GRIPSTONE CLIMBING LEAGUE
Gripstone Climbing League is officially underway, and the energy in the gym has been awesome so far. As a reminder, you may only compete on either Monday or Wednesday each week,not both, so be sure to choose the day that works best for you. We’ll continue alternating between ropes and bouldering throughout the season, giving everyone a chance to test their skills across different styles of climbing. All of this will lead up to the combined final on Friday, October 24th, where both ropes and bouldering will come together for one big showdown. Keep crushing on the wall, pushing your limits, and sending hard! We can’t wait to see what this season brings!
Click to links below to stay up to date with scores and photos from each week
What is it?
GCL is a weekly series of low-key, team-focused, climbing competitions hosted by Gripstone which are open ONLY to Gripstone members. Starting the week of September 8th, participants will be able to compete once a week (either Monday OR Wednesday evening, not both) for the first 6 weeks. Each of these 6 weeks will alternate between bouldering and roped climbing, and the season then culminates in a Final event held on Friday, October 24th which will feature both climbing disciplines (roped and bouldering) and after which we will present the season awards.
Custom GCL medals will be awarded for the top 3 individual category (recreational / intermediate / advanced) podium finishers in each discipline (bouldering/roped). The top 3 Combined winners and the season’s top 3 Teams will also be vying for 30 months’ worth of FREE Gripstone membership!
When is it?
Climbing League will be hosted every Monday and Wednesday from 5 – 8 pm. Climbers can only participate in ONE day each week.
- Week 1 – Monday, Sept. 8 OR Wednesday, Sept. 10 (bouldering) 5-8pm
- Week 2 – Monday, Sept. 15 OR Wednesday, Sept. 17 (roped) 5-8pm
- Week 3 – Monday, Sept. 22 OR Wednesday, Sept. 24 (bouldering) 5-8pm
- Week 4 – Monday, Sept. 29 OR Wednesday, Oct. 1 (roped) 5-8pm
- Week 5 – Monday, Oct. 6 OR Wednesday, Oct. 8 (bouldering) 5-8pm
- Week 6 – Monday, Oct. 13 OR Wednesday, Oct. 15 (roped) 5-8pm
- Week 7 – FINALS – Friday, October 24th (bouldering AND roped) 4pm-8pm
Who Can Compete?
Current Gripstone Members, who are at least 16 years old, are welcome to participate in Climbing League. The 7-week competition will separate climbers into three different skill-based categories for individual scoring.
- Categories:
- Recreational– V0-V2 / 5.5 to 5.9
- Intermediate – V3-V5 / 5.10 to 5.11+
- Advanced – V6-V10 / 5.12- and above
*There are NO gender categories, it is ONLY skill-based
**Advanced climbers will be required to lead climb (and, as such, must be certified to lead climb and lead belay at Gripstone).
***Recreational and Intermediate climbers will have the option of toproping or lead for additional points (and, as such, must be certified to toprope or lead belay at Gripstone)
****Membership must remain active for the duration of the entire season to be eligible to compete
Pricing
$50/per climber
*Register before August 15th for 10% off your registration fee
The league shirt is included in registration
Why Should I Participate?
While this is a fun way to compete in a low-stress setting, there are some awesome prizes to win. The winning teams have the opportunity to win a 6-month free membership!
Every competitor will get a Gripstone Climbing League shirt between week 3 and week 5 that is exclusive to the 2025 season.
There will be a finals party on Friday, October 24th, with food & drink for all competitors.
How are the Categories Determined?
There will be no category requirement in team registration. You can sign up as a team (3 climbers of mixed genders required).
BUT
Individuals categories will be determined by the following:
- Recreational– V0-V2 / 5.5 to 5.9
- Intermediate – V3-V5 / 5.10 to 5.11+
- Advanced – V6-V10 / 5.12- and above
*There are NO gender categories, it is ONLY skill-based
**Advanced climbers will be required to lead climb (and, as such, must be certified to lead climb and lead belay at Gripstone).
***Recreational and Intermediate climbers will have the option of toproping or lead for additional points (and, as such, must be certified to toprope or lead belay at Gripstone)
What is up with the Team Component?
Each team will consist of 3 members. Teams are required to be mixed gender and you can sign up as a team, or we will put you on one. Teams will accrue points each week via the team members’ individual results. The final weekly score will be the average of the team members’ individual scores. We will use the weekly team scores to calculate the final season score.
*A Climber can ONLY be on ONE team, they may not be members of multiple teams.
Format of Each Event
There will be 9 boulders or 9 routes set specifically for each week. Each boulder or route will be assigned a point value that is directly proportional to the difficulty of the problem (the more difficult, the higher the point value). Every week, climbers will have 3 hours to complete as many climbs as they can. The best 3 climbs will be used for your score that week.
Climbers may attempt each boulder and route as many times as they would like, there is no penalty for falls. However, the number of attempts that it took a climber to top may be used to break ties. Each attempt should be from the (marked) Start to the (marked) Top in one attempt, without falling, resting on the rope, or using holds or volumes that are not part of that climb. This means that, while rope climbing, you come to the ground after you fall.
How to Register
Registration will open Friday, August 1st, 2025 and closes Wednesday, September 10th, 2025. Click the Sign Up Now button to register.
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!