With support of:
Mountain Hard Wear
Alpine Equipment
Roca
La Sportiva
Equipping Center Extreme-Kharkov

Shura Balakireva

Serik Kazbekov

Jack Krivosheitsev

Incoherent report about the work we did.

•  Eugene, are you going to the Crimea by car? No? And is anybody of Demchenko club going to the Crimea by car? I have to place somewhere two boxes, 15 kg each one. Grisha with Oligarch are going by car? I know Grisha, and who is Oligarch? Grisha has changed his plans and Oligarch needs the second driver, otherwise he will go by plane?

•  Denis, Eugene said that you are looking for the second driver. I know one . I can give it to you, free, for two boxes. Sasha Balakireva . No , she is not a boy . She is a girl. Can she drive?

•  Shura, call up this number, quickly, agree with everything, moreover, a quarter of you has been promised to Eugene Korol for his striking a bargain.

•  A wonderful suggestion I have got, he goes by plane and gives me general letter of attorney (for three years with power of sale). Bloody hell…

Moreover, he gave me keys to his flat – had no time to set out, we need to bring him some things. And money . Anna, could you go there with me? What if… there a gang of maniacs operates?

•  You think, they are going to desecrate your honour? Your mummy taught you not to take sweet from strange kind uncles. Me too. Let's go.

Olga Morozkina

Partigenos Shaferov

Olga Bezhko

We were near Kharkov , the border it was not high season, lack of people, lack of money, they wanted to get some from everybody. By order, we unload all our goods and chattels (we had lots of it, including ropes, quickdraws, t-shirts for participants everything was new, with labels - the best there is).
On the top, by a pure fluke, Gustav's bag appeared.
Customs official, having rooted in it, extracted certificate, and, not without some disappointment, declared to his colleagues: “Master of Sport of Ukraine”

Zhuzha, be a man!

Jack Krivosheitsev

Shura Balakireva

•  Pack back (off you go!)

We breathed out . Packed . Passed the border.

One of the members of crew raised his wonderful, dark and sad, Hebrew eyes and made simple confession: “I have a peace of joint in my purse”.

F#ck!!!…

So, we confiscated, annihilate, denounced, go on foot, you have no longer been our friend, spared, turned back, picked her up, gave nothing to eat, humbled all the trip long.

Pleasant.

Participants' comments, eulogy on sponsors and us :-)

Serik Kazbekov, the winner.

Serik Kazbekov

Passed the route Mountain.RU Rock Contest'07 (8 с / с +) at the third try.

On-sight –flash on the route “Zhuzha, be a man!” (8b)

As I am nearly inhabitant in Krasnokamenka, I helped Anya a little in organization of the festival, and, being honest, I want everything to pass well. (Here Serik is over-modest, he helped a lot, and without his support, including moral, it was very difficult for us to pass all this way.)

And everything was really cool!!!

Kowtow to the main organizer of the festival :) – to all the team of Mountain.RU and Anya!!!

The idea is really good as we shouldn't forget that we are rock-climbers, and stands can not replace rocks for us.

I was a little bit pained by the inactivity if climbers, we waited for more people. Although the “Festival for everyone” had really excellent presents and prizes, and everyone could win, even if he climbs routes of not higher than of 6c grade of difficulty.

Andrew Vedenmeer justified our hopes in preparing super-routes, he confirmed his professionalism, the routes were excellent, and it is not only my opinion, they differ from European standards for their high quality.

The routes were made in my style, so, as Andrew says, there was no tension in the struggle for the first place, sorry :).

I hope that this festival was starting one and this tradition will go on. In the Crimea there are new regions that need such festival and there also are lots of great potential.

Thanks to the web-site Mountain.Ru and sponsors.

Olga Bezhko

Olga Bezhko

Olga Bezhko, the winner.

Yesterday I came back home. It was cloudy, rained, so I felt desire to turn back to the nature, to wonderful Crimea, where it is always pleasant and warm, and if there is not warm physically, the Crimea always warm our dreamy and brave hearts.

About the festival:

I have always liked big companies, when all the people together go from one stone to another. It is ridiculous, but this provides the main delights.

You can walk, communicate, enjoy the nature, climb, so, in general, you can combine pleasant with useful.

So, at this festival, we altogether participated in bouldering contest on the first day on Shaan-Kaya and on the next two days the festival continued on the Red Stone, there lead competitions were held at that the organizers managed to hold two festivals during one period of time, well done. Nobody felt bored. :)

I can say that the weather was fine we had enough time to do everything. I liked the idea of making routes on the second stage and I hope that the region will continue developing.

Come here, lads, different activities for everyone can be found here. :)

The place is very nice, from the second stage a beautiful panorama can be seen, come here, and you will see it. :)

Thanks to the route-maker Andrew Vedenmeer, who built routes for the Mountain.RU Rock Contest. Women route was really a success. :)

Only one moment should be noticed, many girls were afraid. Of course, it was terrifying to start climbing from such a height, but we overcame our fears and climbed where we could.

Natasha and Serik helped me, too. They taught me how to climb on rocks, to feel the quality of climbing I bless them for their lessons. :))

No again some words about bouldering. Natasha and Serik develop new bouldering region on Shaan-Kaya, cheers. I can easy say that an international festival was held on the Shaan-Kaya. There were Ukraine :), Russia , Uzbekistan , Kazakhstan , Belorussia and even from Italy there were some sportsmen. :) Carry on!

Thanks to sponsors and organizer of the Mountain.RU Rock Contest, that supported and interesting form of competitions – festival, for wonderful new routes, for good prize fond, thanks to Anna Piunova, who fearlessly hung on the devil only knew what a height (sorry for an expression) to make cool photos.

And, after all, I want to say thanks to all the amateurs for their support and attention, this helps a lot. Stand firm, train, climb on rocks as often as you can and feel pleasure.

Good bye!

Jack Krivosheitsev

  Jack Krivosheitsev, the 3 rd place.

As it was expected, the festival passed wonderfully, it is a pity that there was not lots of climbers in the Crimea in October, those who couldn't come missed a nifty show, especially because the beginning of month was uncommonly not as in autumn warm and even hot!

I had to wait before my attempt to pass the route for a moment when the sun disappeared beyond a cloud, otherwise it was too hot!

Serik was on the top of his sport form at the festival and was far and away stronger than his competitors (moreover, the upper part of the route was built in his style – there were very technical plates with slanting holds for feet) he managed to pass the route of 8c\8c+ grade of difficulty from the third attempt and made flash-on-sight on women route of 8b grade of difficulty.

Lena Krivonos

Max Petrenko

Olga Morozkina

Max Petrenko, though he was not in his best form, struggled as he could – up to the end, and got his second place by right!

Other climbed as high, as they were prepared to.

On the route for women Olga Bezhko (the first place) pleased me with her persistence, from attempt to attempt she climbed higher and higher just after her Natasha Perlova went (the 2 nd place), I think, she had not enough mood, she passed the route from the second attempt when the competitions were ended, having made women first passing of the new route of 8b grade of difficulty.

I think that all the participants and spectators enjoyed the festival and magical disco in the dark near at the bottom of the Red Stone with lights “Tikka”, dressed with wine and pilaw from Osman, turned out to be deserving finish of the festival.

I want to say many grateful words to the organizers an sponsors of the Mountain.RU Rock Contest, to Anna Piunova (the main inspirer of the idea of the festival), to Igor Gusak (tireless referee), to Andrew Vedenmeer (for his neat, high-qualified routes) and to al the belayers on the routes, that steadfastly stayed for about 16 hours during two days of the festival on the ledges, belaying the participants!

The next festival will be even cooler! We are waiting for you in the Crimea !

Alexandra Balakireva

Alexandra Balakireva

Everything began merrily and ambiguously, dreamily: cars, flats, roads, borders, four-star hotels, - life liked uncontrollable dream.

And finally we reached the Crimea … After cold unfriendly Moscow I felt myself at home, it was warm of sun and port there.

Olga Bezhko

Red Stone - there were redoubtable routes somewhere far above the earth. I had an ascender in my hands and there was complete incomprehension of the principle of operating of that device in my head. (For avoidance of victims among inhabitance (what for is this blood, these corpses for us, Lord forbid, I'll dream about them later) we puzzled and made via ferrata, but it better not to use such words at all in the presence of girls. Here and below comments made by A.P.).

The first attempt to pass the route – luckily, there was upper belay – I didn't manage to connect several movements. 45 minutes passed like one moment, I hardly had enough time to reach the top. The route pleased me – it was very technically varied, made to use all the arsenal of movements, required lots of power and endurance, and it didn't matter that some of the holds were greased. :-)

I realized my feebleness – real boulder-climbers wouldn't be able to make more than 20 movements, by I didn't want to give up early.

I looked down – people looked like small dwarfs, some of them wore uniform they evidently required something, as it seemed to me – T-shirts Mountain.Ru. Anna Piunova easily satisfied their requirements and people in uniform disappeared quickly.

Alexandra Balakireva

When I tried the route for the second time, I did it with the lower belay, I had pissed before the start, but the view of Piunova with giant objective made me cheerful. I climbed, striking beautiful attitudes, and there was only one though in head – about the next quickdraw.

Julia Abramchuk, a.k.a. Zhuzha

On the next day we made the attempts to pass the route wholly. The first, the second, the third – Olga Bezhko passed 2/3 of the route. She had no real competitors, Julia and I couldn't make an easy movement too much higher the quickdraw.

The last attempt, we had nothing to lose. And Julia did it… not believing her victory, she smiled, batted and climbed a little bit higher, put the rope in the quickdraw, became very content, with sure snatched at the quickdraw and shook her head, showing unwavering purpose to descend just at the moment, in stead of calls from downwards to go on climbing up, who didn't feel pleasure watching other people's flights. (A.P)

The next term was my one, and having gathered all the thoughts (shame on me, people were looking), I did the movement and being glad for it forgot how to climb further. (In fact it seemed approximately so: having completed program planned before, Shura's processor failed, didn't responding to feeble signals, arriving from the side of brain, reminding about easy possibility of getting 500$).

So, I became the forth – again I will be hungry, but there is a chance to have a good time on the afterparty.

Alexandra Balakireva

That part of the Rock Contest was excellent as usual, and although there was not enough alcohol and pilaw (Really, it is easier to kill someone than to feed him. A.P.) – dance was a success. During the event provocative video was shot (it will be possible to buy it soon). Finally, I got spilled on the Sarich…

Jack Krivosheitsev

(Two o'clock a.m. – I'm going to sleep. – Yes, I too. Fondly, like sisters, we kissed each other and went to our bedchambers.

In the morning, at a half pas eleven, I spilled because I got a message of following contents: “Piunova, it is unbelievable, but I found myself on the Sarich. I think about going away from there. What are your plans for today?” being a little bit surprised, I come out to learn about the plans. Bright person from Saint Petersburg, Alexei Tselischev was in the kitchen: - Do you want some pelmeny? – Yes, I do. (Oh, how kind you are, Ilya, when you are sober). Balakireva is on the Sarich. – Where? – this way we lose our girl-friends, Lesha.)

Alisa Gelfer

The first day passed, having left a nice feeling of fulfilled duty. Prizes for bouldering provided by the company Scarpa impressed me for their value and use. Great thanks to the organizers! There was everything: music, bouldermats, food, computers – full civilization if the action. Freedom in climbing, freedom in possibilities, freedom in everything! – these are the things that are really necessary and the festival strived for them: climb as much as you like, look where you like, go, where you want – there is no limits!

Girls

Festival climbing turned out to be a nice thing – minimum of competition, maximum of pleasure.

The send day speared with mass of ferrata, rope and sympathetic T-shirts “mountain.ru”, so I had any choice – we went climbing!

The reserve of skin on the fingers came to an end as quickly as time, given for climbing – only 6 hours. We cut into concrete wall that separated us from stronger

Serik Kazbekov

The final day was full of emotions and spectators. It was very interesting to look how strong sportsmen overrode the route and sometimes were overridden by it. High level of climbing left nobody indifferent.

Evening… Climbers. Wine. Pilaw. Awarding ceremony. Dance. Ocean of fun…

The festival passed on the highest level. Wish to the organizers: there is nothing to change, everything was wonderful!!!

Photogallery

Shura Balakireva

Julia Abramchuk, a.k.a. Zhuzha

Olga Bezhko

Sergey Shaferov