Glacier National Park Open 2023

A blistering 7.90 winning average on the 3x3x3 Cube by Jonathan Truchot set the benchmark in Montana as the Glacier National Park Open 2023 brought top-flight speedcubing action to Kalispell. The one-day gathering, held at the Trailhead Church on September 9, 2023, featured 19 competitors battling across 11 different events and 16 rounds. Beyond the battle at the top of the standings, the tournament was defined by an influx of newcomers taking their very first official solves on the competitive stage, infusing the hall with ambition and personal milestones from morning to evening.

The 3x3 results formed the centerpiece of the program, requiring solvers to navigate three intense rounds. Truchot secured the main title with a 7.90 final average and an event-best single of 6.48 seconds, holding off Clément Cherblanc of France, who finished as runner-up with an average of 9.81. Jeremiah Rummerfield rounded out the podium in third place with a 12.64 mark, while Caleb Surdock placed fourth in the final round. For fans tracking classic Rubik's Cube mastery, the consistency on display across multiple rounds underscored the technical precision required at the elite level.

Across the broader schedule, Truchot and Cherblanc dominated the hardware distribution, capturing all but one of the available tournament victories between them. Truchot claimed first place in the 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.63 average, took the 4x4x4 Cube in 33.59 seconds, and conquered the 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:08.72 average. Cherblanc proved just as formidable, sweeping five separate events: the Pyraminx with a 5.18 average, 3x3x3 One-Handed in 16.41 seconds, Skewb with a 4.51 average, Megaminx in 59.96 seconds, and Square-1 in 9.08 seconds. He also took the 6x6x6 Cube title with a 2:03.21 average.

The lone victory outside the Truchot-Cherblanc rivalry belonged to Marcus Jormin of Sweden in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Navigating the demanding mental discipline of memorizing and solving without sight, Jormin posted a winning single of 1:11.23 to claim top honors over Cherblanc, who registered a 1:19.26 single, and Caden Fisher, who took third with a time of 4:27.57. Fisher had a busy day on the podium as well, earning third-place honors in the 4x4x4 Cube, 5x5x5 Cube, 2x2x2 Cube, and Skewb, contributing significantly to the United States tally of 21 podium places alongside France with 11 and Sweden with 1.

Behind the medal count, the real heartbeat of this WCA competition was the sheer volume of personal breakthroughs and new disciplines attempted. Caleb Surdock made substantial strides by cutting his 4x4x4 Cube personal record down to 1:24.09, an improvement of 22.2 percent over his former 1:48.12 best, alongside tackling his first ever attempts at Square-1 with a 1:37.42 mark and 5x5x5 Cube in 3:28.62 across seven entered events. Wolfgang Schwartz produced major drops of his own, lopping 24.5 percent off his Pyraminx mark to record a 21.03 best and improving his 2x2x2 Cube best by 11.4 percent to 11.89 seconds across three events.

The roster of first-time attempts and fresh milestones extended across several other dedicated participants. Ethan Doyle entered eight events, achieving a best finish of 6th in Pyraminx while logging first-ever marks of 52.93 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, 1:02.70 in Square-1, and 2:26.66 in 4x4x4 Cube. Hawke Schwartz tackled eight events, securing his first official times in 5x5x5 Cube at 7:27.71 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:26.56, while trimming his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 7.18. Graeme Gimpelson recorded a first Megaminx time of 3:54.09 and improved his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 5.99 seconds. Vladislav Korchmar marked his first WCA competition by entering five events, earning 4th in Pyraminx with an 8.38 single alongside debuts in 3x3x3 Cube at 14.12 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:16.69. Simyon Hein also celebrated his first WCA competition by taking 8th in 2x2x2 Cube, logging first marks in 3x3x3 Cube at 19.45, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:01.08, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:39.90. Lily Turner debuted with official marks of 16.20 in 2x2x2 Cube and 1:01.83 in 3x3x3 Cube.

The 2x2x2 Cube event proved especially lively throughout the preliminary stages, drawing 16 participants and setting up competitive pairings down the roster. In addition to podium finishes by Truchot, Cherblanc, and Fisher, solid rounds were registered by Jeremiah Rummerfield, Don Daniels, Caden Tullous, and Josiah Turner. The wide spread of age and experience reflected how accessible a cubing competition in Kalispell, Montana, USA can be, providing a welcoming environment where personal progress matters as much as the final podium placements.

As the Glacier National Park Open 2023 drew to a close, the weekend demonstrated the vitality of regional speed cubing in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain region. With seasoned competitors trading victories at the summit and a sizable group of first-timers establishing their benchmark times, the stage is set for many of these emerging solvers to build on their debut experiences as the broader cubing circuit moves into the next season.