The Andalusian vertical rope rescue competition team, Espeleosocorro Sin Fronteras, took part in the 16th edition of Grimpday, the world championship of excellence in high-altitude rescue, held at the end of May in Marseille (France), achieving 12th place. At LA LÍNEA VERTICAL we are very proud to be the main sponsor of this team, with whom we share values such as self-improvement and teamwork, as well as the professionalism, safety and constant training they require.
In this edition of Grimpday, 24 teams of 19 nationalities took part, from places as diverse as Taiwan, Japan, Lebanon, Chile and North America, among others, with Espeleosocorro Sin Fronteras being the only Spanish team.
During the three days of the championship, the participants had to perform 11 rescues in different places, all of which were difficult to access. Berni Orihuela, one of the members of Espeleosocorro Sin Fronteras, says that it was a physically demanding edition and highlights the spectacular scenery chosen this year for the rescues, which included a dam almost 100 metres high and the enormous cranes of the Marseilles dock.
Berni Orihuela assures that they have enjoyed the competition very much and that the coexistence with the rest of the teams has been “great”. He highlights the great exchange of knowledge that has taken place between all of them, so that this experience has been like a training for them.
The Spanish team has returned very satisfied with the work carried out. It considers that they have solved the rescues efficiently, in good time and using very safe techniques, so its members believe that they have been at the level of previous editions in which they won the championship. On this occasion, the winner was the Teak Rescue team from North America.
Espeleosocorro Sin Fronteras was preparing for this competition at the facilities of LA LÍNEA VERTICAL and STEC, with whom we are united in training. Berni Orihuela says that training in these spaces has been fundamental, as our main environment is the natural environment and these facilities have given us the opportunity to work on simulations of urban and industrial scenarios. In addition, we have had the chance to exchange information and techniques with specialists from both companies, which has been very enriching for us”.
At LA LÍNEA VERTICAL we are delighted to have collaborated with this team in their preparation for such an important championship as Grimpday and we will continue to support them in their next challenges.