Aleksandra hamkao

Enjoy competition climbing? Check out our brand new Competition channel for livestreams, event summaries, training tips, profiles, and more. The Chamonix World Cup began like an extension of the preceding event in Villars, Switzerland. While most stops on the circuit entail extracontinental travel, massive time zone adjustments, and significantly different rosters, the close proximity of Villars and Chamonix—and the fact that the two events were held less than a week apart—meant that most of the competitors didn’t need to fall out of their respective grooves…no jetlag, no visa headaches, no hotel pull-ups. Instead, they could coast from one competition’s isolation booth to the other’s. Chamonix also offered a chance for a redo, or at least a little redemption for those competitors that hoped for better starts to their lead season. Chief among these was the United States—only one American, Ashima Shiraishi, advanced to Finals at the … [Read more...] about Recap and Photo Gallery: IFSC Chamonix World Cup 2018—Lead and Speed

Applications are now open for World Bridge Tourism London, the second event of the preparations for the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year. The EU-funded 2-day event will start with a Conference on the 2nd of November. On the 3rd of November there will be a B2B matchmaking event with pre-scheduled appointments, taking place alongside the annual Global European Marketplace matchmaking workshop and the Friday before World Travel Market London. Like the first World Bridge Tourism event, which was held in May in Shanghai, the second phase will continue to bring Chinese outbound buyers and European tourism suppliers together. The conference on the 2nd of November at The Mermaid theatre, conducted in both English and Chinese, will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Arlt FRGS, and have addresses from the European Commission. Providing best practice examples for the European and Chinese audience, it will illustrate the changing needs and expectations of Chinese visitors to Europe. The conference will be … [Read more...] about Applications open for B2B Matchmaking with Chinese tourism buyers

When the sun comes out and the temperatures rise, it seems like nothing can keep the Stockholmers indoors. We took to the streets to ask them about their best summer tips in the Swedish capital. 1. Hang out in the city's parks "I like to hang around in parks, eating food or ice cream or swim at Årstaviken," says Matilda Josephson, 20. READ ALSO: Where to get Stockholm's best ice cream 2. Do water sports "As you can see I have a skateboard, I'm a board guy. I do snowboarding in winter and I do a lot of wakeboarding out of Arlanda in summer." Alexander Sehr, a consultant, recommends the water sports centre at lake Halmsjön, just next to Arlanda Airport north of Stockholm. He describes Swedes as lizards because they enjoy soaking up the sun as soon as summer arrives: "That's what Swedish people do." 3. Just enjoy the sun while it lasts "We sit at the outdoor sitting, that only open in summer so we stay together with friends. Why do I like … [Read more...] about Ten ways to enjoy your Stockholm summer like a Stockholmer

0 SHARES In August 2016, a picture of an obscure unclimbed peak popped up in a Yangshuo climbers group in WeChat—the WhatsApp of China. It showed a 12,500-foot limestone tower floating above the Gansu Province village of Zhagana. The more ambitious climbers in the group immediately responded. [Above: Ola Przybysz styles Red Dragon (5.13c), a classic line at Moon Hill, Yangshuo, China. Photo by Garrett Bradley.] One of the climbers was Aleksandra “Ola” Przybysz, 35, a 5.14 climber and ex-pat Pole living in China since 2007 who’s a fixture in the national comp scene. Przybysz competes on plastic mainly to supplement her income from Green Step Adventures, the outdoor education and guiding company she founded in 2013 and runs from Shanghai. On the rock, her focus is on establishing new routes, making her an anomaly in this traditionally male-dominated arena. “Placing first in a World Cup or winning comps doesn’t feel that special to … [Read more...] about Ola Przybysz: The Polish Expat Pushing China’s First-Ascent Envelope

This weekend’s competition in Arco, Italy marked the halfway point of the IFSC’s World Cup lead season—hard to believe, since it has only been a month since this year’s circuit began. But with the World Championships queued up for September and the 2020 Olympics looming larger with each passing day, every competitor’s performance has larger implications and lays the groundwork for an exciting second half of the season. The town of Arco has been host to an annual international climbing competition for more than three decades, and a festival atmosphere has grown around the World Cup with  vendor tents, non-sanctioned bouldering competitions, and music performances. The Qualifying round was part of those festivities on Friday, during which the substantial field of competitors was narrowed; the Czech Republic’s Adam Ondra, fresh from climbing some of Canada's hardest sport routes, was participating in his first IFSC lead competition of the season … [Read more...] about Recap and Photo Gallery: IFSC Arco World Cup 2018—Lead and Speed