THREE renowned rock climbers, who are members of Team North Face, arrived in Cebu last Monday to help bolt sport climbing routes and share their knowledge on rock climbing with the local climbers and climbing enthusiasts.
Rock climbing legend Yuji Hirayama, who is known for his technical climbing and who is a two-time lead climbing world champion, arrived in Cebu with elite climbing couple James Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini.
The North Face team, supported by the Cebu Rock Climbing Community and Vertigo Climbing Center, will be bolting the massive rock face in Mansorela in Barangay Tag-bao, Cebu City from Feb. 10 to 16 and the steep crag in Camp 7 on Feb. 16 to 18 in Minglanilla.
The visit is part of the Spot project and backed by Climbers without Borders, a global climbing organization whose aim is to introduce the sport of climbing by creating a support network between local climbers and the global climbing community.
“The Spot project was born out of a desire to help our climbing friends, who come from a less fortunate places than us. We will share with them our climbing experiences as well as climbing equipment,” said Ciavaldini
“We want to progress together, learning from each other, climbing higher and harder.
We are open to them, and will open new routes for them; to drive forward the level of the community and give them challenges to aspire for,” added Pearson.
The two also said that they will teach the locals how to bolt and how to train and climb on different terrains. They added that the Spot project is all about helping each other and it is all about spotting your friend.
Hirayama of Japan has set several big wall speed records for climbing the Nose (2,900 feet) in El Capitan with the fastest at 2:37:05 in 2008 with partner Hans Florine.
Hirayama said he is excited to meet the local climbers here.
In 2004, Hirayama made history when he made the first on-sight (finish on first try without prior information on the route) of an 8c/5.14b line when he dispatched White Zombie in Baltzola Cave, Spain.
Climbers from around the country are expected to join the event and to listen to the international rock climbers share their stories, training tips, and knowledge in bolting hard routes and climbing terrains.