The official press release below. Further, ROCKFAX have been chosen as the official producer and supplier of the bouldering map and score card for the event....as well as producing educational access material.
STOP PRESS: Josune Bereziartu will be there as well.
PETZL AMERICA TO HOST ROC TRIP BOULDERING COMPETITION IN BISHOP, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 1, 2002
Petzl World Tour Event to Benefit Access Fund
CLEARFIELD, Utah (October 9, 2002) – Petzl America, a leading manufacturer of quality climbing gear will host its first North American "Roc Trip" event as part of the Petzl World Bouldering Tour at Bishop, Calif., November 29 – December 1, 2002. Events will include an informal bouldering competition pitting U.S. climbers against European climbers, a trail maintenance program, slide shows, and a party. The event will benefit Access Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment.
Climbers on the U.S. team include Tori Allen, Dave Graham, Jason Kehl, Joe Kinder, Claire Murphy, Luke Parady, Lisa Rands, and Chris Sharma. They will take on the European team including world class athletes like Josune Bereziartu, Erique Bereziartu, Daniel Dulac, Anthony Lamiche, Jerome Meyer, Pedro Pons, and Liv Sansoz.
"There has never been so much international talent gathered in one climbing area before" states John Evans, Petzl marketing director. "This group of athletes is sure to inspire (and amaze) all who attend". Over 200 climbers are expected to participate in the weekend’s festivities. "Our counterparts in France have been hosting similar events for the last couple of Petzl RocTrip, page two
hears, we expect that these "sponsored athlete rendezvous" style events will catch on here as well."
On the opening evening of Roc Trip, Chris Sharma, will present a multi-media show of his test-piece climb Realization. This route is considered by most to be the hardest route in the world. The bouldering competition on November 30, will benefit the Access Fund. Each climbing grade will be assigned a monetary value. Every time a climber completes an accent in that grade, the Access Fund will benefit. Petzl America athletes will compete against Petzl Europe, and a third team will be made up of event spectators. The evening activities will comprise of a multi media show, awards ceremony and a party. The final day, all participants will help the forest service transplant vegetation to a burned area to make room for a new parking area. This is the third event of the Petzl World Bouldering Tour, two events have already taken place in France.
The Access Fund is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment. It promotes responsible use and sound management of climbing resources while encouraging an ethic of personal responsibility, self-regulation, strong conservation values, and minimum impact practices among climbers. Petzl is a platinum level sponsor and charter member.
Petzl America is the U.S. division of Petzl, headquartered in France. Since 1975 Petzl has been developing innovative tools and techniques used by those who enter the vertical world. Today, the Petzl brand is closely associated with adventure, exploration, rescue, and many notable exploits in the worlds of rock climbing and alpinism. Petzl operates factories in France and the U.S. and is a worldwide supplier of climbing hardware and hands-free lighting equipment. For moreinformation about the RocTrip events, log on to www.petzl.com or www.climbxmedia.com.
