Ice Climbing World Cup 2025
La Plagne, the only recurring French stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup, is preparing to host the event once again from 29 January to 1 February 2025, on the ice tower at Champagny-en-Vanoise.
The French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs (FFCAM) is developing this confidential ‘high-flying’ discipline, which defies the laws of gravity and the stopwatch up to 24 metres above the ground! Like Spidermen armed with crampons and ice axes, the best international climbers from 23 different nations compete in 2 events: one based on ‘speed’, a vertical sprint on the ice, and the second based on ‘difficulty’, on a mixed route in dry tooling and ice, heralded as the most difficult in the world.
The world's best title-holder is Frenchman Louna Ladevant. He dominates the discipline, alongside his brother Tristan. A flawless sibling where the pronoun ‘I’ does not exist!
An event where everything hangs by a thread
Anchored on its 3 feet, the ice tower - the centrepiece of these 4 days - plays an almost magnetic role. Between periods of observation and repeated assaults by the athletes, it is the focus of much attention. In Champagny-en-Vanoise, which has been awarded the ‘Land of Mountaineering’ label, the place is buzzing with a special kind of fervour, fuelled by the climbers' feats, whether they are achieved at lightning speed on a vertical ice wall or with growing and often unbearable suspense on the difficulty test.
The climbers impress with their ability to contort themselves and find solutions so high up in the extreme cold. It's all down to a single rope, and the best climbers are those who know how to combine explosiveness, endurance, agility, risk-taking and, above all, strategy to tackle the route.
An untried route, never tested before, simply observed for a few minutes. This analysis was essential to help them manage the effort and their movements on this route, which was of a higher intensity and longer length than normal.
Under the aegis of the UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme) and the FFCAM, 23 nations will be taking part in this year's competition, which for the first time will be without the brilliant Russian athletes, who proved to be formidable opponents.
Programme
Wednesday 29/01 at 5.30pm
Opening ceremony
Thursday 30/01, 9am – 5pm
Lead qualifications
Friday 31/01
9 – 11.30am: lead semi-final
4 – 6.30pm: speed qualifications
7 – 8pm: speed final
Saturday 1/02 at 5.30pm
Final of the lead event, attended by the members of the Olympic Games Organising Committee
Cock-a-doodle-doo, France is a strong nation!
The Marseillaise anthem has been ringing out for several years now, with the podium monopolised by world champion Louna Ladevant. Her brother Tristan Ladevant is never far away to share the podium with his younger brother. A touching fusional relationship that has only grown stronger over the years. They are both intoxicated by their shared performance, and are approaching the season with confidence, with a consistent training programme that puts them in the best possible frame of mind.
The two brothers are also members of the French FFCAM national team, which will be present in both the men's and women's categories. They all train regularly on the Champagny-en-Vanoise tower, their base camp for ice climbing excellence.
