The 6th China Baise Leye International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge and the 2013 National Rock Climbing Series (Leye Stop) were grandly held from April 26 to 28 in Leye County, Baise, Guangxi.
As the highlight of the event, the Mountain Outdoor Challenge will feature three days of competition, covering a total course of over 160 kilometers with approximately eight hours of racing each day. Events include mountaineering, rappelling, mountain cross-country, mountain bike run-bike alternation, rafting, kayaking, orienteering, and rope skills, among other outdoor sports. The start of this competition also marks the beginning of the 2013 National Rock Climbing Series.
This year’s Mountain Outdoor Challenge features 16 teams from Germany, Sweden, the United States, France, Australia, Russia, and host country China, comprising over 500 athletes, coaches, and staff. Among them, eight teams are entirely composed of international athletes. The defending champions — Thule Adventure Team — are currently one of the highest-level teams in the world and have consistently won gold and silver medals in recent years at events such as the Taining Mountain Challenge, Wenzhou Mountain Race, and Chongqing Wulong Open Mountain Competition. Other international teams are also top-ranked globally. Although domestic teams may be slightly less experienced and skilled, years of training and competition have gradually enabled them to rise and gain recognition in various international events.
The 2013 National Rock Climbing Series (Leye Stop) includes three disciplines: difficulty climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing. A total of 56 male and female athletes from 23 teams across mainland China and Hong Kong are competing in this first stop of the year’s climbing series. Notable participants include He Cuilian, who has won multiple women’s speed climbing (international standard route) world championships, as well as 20 athletes who ranked in the top eight in the 2012 National Series overall standings: Mazda, Renqing Lamu, Qiu Hongshu, Pan Xuhua, Wang Qinghua, Jiang Rong, Solang Gyatso, Liu ?Qing, Qu Haibin, Renzeng Wangmu, Qu Changfeng, and Gesang Wangmu.
Leye County also boasts abundant natural rock wall resources, making it highly suitable for rock climbing activities. To date, over 200 natural rock climbing routes have been developed. During the competition, the organizing committee will also arrange exchange activities between climbing athletes and enthusiasts.
The 2013 National Rock Climbing Series also includes stops in Ninghai, Zhejiang; Lhasa, Tibet; Liupanshui, Guizhou; and ShouTi, Beijing, totaling five stops throughout the year.
“Outdoor sports are an extreme sport — it's about challenging oneself and pushing limits. Without extraordinary willpower, you can’t train or compete,” said the captain of the Leye Flying Cat Team, who has been involved in adventure sports for many years. Good physical fitness is just the foundation for outdoor sports. To take part in outdoor challenges, you also need excellent technical skills, explained staff from the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China: “Participants must master the technical skills required for each event, such as mountain biking, kayaking, GPS orienteering, rafting, and rope-based off-road skills. Otherwise, they won't be able to complete the competition.”
It is reported that the China University of Geosciences Outdoor Team, thanks to its outstanding performance, was once selected for China’s National Mountain Outdoor Sports Team and represented the country in international competitions. This year, they will compete again in the China Baise Leye International Outdoor Challenge.
In addition, the participation of strong domestic teams such as the Red Bull Team and the Taiyuan Triathlon Team will make the competition even more intense and exciting this year.
With so many strong contenders vying for glory at the 6th China Baise Leye International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge, who will come out on top? Let’s wait and see in China’s most outdoor-oriented town — Leye, Guangxi.