Bouldering contest
- Winner
- Hardest problem
- Measured in
- Grade
- Boards
- Gym, city, country, world
The hardest graded boulder problem you can climb from the start holds to the top, in one clean attempt filmed in one take. Your grade is ranked on your gym, city, country and world boards, using the grade the gym or guidebook gives the problem.
The rules
What counts
- A problem with a set grade, on a gym wall or outdoors.
- Start with your hands on the marked start holds, sitting if the start is marked as sit.
- Use only the holds of the problem, plus the wall itself if the gym allows it.
- The top hold controlled with both hands, or topping out where the problem finishes on top.
What doesn’t count
- Touching the mat or the ground during the climb.
- Using holds from another problem, or the edge of the wall where it is out.
- Jumping off before both hands are matched on the top hold.
- Problems with no grade, or a grade that cannot be checked.
How to film it
- Film the whole problem from the start holds to the top, with the camera far enough back to see it all.
- Show the grade tag or start marker in the take, before or after the climb.
- Prop the phone up rather than having someone follow you with it.
Bouldering is the one contest here where the result is a grade rather than a number on a clock. That makes it easy to brag about and hard to check, so this contest asks for the whole climb on video and the grade in shot.
How it works
Pick the problem, prop your phone far enough back to see it from start to top, and start recording. Show the grade tag, then pull on from the start holds and climb. Match the top hold or top out, step down and stop recording. In the app, enter the grade the problem is set at and the gym or crag where it is.
The grade goes on your gym, city, country and world boards at once, with age group and sex brackets. Because setters grade differently, your gym board is the fairest comparison: everyone on it is climbing the same walls.
Who checks the send
The automatic check confirms the video is unbroken. Anyone can flag a take, for example for a dab on the mat or a hold from another problem. When a send reaches a top 10 or sets a record, a referee watches the climb, checks the start, the holds used and the finish, and compares the grade with the tag in the video. If it is not counted you see why and where, and you can appeal to a second referee.
Climbing harder
Climb often and try lots of problems a grade or two below your hardest, then spend part of each session on ones you cannot yet do. Footwork and body position count for more than pulling strength at first. Fall onto the mat on purpose a few times early on so you learn to land safely, and rest your fingers when they get sore.
Questions
How are grades compared between gyms?
The app records the grade the gym or guidebook gives the problem, on the V or Font scale. Grades vary between setters, so the gym board is the closest comparison and the wider boards are a rough guide.
Do flashes count for more than repeats?
No. The board ranks the grade of the problem you sent, however many sessions it took you.
Can I film a send I made on an earlier attempt?
Only the attempt in the take counts. Film your attempts and submit the one where you top the problem.
