With World Titles on the line this weekend in Edmonton, Canada, a pulsating final act of the 2025-2026 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour is set to take place.
Housed in the city’s Louise McKinney Riverfront Park, the competition in Edmonton offers a demonstration of how world-class ice climbing events can be staged in downtown urban locations. Large crowds are set to descend on the venue where the city skyline acts as a backdrop for the competitions organised by Offbeat Entertainment (YEG Ice Fest) and supported by Explore Edmonton and the Alpine Club of Canada. As has become tradition at this event, the YEG Ice Fest will offer the general public a series of clinics and activities where they can test themselves on the competition walls.
On Friday 27 February, the entire speed competition and lead qualifications will take place with Saturday 28 February dedicated to the lead semi-finals and finals.
The competition will also see Red Bull support the UIAA in both marketing and onsite activities. This will include an event vehicle DJ, gifts and prizes for guests and athletes and the hosting of an after party. “We are delighted to welcome Red Bull as a partner for not only the final World Cup of the season but for the most decisive event in the calendar. Their presence will bring an amazing energy to the competition with lots of benefits for athletes and spectators. We look forward to exploring more collaborations with Red Bull in the future,” explains UIAA CEO André von Rotz.
Livestreaming will be available for the speed finals as well as the lead semi-finals and finals. A recap of how the medals were won last weekend in Longmont, USA can be found below. The event programme can be viewed in full here.
Nearly 100 athletes from host country Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong – China, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Lichtenstein, Mongolia, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States will compete.
Lead (Difficulty): Team France aims for historic double
The French ice climbing team will seek to make history by sealing the World Tour titles in both the men’s and women’s lead competitions. The men’s is already wrapped up with one of the sport’s leading talents, Louna Ladevant, winning all three World Cups to date. Ladevant is targeting personal history by winning all four.
For France to win the women’s title as well, Marion Salmon-Thomas will need to defend her 43-point lead over Marianne van der Steen, Netherlands, who won her first ever World Cup gold last weekend in Colorado. Should the two athletes make the final eight, a gripping conclusion to the season is guaranteed. Salmon-Thomas has podiumed at all three World Cups, taking a gold, silver and a bronze. The USA’s Catalina Shirley still has an outside chance of taking the World Tour title.
Saturday 28 February, 11:30 local time
Saturday 28 February, 19:00 local time
Difficulty – World Tour standings after three rounds
Men: (1) L Ladevant (FRA), 300 points; (2) Y Lee (KOR), 177 pts; (3) M Kim (KOR), 170 pts
Women: (1) M Salmon-Thomas (FRA), 245 points; (2) M Van der Steen (NED), 202 pts; (3) C Shirley (USA), 165 pts
Speed: Safdarian and Loužecká hold slender advantage
Iran’s Mohammadreza Safdarian and Czechia’s Aneta Loužecká are in the driving seat for the World Tour titles. However, their leads are slender. Safdarian has won the two World Cups he has competed in, so in the dual format speed competition, is the athlete to beat. Team Liechtenstein have two athletes, Florian Gantner and Linus Beck, winner in Longmont, poised should Safdarian falter. Mohsen Beheshti Rad of Iran and Mongolia’s Mandakhbayar Chuluunbaatar also have a realistic chance of the title or at least making the World Tour podium.
Like Safdarian, Loužecká has fond memories of Edmonton having won the World Championship title in Alberta in 2024. Her season has been one of consistency. After two silvers and a bronze, she will seek to finish with an elusive gold. Mongolia’s reigning World Tour winner Selenge Nyamdoo, who won a gold in Saas-Fee as a sandwich to two fourth places, is a mere 15 points behind and Poland’s Olga Kosek, triumphant in Cheongsong, just 21 points from the lead. Lea Beck, Liechtenstein, and Shirley, are also in the running but will likely need gold medal performances and other athletes to exit the competition early.
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Friday 27 February, 19:30 local time
Speed – World Tour standings after three rounds
Men: (1) M Safdarian (IRN), 200 points; (2) F Gantner (LIE), 175 pts, (3) L Beck (LIE) 157 pts; (4) M Beheshti Rad (IRN); 145 pts; (5) M Chuluunbaatar 131 pts
Women: (1) A Loužecká (CZE) 225 points; (2) S Nyamdoo (MON), 210 pts; (2) O Kosek (POL), 202 pts; (4) L Beck (LIE) 195 pts; (5) C Shirley (USA) 167 pts
Celebrating a partnership with Fixe
Fixe joined the UIAA as Official Technical Partner. The technical staff and teams at each 2026 World Cup event are using Fixe ropes, carabiners, anchors, harnesses, and helmets, with the brand covering all organisational needs in these product categories. At the World Cup in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, the UIAA and Fixe came together to offer an overview of their partnership and wider benefits for athletes and officials.
Further Details
Event page
Event programme
Photos
Registered athletes
How to follow the World Cups
For each World Cup event, a preview and review press release will be made available. Subscribe here to UIAA ice climbing press releases.
Livestreaming will be made available on the UIAA YouTube channel for all semi-finals and finals and certain qualification rounds.
On the UIAA Facebook and Instagram channels, shortform content including video clips and behind the scenes highlights will be posted as well as updates about livestreaming timings as well as podium winner posts and ‘climbs of the weekend’ clips.
Live results are available from the UIAA Results service.
The UIAA Ice Climbing website provides full information about each event including programmes and provisional timings.
Photos from competitions will available on the UIAA Flickr Channel. A ‘best of’ gallery for media wishing to preview the 2025-2026 season is available here.
Photo credit: UIAA/Slobodan Mišković
