The UIAA Ice Climbing Continental Cup will take place on November 22nd at the O'Bloc climbing hall in Ostermundigen. All information about the event, livestream, and for on-site visitors can be found here.
Ice climbing is different – not only in terms of the climbing itself, but also in terms of the competition schedule. The season takes place exclusively in winter and ends in spring. In European Cups, athletes generally only compete in lead climbing, while the World Cup features both lead and speed climbing disciplines.
Competition season opener in ice climbing
The Continental Cup in Ostermundigen on November 22nd marks the start of the 2025/26 European Cup series in ice climbing. The series will continue from the end of November to the beginning of March. seven Continental Cups instead – in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Finland, among other countries. Furthermore, the launch of the [program/project] will follow in February 2026. World Cup season, which in turn includes stations in Cheongsong (Korea), Saas-Fee (Switzerland), Longmont (USA) and Edmonton (Canada).
A total of [number] will start this season more than 200 athletes from over 25 nationsIn addition, numerous Continental Cups for young athletes take place alongside the World Cup.
Ice climbing is becoming increasingly popular – we are currently working to bring the discipline to the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Peter Muir, President of the UIAA
What's special about the Continental Cups: Instead of ice, climbing here takes place on wood. – that's called DrytoolingRock climbing with ice axes and crampons was once a means to an end for ice climbing pioneers, allowing them to reach the ice via individual sections of rock. Since the 2000s and the first competitions, dry tooling ("dry" for climbing on dry rock, "tooling" for the use of tools) has increasingly established itself as a discipline in its own right. The sport demands high precision, strength, and technical skill.
Contintal Cup Ostermundingen on November 22nd
The first of the seven Continental Cups will be held on November 22nd in Ostermundingen in the canton of Bern. 65 to 70 international athletes have been reported – from Japan via Canada and the USA to France or Finland.
The host is once again the O'Bloc climbing hall, which is also celebrating its tenth anniversary during the event. In addition to the competition, visitors can enjoy a wide-ranging program with various lectures, obstacle courses, and activities.
Schedule
- 09:00 – 11:00 Women's Qualification
- 12:00 – 16:00 Men's Qualification
- 19:30 – 20:15 Women's Final
- 20:30 – 22:00 Men's Final
Livestream (Saturday, November 22nd, 2025, 7:30 p.m.)
The final of the European Cup in ice climbing will be broadcast on the UIAA's YouTube channel. Admission is free for spectators on site.
That might interest you
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Credits cover image: Hugo Vincent/O'Bloc