On Saturday 17 July 2010 and for the fifth year running the Arco Rock Legends will assign two highly coveted awards: the Salewa Rock Award and the La Sportiva Award. These two authentic sport climbing Oscars will go to those climbers who most left their mark during the last climbing season. The 2010 Award includes, once again, five super climbers nominated for the Salewa Rock Award – the prize which recognises not only the best performances on single pitch sport climbs and boulder problems, but also the style of the climbers. While three super athletes have been nominated for the La Sportiva Competition Award which goes to the competition climber who distinguished him or herself most during the last competition season.

The 2010 Award is comprised of an impressive 23 specialised international climbing magazines and it is they who drew up the list of nominees. This highly qualified jury has, as always, selected a series of first-class candidates and choosing the two overall winners will be no mean task.

The nominations for the Salewa Rock Award 2010 contain two interesting novelties: the extremely strong Frenchwoman Charlotte Durif and her young (just 15!) and unstoppable compatriot Enzo Oddo. They are joined by three excellent climbers. Adam Ondra, the 17 -year-old “phenomenon” from the Czech Republic who has conquered the world – so much so that he won the award in 2008. He is joined by Chris Sharma – the American better known as the King of climbing – unsurprisingly the winner in 2009. And last but by no means least there is Daniel Woods, the American nominated for a second time here in Arco thanks to an absolutely outstanding climbing season.

Within the trio of athletes nominated for the La Sportiva Competition Award there is Adam Ondra once again. This double nomination, for rock and competitions, is a sure sign of his undisputed class. It has to be said though that the road to final victory will not be easy as it is barred by two exceptional athletes: Johanna Ernst and Akiyo Noguchi. This is the second nomination for the Austrian Lead World Champion and queen of difficulty competitions after her nomination in 2009 while the Japanese climber arrives as dominator, like few others in the past, of the difficult, beautiful and aleatory Bouldering World Cup.

Who will win? We will know more on Saturday 17 July 2010 when the winners will be announced during the Rock Master competitions which this year have, quite exceptionally, been moved forward as an enticing anticipation to the IFSC World Championship scheduled to take place in Arco in 2011. The 2010 competition will introduce some absolute novelties such as the Team Speed and more than 200 climbers are expected in the legendary Climbing Stadium during the three competition days. The event will be world class and quite rightly so in this particular year!

The date for world sport climbing is 16,17 and 18 July 2010 in Arco.

WINNERS OF THE ARCO ROCK LEGENDS
Salewa Rock Award - Josune Bereziartu (2006), Patxi Usobiaga (2007), Adam Ondra (2008), Chris Sharma (2009)
La Sportiva Competition Award - Angela Eiter (2006), David Lama (2007), Maja Vidmar (2008), Kilian Fischhuber (2009)

INTERNATIONAL JURY 2010

Presidente: Fabrizio Miori
Vice president: Giorgio Balducci (regista RAI)
International magazines: Climax (AUT), Montana (CZE), Desnivel (ESP), Climb (GBR), Summit (GBR), Alpin (GER), Klettern (GER), Rivista del CAI (ITA), Meridiani Montagne (ITA), ALP (ITA), Pareti (ITA), UP Climbing (ITA) Rock and Snow (JPN), Climber (KOR), Gory (POL), Verticalniy Mir (RUS), SA Mountain Mag (SA), Jamesak (SLK), Planinski Vestnik (SLO), Rock & Ice (USA) and the internet sites ukclimbing.com, mountain.ru and 8a.nu

SALEWA ROCK AWARD 2010 NOMINATIONS (in alphabetical order)

Period: from June 2009 to May 2010Charlotte Durif (1990, France)

The young Frenchwoman has accustomed us to her surprisingly difficult on-sights, this year she surprised the climbing world with her difficult female first ascents.

Enzo Oddo (1995, France)
One of sport climbing’s rising stars, not only in France but also in the rest of the world, his 9a’s at 15 years of age indicate that the future will be made of… extremely hard climbs!

Adam Ondra (1993, Czech Republic)
A handful of 9a+ first ascents, a 9b repeat, achieved between one hard boulder problem and the next provide only a small indication to the importance and influence this 17 year old, winner of the 2008 Salewa Rock Award, has on the vertical world.

Chris Sharma (1981, USA)
After receiving the Award in 2009, Sharma has continued ceaselessly, developing Oliana almost single-handedly to create the crag of the future whilst managing to find the time to free his third 9b.

Daniel Woods (1989, USA)
A candidate in 2007, the American excels on boulder problems and at the crags and in this season his search for the hardest difficulties has first taken him to Europe, and then the the USA where he has proposed the world’s first V16.

LA SPORTIVA COMPETITION AWARD 2010 NOMINATIONS (in alphabetical order)

Period: competition season 2009 

Johanna Ernst (1992, Austria)
A competition season without precedents: Ernst doubled her 2008 takings by winning the Lead World Cup 2009 and being crowned Lead World Champion. Unsurprisingly she took home bronze in the Combined result which considers all three disciplines, Leed, Speed and Bouldering.

Akiyo Noguchi (1989, Japan)
In one of the most aleatory disciplines the Japanese boulderer dominated totally, winning the Bouldering World Cup 2009 and also the Combined 2009 which considers all three disciplines, Leed, Speed and Bouldering.

Adam Ondra (1993, Czech Republic)
In his debut senior year and at 16 years of age Ondra won both the Lead World Cup 2009 and the special Combined which considers all three disciplines, Leed, Speed and Bouldering. To this must be added his silver medal in the Lead World Championship in Quinghai.