The two awards - the Salewa Rock Award and the La Sportiva Competition Award will be presented to one of the candidates listed below:
SALEWA ROCK AWARD CANDIDATES
- Sasha DiGiulian
- Gabriele Moroni
- Adam Ondra
- Chris Sharma
- Enzo Oddo
LA SPORTIVA COMPETITION AWARD CANDIDATES
- Ramon Julien Puigblanque
- Jain Kim
- Adam Ondra
UKClimbing is again on the jury at the event and - along with 25 other climbing websites and magazines - will be casting a vote as to who will win these two prestigious awards. But who should we vote for?
Candidate Details direct from the Arco Rock Legends Organisation:
SALEWA ROCK AWARD
The nominations for the "rock" Oscar couldn't have been better and as usual these come hand in hand with some exciting novelties. Beginning with young American ace Sasha DiGiulian who last March produced a run of climbs which has few equals in the history of female climbing.
The other novelty is the nomination of undisputed Italian talent Gabriele Moroni; after Manolo's nomination in the first edition, this is the second time an Italian is in the running for the prestigious prize thanks to an excellent season both with and without a rope which justifiably left its mark.
But the Jury will also have to analyse the performances of other illustrious climbers who have already been nominated at Arco in the past. Such as 2008 and 2010 winner Adam Ondra who, at 18 years of age, seems even more unstoppable than ever before.
Another climber who dominates the crags in absolute terms is Chris Sharma and after his victory in 2009 he has now received his 4th nomination in 6 years.; this too helps explain why the 30-year-old American is widely considered "The King" of climbing.
And, last but not least, the Salewa Rock Award is also up for grabs for young Frenchman Enzo Oddo who will come to Arco after an incredible year climbing across the globe. After 2010 this is already the second prestigious nomination for the 16-year-old. And who knows, perhaps 2011 will be his year?
LA SPORTIVA COMPETITION AWARD
The news from the competition front is the first-ever nomination for Ramon Julien Puigblanque, the athlete who over the years has won practically all there is to win in Lead competitions, i.e. climbing competitions with a rope. Last year the Spaniard won both the European Championship and the special Rock Master pre-World Championship event.
He will by joined by Jain Kim from Korea, the undisputed power house who really came into her own last season by winning the Lead World Cup and the special Combined event which sums the results of all climbing disciplines.
The trio is completed with, once again, that man Adam Ondra. It comes as no great surprise if, for the second year running, the climber from the Czech Republic has been nominated fro both categories, for rock and competitions. The La Sportiva Competition Award is the only one missing from his list, but will his victory in the Bouldering World Cup and the 2010 Combined win be enough to convince the Jury?
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