Wow. I was invited to attend a new event at Area 47 in Austria – Adidas Rockstars. As an athlete I was treated like a VIP from the moment I was picked up from the airport to the moment I returned. We had our own lounge for warm up, chill out, eating etc. Masseurs, physios and a doctor were provided to ease us through the competition. There were interviews, showing the rock band Orange but Green how to boulder, and really good competitions. The competition was high, with competitors invited based on World Ranking and outstanding performances. I qualified in 20th place, and came joint 15th in the semi-final to put me 17th overall after count back. Not bad. I need to practice throwing for stuff more, as this style of move often lets me down. Here’s some comp photos thanks to C Waldegger. There was also a ‘Be a Rockstar’ comp that 3 GBR girls entered. The top 3 men and women from the ‘Be a Rockstar’ event qulaified for the Rockstars event.
Outside of the competition, Area 47 is an amazing place in the mountains. There’s water slides, a pool complex with various activities, aerial fun and canyoning to name but a few activities. I joined the majority of my competitors in having a go at the bridge swing, jumping quickly before I had a chance to think what I was doing. After falling for longer than anticipated, with legs going ninety to the dozen, the rope took me swinging between the 2 bridge piers. Great fun and a big buzz. Here’s a clip of Magnus from Norway taking his turn (sorry for the poor quality) and some photos I took of the area. As for the food – I tucked into an indecent quantity of fantastic meat among other things. Also, I will be making some Kaiserschmarren in the near future.
Bridge Swing from Peter Jeffery on Vimeo.
