Two important climbing tournaments are on tap this month in Chile, both rock and boulder, confirming once more the growing popularity that this sport is now experiencing in the country.

 

The classifying rounds for The North Face IX Masters of Bouldering are already underway. In January, the first classification event for the tourney, called “Pre Masters,” was held in Pucon. The Pre Masters will now be held on March 12 at the Tornamesa Centro de Escalada in Valparaiso. Later, on the 19^th of this month, will be another turn for competitors in the south, at Bio Bio University, in Concepcion. Finally, on March 30, the tourney will be held at Mall Sport in Santiago.

 

The four best climbers of each Pre Masters in the regións, and the top eight at the Santiago event, will be entered directly and for free into the The North Face Masters of Bouldering, which will be held in capital Santiago on April 22-23.

 

The organizers invite all who like climbing, and there are no age limits. In the women’s category, the boulder level is V4 and V5, while for males its V6 and V7. The competition consists of three routines of 5 minutes for climbing. There are 50 spots, to register, which is free, go to www.welcu.cl.

 

In the northern region of Tarapaca, meanwhile, will be another key climbing competition for Chile, the IV Encuentro de Escalada Zona Norte. In Tajgrapata, March 25-27, climbing fanatics in Chile's north will compete in both traditional sport climbing and bouldering. The event is organized by the Iquique Climbing Club and Diedro Climbing Center. Organizers say that in their three previous events, climbers from several northern cities and towns, from Arica to Copiapo, have come out to participate in increasing numbers. For more info, write This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .