
Speed Year Male Female 1999 Vladimir Zakharov 2000 Alexei Gadeev 2001 Iakov Soubotine 2002 Tomasz Oleksy 2003 Alexei Gadeev 2004 Tomasz Oleksy 2005 Tomasz Oleksy 2006 Sergey Sinitsyn 2007 Evgenij Vajcechovskij 2008 Manuel Escobar Olena Ryepko 2009 Libor Hroza Edyta Ropek 2010 Libor Hroza Cuilian He 2011 - - 2012 Leonardo Gontero Alina Gaydamakina 2013 Libor Hroza Alina Gaydamakina 2014 Libor Hroza Anouck Jaubert 2018 Danyil Boldyrev Iuliia Kaplina
Duel Year Male Female 2000 Eugeny Ovtchinnikov Muriel Sarkany 2009 Ramón Julián Puigblanque Angela Eiter 2010 Adam Ondra Katharina Posch 2011 Adam Ondra Yana Chereshneva 2012 Jakob Schubert Dinara Fakhritdinova 2013 Sean McColl Dinara Fakhritdinova 2014 Sean McColl Dinara Fakhritdinova 2015 Adam Ondra Hélène Janicot 2016 Adam Ondra Janja Garnbret 2017 Adam Ondra Julia Chanourdie 2018 Adam Ondra Janja Garnbret 2019 Jakob Schubert Mia Krampl 2021 Stefano Ghisolfi Mia Krampl 2022 Jakob Schubert Jessica Pilz 2023 Adam Ondra Janja Garnbret 2024 Filip Schenk Jessica Pilz 2025 Adam Ondra Brooke Raboutou
KO Boulder Year Male Female 2010 Cedric Lachat Anna Stöhr 2012 Dmitrii Sharafutdinov Alex Puccio 2013 Rustam Gelmanov Alex Puccio 2014 Jernej Kruder Alex Puccio 2016 Adam Ondra Katharina Saurwein 2017 Chon Jong-won Alex Puccio 2018 Alexey Rubtsov Fanny Gibert 2021 Adam Ondra Laura Rogora 2022 Jakob Schubert Jessica Pilz 2023 Adam Ondra Janja Garnbret 2024 Yannick Flohé Jessica Pilz 2025 Yannick Flohé Janja Garnbret
Arco Rock Legends Year Salewa Rock Award La Sportiva Competition Award 2006 Josune Bereziartu Angela Eiter 2007 Patxi Usobiaga David Lama 2008 Adam Ondra Maja Vidmar 2009 Chris Sharma Kilian Fischhuber 2010 Adam Ondra Akiyo Noguchi 2011 Adam Ondra Ramón Julián Puigblanque 2012 Sasha DiGiulian Anna Stöhr 2013 Adam Ondra Mina Markovič 2014 Muriel Sarkany Urko Carmona Barandiaran 2015 Alexander Megos Adam Ondra 2016 Daniel Andrada Mina Markovič 2017 Margo Hayes Janja Garnbret
Editions
2018 (32nd) Lead Duel Joannes was leading McColl when he peeled off a crimp towards the finish. Shiraishi had been beaten by Garnbret, and her final lunge for the finish pad at 2:34 fell short. Women's jersey 6 was tied with Rogora but peeled off trying to navigate past the same crimp Joannes fell on, only for Rogora herself to undershoot the finish pad at 2:39. Chanourdie had been beaten by Pilz when she failed to stick the second to last hold at 2:32. Ruidigier was leading Ghisolfi when he peeled off the same crimp at 1:12. Koller slapped the pad ahead of Verhoeven at 1:33 but undershot. Men's Qualifications
Men's Finals
Women's Qualifications
Women's Finals
KO Boulder The first problem's crux involved matching hands on a sloper and reaching left to the finish hold. In the first round on the first problem, Kruder dynoed the first move of the first problem. Rubtsov tried this on his second attempt and became the first to stick the crux sloper and top the problem. Vezonik tried it after Rubtsov, having been unable to progress to the crux on his initial static attempt, but was unable to stick the dyno, and the second time he stuck the crux sloper but could not advance, so he jokingly grabbed the top of the wall instead. Piazza was unable to secure himself on the holds below the crux, barn dooring off his third, dynamic, attempt, upon which he was eliminated.
The second problem was more difficult. It's crux involved a series of three pinches, which none could stick on their first try. Hojer became the first to solve it, using a static heel hook technique, then progressing to the final hold but failing to match hands. Kruder solved it more dynamically right after him, but could not fully reach the second to last hold. Mawem and Piccolruaz were unable to progress to the crux, so they were eliminated.
The third problem had a slab start with a lean far to the left, which Vezonik stuck on his first attempt, only to barn door trying to reach the next hold. Rubtsov succeeded in sticking the lean and reaching the next hold on his second attempt, but could not stick the crimp before the finish hold. Vezonik stuck the next hold on his second attempt, but fell off switching hands. After two attempts, Kruder was unable to stick the lean, while Hojer was unable to reach any handholds at all even after a third attempt, so Hojer was eliminated.
The fourth problem was substantially easier for the remaining contestants than the previous problems. It had a crack start to an overhang and a climb to a sloper that required mantling the second to last hold to reach. On his first and only attempt, Kruder was able to touch, but not hold, the final hold. Then Rubtsov and Vezonik both onsighted the problem, eliminating Kruder. Men's
Name Problem 1 2 3 4 Alexey Rubtsov T -4 (-2) -1 O Gregor Vezonik -1 -4 (-2) -2 O Jernej Kruder -2 (-1) -2 (-1) -6 (-5) -1 (O) Jan Hojer -2 (-1) -1 (T) -6 / Mickaël Mawem -2 (-1) -5 / / Michael Piccolruaz -2 (-1) -5 / / Riccardo Piazza -3 / / /
2021 (34th) The men's and women's routes were of the same difficulty. Gibert had been beaten by Lukan when she lunged for a dyno, missing the finish pad at 2:04. Fossali had been beaten by Ondra when he peeled off the ceiling at 2:30. Stráník had been beaten by Piccolruaz when he peeled off lunging for the final hold at 1:22. Flohé had been beaten by Ghisolfi when he peeled off at 1:13, swinging for the final hold. Rogora was beaten by Lukan while on the last hold, but she peeled off. Flohé had been beaten by Ondra when he peeled off at 1:12, lunging for the final hold. Lead Duel Men's
Women's
KO Boulder Climbers got three chances each to complete the boulder problem each round. Points were assigned after each round, taking into account the highest reached hold and the number of attempts. In case of a tie, the points of the previous rounds would decide who advances or wins. Men's The first problem moved from a sloper volume to two pinch volumes to two crimps to a final pinch before the finish hold. Škofic fell off right after gripping the starting hold, eliciting laughter from the crowd. Flohé got to the crimp pair right after him but could not advance on his first two attempt, topping the problem on his third. Ondra found a knee bar between the pinches and onsighted the problem. Stráník got as far as Flohé using a different sequence but encountered a similar issue on his first attempt, topping it on his second. Schenk reached the same point on his first attempt, but could not progress on his other attempts. Piccolruaz unsuccessfully attempted a dyno to the second hold, then could not pass the pinches on his next two attempts. After three attempts each, Ghisolfi and Fossali could not master the initial dyno. The same happened to Škofic on his second and third attempts. As that left three competitors tied for last, the judges decided to eliminate the bottom four competitors on the next boulder.
The next problem involved a stepping dyno to press, followed by a crimp to a sloper volume, followed by a gaston volume to the finish crimp. Škofic reached, but could not stick, the dyno. Flohé stuck it but could not progress beyond the crimp on any attempt. Ondra reached the sloper volume in his first attempt but fell off matching hands, and on his two succeeding attempts in the following gaston. Ghisolfi, Stráník, Piccolruaz, Schenk, and Fossali all had difficulty securing themselves on the initial dyno. Ondra and Ghisolfi cleaned each others' holds. But of the climbers who could not begin the upward climb, only Stráník and Schenk stuck the dyno well enough to begin advancing, and only on their second and third attempt, respectively.
The third was a body tension problem. Flohé and Schenk peeled off the first hold, Ondra and Stráník could not get into position for the reach at the third, and the only thing that changed with further attempts was Schenk reaching the second hold, Stráník getting close to reach position twice, and Ondra reaching out to touch the next hold on his final attempt. As a result, Flohé was eliminated.