Bouldering competitions are head-to-head knockout races. If a climber and competitor tie in the semi-final round, the winner is determined by who climbed their final route the fastest.
The competitors sit in isolation and are not allowed to preview the routes before competing, but once they enter the competition zone, they have eight minutes to complete as many boulder problems as possible. Read on Alta Boulders for more details.
Before each round, route setters design and hide “boulder problems” that are unique to each competitor. They change between the qualifying rounds and finals. Each boulder problem has multiple paths to the top. During the competition, athletes climb each of these boulders one after the other. The best 6 athletes advance to the final round.
When the qualifier begins, athletes are given a brief “Observation Period” to see the routes before they enter the competition zone. They can then discuss the routes and beta with their fellow competitors. They can also touch the holds and use their hands in their attempts, but must pass their score sheet to the officials when the time is up.
Climbers must start the competition within 0.1 seconds after a buzzer sounds. A competitor who fails to begin their attempt before the buzzer sounds is disqualified.
During their climbing time, competitors try as many times as they can to “top” the boulder problem. A climber is only deemed to have topped the boulder when both of their hands are stable on the designated finish hold for a long enough time for an official to deem it a successful completion of the problem. The official will usually waive a hand or say, “OK” to signal that the hold has been properly “topped.”
While an athlete’s final score depends on their time and the number of tops they have, there are subjective factors that can make a difference in where a climber finishes. These factors include number of attempts, zones achieved, and whether a climber was able to match their previous score on the problem during their re-attempt.
Once the qualifier has concluded, the final round starts with athletes competing head-to-head in a race to the top. If two climbers tie on tops, zones and attempts, then whoever has the higher number of first-place finishes wins. The final round ends with the winners of each head-to-head matchup earning a gold, silver or bronze medal. The rest of the climbers earn points based on their placement in each quarterfinal. The fastest athletes in each quarterfinal advance to the semifinals, where they compete head-to-head again. The final results are announced after the semifinals, and the top 3 winners make the podium to receive their shiny medals.
The Format
The competition day begins with registration and a briefing. This is your opportunity to ask any questions you have. After this, competitors are free to look at the boulder problems set up by the route-setters. It’s important to start warming up well before your competition timing slot, so don’t be late! The competition is divided into two rounds: the bouldering and lead. The top eight climbers in both disciplines advance to the final round, and the overall combined score for the bouldering and lead portions determines who wins.
In the semifinal round, athletes have 2 minutes to preview each of 4 new boulders. They then have 8 minutes to climb each problem. If they’re unable to complete one, they can try again, but only up to three attempts. If they fail to make it to the top, their score is 0 points.
Athletes are allowed to talk and discuss beta with each other during the Observation Period, but they’re not allowed to touch the holds until their time comes. They also can’t use t-nut holes on the routes, and they must avoid dabbing their hands outside of the boundaries. If a competitor does this, they may be disqualified from the event.
Climbers earn points for each boulder they successfully climb. They can also receive bonus points for climbing a specific problem on the first attempt, or “flashing” the problem. In addition, a climber’s overall score can be impacted by how many times they fall on a problem.
The finals are similar to the semi-finals, but with a few key differences. For example, the boulders are slightly harder and there are only four minutes to complete each problem. The top 6 climbers advance to the final round.
At the finals, all of the climbers compete in a series of four boulder problems that they have not seen before. If they’re able to finish all of the problems on their first attempt, they’ll win the finals. Otherwise, their scores will be determined based on the number of times they fall or miss the top, the number of times they reach a checkpoint, and how close they come to the final point.
The Prizes
Whether you’re competing or just watching, the top finishers in each division at a bouldering competition receive cash prizes from sponsors. The amount depends on how many climbs you’re able to complete and the difficulty of those climbs. Climbing is all about the small margins that separate competitors, which means one bad or good attempt can make a huge difference in your ranking or placing at a comp.
At qualifying and semi-final rounds, each competitor gets two chances to complete a problem and log their times. The fastest times move on to the finals. The final round features four problems. Each problem has three main holds, with the top one worth a maximum of 25 points. The other two, called zone holds, are worth five or 10 points. If you reach the top of a route on your first attempt, this is known as flashing and earns you the most points. If you get the top of a problem on your second attempt, then this is also known as a redpoint.
Athletes must also be able to complete the route within a certain time limit. If you fail to complete the route in the allotted time, you receive a zero for that problem and your score will decrease. This system helps to ensure that each climber is given a fair chance to compete. Generally, the only people allowed to see the climbs ahead of time are other competitors and their coaches. This is because if someone could cheat by seeing the routes before their turn, they would have a big advantage in their warm-up.
Bouldering competitions require strength and perfect coordination. Unlike lead climbing where the climber uses ropes to assist their ascent, bouldering competitions feature short dynamic routes that are not protected by belays. Athletes race to the top of a problem in a limited amount of time on boulder walls that measure up to 4.5 meters tall.
While Natalia Grossman had a solid youth career, she started to really shine as an adult in 2021 and 2022 with an incredible performance at the World Championships where she finished on the podium in both the bouldering and lead disciplines. She’ll be one to watch in the future as she continues her dominance.
The Community
The competition format is a great way to build a community in the sport of climbing. Climbers cheer for each other as they battle it out to become the champion of a particular problem or round. And even though you are competing against the other climbers in your division, you are all working towards the same goal: to have fun, to push yourself as hard as possible, and to enjoy the thrill of completing a route.
The top competitors then get to participate in a finals round. The top 6-8 men and women in each division compete on 4 or 5 boulders that they have not seen before. These problems are more difficult and have a higher score value than the qualifying rounds. The final round is always a thrilling event to watch for the other competitors!
Each problem is scored based on how many holds you can reach, called “zones.” The hold closest to the top of the wall earns the highest points. This is known as the zone hold and it is usually marked by a red “zone” label and tape. Holds farther down the wall are worth less, with the last 40 holds earning zero points. Then, starting at the zone hold, each hold that you reach in your attempt counts as a “top.” You are only deemed to have topped a problem when you touch the top hold with both hands.
At the end of the competition, if two climbers are tied in terms of tops, zones, and attempts then whoever did better in the final round wins. The top 3 winners then make the podium and receive gold, silver, or bronze medals.
Climbers who excel in bouldering combine the body types and strengths of both lead and speed climbers. They are nimble and agile like speed climbers, but also have the endurance of a lead climber to be able to do repeated sequences.