The Battle in the Bubble

As anyone who has been following the competition circuit or the climbing scene in Boulder knows, the Spot is producing a big outdoor competition, The Battle in the Bubble. This will be held today at the Spot and tomorrow at the Boulder Reservoir and promises to be a big show, possibly a breakthrough for involving the area public as spectators.
While other competitions in Vail or Salt Lake have tried to get broader audiences, I feel this one has real potential to attract a critical mass of observers and particpants. The Boulder Res is a very popular locale for other events such as the Title IX 10k, the Boulder Backroads Marathon and the now-departed Kinetics Race, an event which a recurring BITB could replace in the future.

Also interesting to me is how this marks a serious attempt by a local gym to move the event out of their gym and into the non-climbing public eye. Climbing gyms are really not audience-friendly and tend to feel a bit claustrophobic and grungy. The Boulder Res is a beautiful and people-friendly location with plenty to do beside hang out in a warehouse.

I really have to hand it to the Spot and the BRC for keeping the Boulder area comp scene pumping. The new gym in town, Movement, which was apparently built to host World Cup-style events, stadium seating and all, has yet to put on any public climbing event in its first year of operation, at least that I am aware of. Perhaps this will change soon but until then the BRC and Spot are definitely putting in the work and taking the risks to keep climbing in the public's mind.


Battle in The Bubble @ The Boulder Res from Adam Broadbent on Vimeo.