The 2014 GoPro Mountain Games will be center stage for the best competitive climbers in the world when the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Bouldering World Cup hits Vail this summer. An international field of climbing superstars will face off on Friday and Saturday, with the finals taking place on the massive bouldering wall located near Gondola One at the foot of Vail Mountain at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 7. Immediately following the Finals spectators can enjoy a free Cold War Kids concert in the heart of Vail Village.

At the GoPro Mountain Games bouldering events, athletes free climb the man-made climbing structure and are scored based upon their ability to complete a succession of increasingly difficult routes throughout several rounds of competition. The competitor’s score is determined by the overall number of routes completed, the number of attempts needed and is also affected by the climber’s ability to reach a bonus hold set within the course.

Austria’s dynamic Anna Stohr (AUT) will vie for her fourth GoPro Mountain Games gold at this year’s IFSC Bouldering World Cup event.  She will be faced with intense competition from the likes of Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) who placed second at last year’s Games and American favorite Alex Puccio who finished third. Other likely contenders include Alex Johnson (USA), Shauna Coxsey (GBR), Juliane Wurm (GER) and Angela Payne (USA).

An impressive lineup of strong male climbers will try to upset current champion Dmitri Sharafutdinov (RUS) who simultaneously won last year’s event and the 2013 IFSC Bouldering Overall World Cup championship. Challenging Sharafutdinov are last year’s silver and bronze winners Rutam Gelmanov and Jorg Verhoeven (NED) and Killian Fischhuber (AUT) who won the event in Vail in 2011 and 2012. American climber Daniel Woods will have a home field advantage against a daunting field of international male competitors.

On Sunday, June 8 at 11 a.m. the climbing wall will be open to a citizen’s competition including a paraclimbing division, giving aspiring climbers the chance to compete on the same venue as the pros, with over 32 graded climbing problems to choose from. Earlier in the day, the wall will be open for youngsters, with the Youth Bouldering competition kicking off at 8 a.m.

For more information on bouldering events at the GoPro Mountain Games, please visit the the Mountain Games website.

Image courtesyRick Lohre/ GoPro