All eleven of the medallists from the opening UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup of the season will compete this weekend in Switzerland. Saas-Fee, a resort located at nearly 2000m in the Swiss Alps, hosts round 2 of the World Tour and has the distinct of extending its record of hosting UIAA-sanctioned competitions which dates back to 2000.
An impressive 137 athletes from 19 countries have registered for this year’s competition, a 13% increase on last year which itself was a 16% improvement from the year before. Not only is the depth a testament to the continued growth and appeal of the sport, the quality is equally startling.
Competition, which also counts the European Championships, takes place on Friday with the difficulty (lead) qualifications and entire speed competition before Saturday’s conclusion of the difficulty event. This is always one of the most electrifying moments of the season and a huge crowd converges on the spiralled venue to gain a close appreciation of the poise, precision and technique of the athletes. This passionate support often inspires incredible feats on one of the World Tour’s largest walls.
The expert local organizers, supported by the Swiss Alpine Club, always put on a memorable competition for athletes and fans alike.
Speed: Climber versus the clock
In terms of the speed competition, single format will be deployed meaning it is climber against the clock. Saas-Fee often witnesses some incredibly fast ascents. Having won the opening round in Cheongsong, Mohammad Reza Safdarian will be the athlete to beat. The Iranian loves competing in Saas-Fee. In his last three visits he has taken a gold, silver and a bronze with a mesmerising sub-8 second climb earning him the World Cup title last season. Competition will be fierce. Both Saikhanjargal Otgonbayar (Mongolia) and Mohsen Beheshti Rad (Iran), medallists from Saas-Fee will be present, as will two-time World Tour champion Mandakhbayar Chuluunbaatar.
Speed Finals, Friday 23 January, from 20:00 local time (check your time)
Poland’s Olga Kosek excelled in the opening round, winning her first World Cup gold. Having finished fourth in Saas-Fee last year she has the pedigree to be among the contenders this weekend. Both world champion Aneta Loužecká (Czechia) and Catalina Shirley (USA), medallists in Cheongsong, will look to better their round 1 performance while reigning World Tour champion Selenge Nyamdoo seeks her first medal of the season.
Difficulty: Louna Ladevant to extend Saas-Fee run?
Form suggests it will be hard to look beyond Louna Ladevant for the men’s difficulty. The French athlete has won on three of his last four visits to Saas-Fee. He also made a statement winning the opening World Cup in South Korea. Strong competition will come from within his own team. Virgile Devin is the only other athlete to win gold at the event since 2022 while Tristan Ladevant is a regular Saas-Fee finalist. In fact last year he took second place, denied only by his younger brother. South Korean athletes Kim Min Choel and Lee Younggeon, on the podium in Cheongsong, will take inspiration from compatriot Heeyong Park’s past gold medal performances in Switzerland.
Difficulty Semi-Finals, Saturday 24 January, from 11:00 local time (check your time)
Switzerland through Sina Goetz and Petra Klingler have enjoyed recent gold medal success at the event. In their absence, a strong host team will seek to delight the home crowd with another top spot. Franziska Schönbächler, second last year, is one such contender. The field is wide open. Marion Salmon-Thomas (France) already has two gold across the current Continental and World Cup season. USA’s Catalina Shirley will hope to better last year’s fourth place. South Korea’s Woonseon Shin has climbed to Saas-Fee gold in the past and finished third last year.
Difficulty Finals, Saturday 24 January, from 19:00 local time (check your time)
This year’s event also counts as the European Championships.
Fixe in Saas-Fee
Fixe, Technical Partner of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, will run a number of exciting initiatives during the weekend. This includes a speed competition for those onsite with details provided in the post below.
The technical staff and teams at each World Cup event are using Fixe ropes, carabiners, anchors, harnesses, and helmets, with the brand covering all organisational needs in these product categories. Additionally, the world’s top ice climbers will use Fixe ropes, carabiners, and quickdraws throughout the circuit. One exciting announcement is the new 9.5 Saas-Fee rope, Fixe’s official choice for the 2025-26 season. This new rope will be pre-launched during the weekend in Saas-Fee. Please follow the Fixe social media channels for further details.
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World Tour Leaderboards
Difficulty (Lead)
Men: (1) L Ladevant (FRA), 100 pts, (2) M Kim (KOR), 80 pts, (3) Y Lee (KOR) 65 pts
Women: (1) M Salmon-Thomas (FRA), 100 pts, (2) C Shirley (USA), 80 pts, (3) J Kim (KOR) 65 pts
Speed
Men: (1) M Safdarian (IRN), 100 points; (2) S Otgonbayar (MON), 80 pts, (3) M Beheshti Rad (IRN), 65 pts
Women: (1) O Kosek (POL), 100 pts, (2) A Loužecká (CZE), 80 pts, (3) C Shirley (USA), 65 pts
Further Details
Event page
Event programme
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/Kaspar Kellerhals
