Oriane Bertone and Max Milne winners of Pro League in London

The inaugural Pro Climbing League Championship in London featured a new head-to-head format. Oriane Bertone and Max Milne claimed the first PCL titles. (c) Stefan Voitl

In the women’s final, Bertone delivered directly against Janja Garnbret, flashing the problem with two dynamic foot-cut moves. Garnbret reached hold two before falling. “It’s so great overall, everything was so fun,” said the 20-year-old Bertone. “It’s a new format, it’s very interesting.” Annie Sanders rounded out the podium in third. Bertone, currently the world’s top-ranked female boulderer, now adds the title to her 11 World Cup podiums.

On the men’s side, Scotland’s Milne secured victory reaching one hold further at 4+ minutes. Known as a creative showman and dark horse, the 25-year-old used a bold double hand jam through the crux as time expired, reaching hold five, hands left bloody. Colin Duffy finishing second, while Tomoa Narasaki took third. Prize money awarded £10,000, £5,000, and £2,500 to the top three in each category. The event featured eight men and eight women, including also Erin McNeice, Anon Matsufuji, Camilla Moroni, Jenny Buckley, Lucia Dorffel, Toby Roberts, Mejdi Schalck, Yannick Flohé, Mickael Mawem, and Darius Rapa.

The PCL format pits two climbers side by side on identical boulders. Winners advance across qualifying, semifinal, and final rounds, with four-plus minutes per problem.