HEART OV ZTEEL BOULDERING COMP

Ok people. Here is the deal. If you have been living on Mars for the last three years, you might not know about our yearly Boulder Competition called HEART OV ZTEEL. Well, go check out the HEART OV ZTEEL website and learn all about the madness that is going to ensue on March 26th! Pre-register and get to training! Keep you eyes peeled on the HOZ site for promo videos, updates, and more!

MORE HEART OF STEEL COVERAGE!

By Gavin Heverly

The comp was over weeks ago. Here at the BRG, we are already in the planning stages for HEART OF STEEL 2011. But the national climbing media continues to give us some excellent press for last month’s event. Needless to say, we are very thankful and psyched about it! Urban Climber Magazine got a hold of some amazing panoramic 360 shots that long-time friend and climbing partner William Van Tassell took the day of the event. They came out awesome, and they give you some sort of idea as to how crazy and packed and high energy the comp was.

You can see them by clicking HERE.

VASYA ON MEN'S #1.

HEART OF STEEL WRAP UP

By Kaleigh Bush

On January 30th, the Boston Rock Gym and Evolv hosted the second annual Heart Of Steel climbing competition. Hundreds of climbers and spectators packed the facility like a can of sardines on Saturday morning to behold a spectacle that unfolded in a style not foreseen by anyone.

The event, spearheaded by Gavin Heverly and Max Zolotukhin, was the product of countless hours spent turning wrenches and toiling over piles of climbing holds in order to satisfy a vision cast by raw ingenuity. The route setters aimed to upstage last year’s event by crafting truly innovative boulder problems and bestowing them upon competitors in a format that would trump prior efforts within the industry to blaze a trail for the future of bouldering competitions.

The qualifying competition was by no means mild-mannered. With more than double last year’s turn out, each bouldering room was at capacity teeming with climbers eager to take a stab at every boulder problem within the varied ranges of ability. The main bouldering room erupted in “oohs” and “aahs” whenever a daring climber flew over the heads of a brimming crowd on one of the more dynamic routes, either sticking an impressive finish or falling onto a pile of spotters like a crowd surfer. With so many motivated competitors anxious to fill up their score cards, the preliminary competition was a sincerely cut-throat redpoint round. Final scores were determined by the top six boulder problems with falls indicated but only detrimental in the event of a tie.

After scores were tallied, finalists were announced: Sidney McNair, Francesca Metcalf, and Sasha DiGiulian would go head-to-head on the female finals problems; Rob D’Anastasio and Vasya Vorotnikov qualified for first and second men’s finals slots while Michael Bautista and Zeb Engberg tied for the coveted third place slot right down to the number of falls taken. As promised by the Heart Of Steel guidelines, only three males and three females would duke it out in the finals competition, so a sudden-death boulder problem was set in a deciding round that sent Bautista to finals.

The strongest climbers who entered the competitive arena for the day performed beyond the route setters’ expectations and, consequently, the finals routes had to be tweaked in order to present a challenge to the finalists. Route setters modified the finals problems behind the scenes while Taylor de Lench premiered his movie Sick: Climbing In New England.

At 6pm, the Heart Of Steel’s level of intensity soared to new heights after a tarp was dropped to lay bare the amended first finals problems. Behind a smokescreen, spotlights, and a soundtrack governed by climactic industrial and metal music, an already unorthodox climbing competition was transforming into an epic production of a finals round. While cash was being taped inside of boxes along the course of the first finals problems, Gavin explained the rules of engagement: each finals problem was endowed with a $200 cash value for each competitor’s attempt. Within the ten minute time parameter set for each climber, the problem could be attempted an unlimited number of times and the only goal was to pull as much money off of the wall as possible. The cash left hanging after the ten minutes expired would be awarded to the first place male and female finalists. After the finalists previewed the problems, they went to war in a face-off boasting a more similar appeal to an episode of American Gladiators than to your traditional bouldering finals competition. All of the female finalists flashed their first problem in an impressive display of fortitude, still managing to outperform the expectations of the route setters. Meanwhile, Bautista dyno’d to his final bill in a fit of bouldering theatrics and Vorotnikov pleased the crowd by fluidly breaking intended beta and easing the plight of a long, exhausting boulder problem that climbed more like a sport route.

Finally, it was time for the mob of spectators to relocate for the second finals problem where, as Gavin had confidently promised earlier, “minds would be blown.” It was then that a second tarp collapsed to unveil the event’s main attraction: the Dark Crystal. The Dark Crystal is a diamond shaped climbing feature littered with climbing holds that dangled in mid-air attached to an adjoining climbing wall. No words can do the revealing moment of the Dark Crystal justice; only a panoramic view of the hundreds of jaw-dropped thunderstuck witnesses to its grandeur. Gavin quickly noted that the looks on the finalists faces upon preview were like, “this isn’t bouldering! What the hell is going on in this room right now?!” The spectators immediately thought the same thing. But nothing short of sheer bouldering insanity ensued thereafter.

The finalists, after a jam packed day of seriously technical and difficult bouldering, were presented with the challenge of conquering the Dark Crystal during their final climb of the evening. Before a massive crowd, each finalist put his or her heart of steel into gear and battled the Dark Crystal in an adrenaline-fueled duel likened to some obsessive video game rivalry between the player and a monster impeding on his or her triumph. None of these finalists had climbed as hard as they did all day to be put to shame by some outrageous climbing feature, and they were out to prove it by way of brute strength and superhuman trickery. It was exhausting to watch. And afterward, we’re all left with the same questions in mind: how will Heart Of Steel one-up its futuristic display of a finals competition next year? How will it accommodate the increasing multitude of climbers and spectators who want to be a part of it? The sky seems to be the limit for the innovators at the forefront of the Heart Of Steel.

All photos courtesy of George Lucozzi/ASA Photographic

Final results in order of how much money each competitor won are as follows:

FEMALE:

Sasha DiGiulian-     $450

Francesca Metcalf- $450

Sidney McNair-       $300

MALE:

Vasya Vorotnikov- $830

Michael Bautista-    $280

Rob D’Anastasio-    $90

HOLY WOW!

By GAVIN HEVERLY

The HEART OF STEEL comp is this Saturday January 30th. Then again, if you are reading this, you probably know that. We have some seriously ridiculous stuff planned. Top Secret things that you will just have to come see for yourself! Here are a few pictures of the prizes and raffle items.

SO MUCH STUFF.

GET PAID!

We have some amazing sponsors this year. We want to thank them all. Especially EVOLV for being our title sposnsor! Buy their shoes, they really are the best! Remember, this giant table full of amazing stuff is going out to the recreational, intermediate, and advanced categories. Plus tons of great stuff to raffle off (which means even if you dont place in your division you stand to win!).

We are also premiering Taylor De Lench’s climbing film SICK at the comp, so that’s just one more reason to stop by! Here is the trailer:

See you Saturday! Here is the schedule for the day.

9:00am -10:00am: Registration…getting ADRENALIZED! Free coffee/hot chocolate!

10:00am – 2:00pm Qualifying/Citizens comp…TRY HARD.

2:00pm – 6:00pm Time to unwind…Free food, raffles, video games, sponsor tables, a CAR IN THE GYM, and the world premier of Taylor De Lench’s movie “SICK: Climbing in New England”!!!!

6:00pm – 8:00pm The HEART OF STEEL gauntlet style finals round…The top 3 men and women (that’s right, just 3, no coasting into finals!) will be brought out and a spectacular spectacle will ensue…Two finals problems for the girls, two for the guys; 8 minutes per problem…For each climber, there will be $200 hanging from the wall throughout the problem (10, 20, 20, 50, and $100)…The finalist’s task? to grab as much money as possible in those 8 minutes…after a finalist climbs, the money they don’t collect goes into a pot; then, whatever money they DID grab is replaced before the next finalist climbs…When the dust has settled, whoever has grabbed the most money off the wall through both problems wins the REST OF THE MONEY in the pot that the other finalists didn’t grab. What does this mean? first place could win up to $1200! Where you get on a problem doesn’t really matter, all that matters is HOW MUCH MONEY YOU GRAB! Come witness the insanity!!!!

8:30pm – 9:00pm Awards…who brought their HEART OF STEEL?!?!

10:00pm – Dawn AFTERPARTY…you know what to do

BOSTON ROCK GYM ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL HEART OF STEEL COMPETITION

By KALEIGH BUSH

Climbing enthusiasts everywhere, mark your calenders: on January 30th, 2010 the Boston Rock Gym and Evolv will host the second annual HEART OF STEEL bouldering competition. Flaunting a $2,400 cash purse in addition to a gorgeous line-up of prizes provided by a flock of industry leading sponsors, the HEART OF STEEL appeal speaks for itself. And, believe it or not, this year’s sequel is guaranteed to upstage last year’s inaugural jaw-dropping throwdown.

“Big cash prizes and good competition mixed with incredible event organization make this one of the most well run and unique climbing competitions going on,” explains one of last year’s HEART OF STEEL finalists Jon Glassberg, “HEART OF STEEL is setting the standard and breaking the mold for competition format and style. Period.” Glassberg’s thrilling performance earned him third place overall in the men’s Open division last year. Glassberg is shifting his focus this year by joining forces with the Boston Rock Gym’s elite team of route setters rather than entering the arena as a competitor.

HEART OF STEEL’s distinction as New England’s premier indoor climbing competition was imminent in its countless hours of preparation the first time around. But within the dawning moments of its preliminary competition, HEART OF STEEL proved itself capable of revolutionizing the face of indoor climbing competitions not only in its district, but nation wide. The triple digit turnout was littered with strong, revered climbers; the routes were as futuristic as the concepts that breathed life into the HEART OF STEEL brainchild; Manowar’s ‘Heart Of Steel’ (the song after which the competition earned its appellation- a reference appreciated by fans of metal music) pumped adrenaline into the iron-clad veins of every participant, climber or otherwise. The tone had been set and a vision had been realized. “I love it when a competition has a style and a theme and becomes something that spectators and non-climbers can latch on to and really associate with,” says Glassberg. And this year, we can only expect a fine-tuned version of something that was nearly perfect to begin with. But overshadowing the many aspects of HEART OF STEEL leading up to its main event is the highly anticipated game show style finals round that really awards this climbing competition its rightful badge of honor.

If for no other reason, you won’t want to miss HEART OF STEEL for its outstanding display of a finals round. The event’s most notable distinction is its groundbreaking strategy for distributing cash prizes to the top female and male athletes of the day. Exponentially increasing denominations of cold hard cash are taped along the course of each finals problem, baiting each competitor to shamelessly duke it out amongst the others in an outrageous episode of sheer plastic-pulling pandemonium. Bathed in spotlight, each competitor is challenged to pull as many bills as possible off of the wall, creating their own personal cash pot. “Instead of being awarded a check for finishing in a top position, you can complete a finals boulder problem and have the cash in your hand as a direct result of climbing well in the moment. A tangible reward that is very motivating to climbers,” Glassberg said.

In addition to the generous cash prizes, there’s a whole slew of killer swag provided by some of the climbing industry’s top sponsors. Just some of the loot up for grabs this year include three crashpads; two Nemo tents; sleeping bags, packs, and softshells from The North Face; Evolv shoes; rope from New England Ropes; Petzl harnesses, and more. Additionally, there will be free coffee and hot chocolate, free food, video games, and sponsor tables to take advantage of during down time.

The HEART OF STEEL competition is quickly becoming a benchmark for innovation in the competitive climbing circuit, and everyone made up of the industrial-strength vital organs to handle it is encouraged to be a part of it. “The Boston Rock Gym knows how to throw a party,” Glassberg assures us.

Gavin Heverly on the mic while Vasya V. puts on a show in men's finals last year