News

Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Volunteers needed: 2025-JAN-25 Coulee Lethbridge

We’re excited for the C&D + Tier 2 competition at Coulee in Lethbridge this weekend. However, we’re very short on volunteers, especially judges for both qualifier rounds. If you’re able to, please consider signing up to volunteer. Newcomers are welcome and encouraged. You’ll be fully supported by experienced ACA officials, learn more about the sport, get the best seats in the gym, and support our athletes! Reach out to communications@albertaclimbing.org if you have questions or comments.

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Paul Robert Paul Robert

Youth B A Jr. Boulder Local - Grip It Nelson

February 1 + 2, 2025 in Saskatoon. Click here for Schedule, Registration, and Volunteer Info.

Let’s give the athletes the best experience possible. If you have not been a judge before please do not let that deter you from volunteering. We will make sure to adequately train you prior to the start of the round. It’s a great opportunity to be up close to the action and to be involved in these exciting events. If you have any questions about the various roles before signing up please reach out to communications@albertaclimbing.org.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Updates on multiple comps

The youth season is in full swing, and we have updates on several competitions to share:

Upcoming Events:

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Thank you for a busy comp weekend!

All youth athlete age categories were on the walls this weekend! We had a packed schedule with the Jr/A/B categories at Elevation Place in Canmore and the C/D + Tier 2 at Bolder Elevated in Calgary.

Thank you to Jesse and the staff at Elevation Place and Regan, Josh, Sebastian, and all the staff at Bolder Elevated for hosting at your beautiful facilities.

Thank you to Zach and Tandy (Canmore) as well as Matty and Dahlia (Bolder) for putting together another amazing set of routes for our athletes!

Thank you to all the volunteers for once again supporting youth competition climbing. We can’t run these competitions without your help!

Last but not least, thank you to the athletes and their coaches. Your hard work training this season is on full display and we’re extremely proud of ALL of you. See you at the next competitions at Coulee in Lethbridge and Grip It in Saskatoon.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Registration Reminder

We have two competitions that will be closing registration soon, so don’t miss out!

Youth C/D Boulder Local + Tier 2 - 2025-JAN-25 (Coulee)

Youth B/A & Jr Boulder Local - 2025-FEB-01 to 2025-FEB-02 (Grip It)

It’s not too late to sign up to volunteer for some slots at the Canmore Jr/A/B lead competition or the Bolder Elevated C/D + Tier 2 competition happening this weekend.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

New ACA Coach Requirements 2025

Coach memberships can now be purchased on 2mev.com. If you had a membership on the old registration system, it has now been imported into the new system. If you need to purchase a new one, it can be purchased at https://2mev.com/#!/memberships/alberta-climbing-association-memberships-2024

With the transition to the 2mev.com registration platform, the ACA is also enforcing new coaching requirements. This will align us with CEC coaching requirements and promote good coaching practice and accountability within the ACA. 

Coaches will be required to meet all requirements in order to enter isolation at ACA competitions. The requirements will be rolled out in a stepwise manner. See below for the list of requirements: 

For the online training modules, the ACA will verify your completion through your NCCP locker code (which can be found on your locker.ca account). Please enter your NCCP locker code on your 2mev coaching account so we can verify your completion. 

Starting in September, we will also require criminal record checks completed September, 2023 or later. Please send your criminal record check to paigeboklaschuk@albertaclimbing.ca AND jacquelynmitchell@albertaclimbing.ca for verification. 

To verify whether you meet current coach tracking requirements, you can check your status on the following spreadsheet: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cFcDHDear1nofyZ9x_Ho1smWwm1Mi4NCeFnufJ7kLqA/edit?usp=sharing

If we add further coaching requirements in the future, we will inform all coaches with a current ACA membership and post updates on the ACA website. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to paigeboklaschuk@albertaclimbing.org and board@albertaclimbing.org. 

Thank you for your commitment!

Paige Boklaschuk

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Volunteers needed for 3 upcoming comps

We have a busy comp schedule in January, and that means lots of opportunities to help our athletes! Thank you to everyone that has already signed up to volunteer; we can’t run these events without your help. There are dozens of volunteer slots for the EP Canmore Jr/A/B Lead event, and the Bolder Elevated C&D + Tier 2 Top Rope event this weekend.

We also added the volunteer sign up link and tentative schedule for the Coulee Lethbridge C&D + Tier 2 bouldering event on 2025-JAN-25. Check out the event page for details. Registration closes on January 18th.

Please consider signing up to help if you are able to. You’ll be fully supported by experienced ACA officials. You get the best view in the gym, learn a lot about the sport, and most importantly help our youth athletes get the best possible competition experience.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Competition updates & registration reminders

We hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. We’ve been busy planning several upcoming competitions. Make sure to follow the details on our website to stay up to date.

We’re also migrating Coach memberships to our new registration system, 2mev.com. We’ll share more details over the next few weeks. In the meantime, contact us communications@albertaclimbing.org if you have questions.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

B/A/Jr bouldering local @ Grip It Nelson Saskatoon

We’ve got another competition registration opened up: B/A/Jr bouldering local at Grip It Nelson in Saskatoon SK. Check out the event page here for all the updates. The event was recently changed from a 1 day event to a 2 day event. The qualifier round will take place on Saturday Feb 01, and the finals will be hosted on Sunday Feb 02 in the morning.

Don’t forget to register for the other active competitions before they close:

We’ll be opening up volunteer sign ups for these competitions soon, so look out for opportunities to help. We can’t run these competitions without your help. Reach out to communications@albertaclimbing.org with questions or concerns.


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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Registration Open: Youth C/D Boulder Local + Tier 2 @ Coulee Lethbridge

We’ve got another competition open for registration! Head over to the event page on our website for all the details about the Youth C&D boulder local + tier 2 hosted at Coulee Climbing in Lethbridge on 2025-JAN-25.

Don’t forget to register for the other competitions that are currently open as well:

We hope everyone enjoys the holiday season. Reach out to us if you have any questions communications@albertaclimbing.org

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Blocs: Volunteers Needed

We’re looking for volunteers for our Jr/A/B local bouldering competition at Blocs. Sign up here if you are able to help. We can’t run these competitions without volunteer support.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Competitions, competitions, and more competitions!

Speed provincials and the Trailhead Youth C&D + Tier 2 are in the books, and we’re ready for the Jr/A/B bouldering competition at Blocs in Edmonton this weekend. Keep an eye on the event page for updates. We’re looking for more volunteers, so please consider signing up to help.

We also have a busy weekend in January with registration for two competitions just opened up.

Jr/A/B lead local in Canmore - check for details on the event page.

C&D + Tier 2 top rope local at Boulder Elevated in Calgary: check for details on the event page.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Thank you for a great comp @ Trailhead!

Our first C&D + Tier 2 competition of the season is in the books.

Thank you to Kurtis and the staff at Trailhead for hosting another amazing event.

Thank you to Juan, Jordan and the entire route setting team for putting up an amazing set of boulders.

Thank you to the dozens of volunteers that helped us with the competition. We couldn’t do this without you.

Last but not least, thank you to the athletes and their coaches for bringing your best to the competition floor this time and every time. The season is young, but we are seeing amazing talent at all levels.

See you at the next one!

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

2024-DEC-07 Updates: C&D + Tier 2 boulder local @ Trailhead

Athletes, Parents / Guardians, Coaches,

Important information will be updated on the event page for this event.  Check it often to get the latest info.  Email communications@albertaclimbing.org if you have any questions or concerns.

We still need more volunteers, please consider signing up if you are able to help.

Coaches will require an active 2024/2025 season membership to access the field of play and isolation.

Registration for the Youth Bouldering Local @ Trailhead in Red Deer has closed.  We're excited to host 138 athletes for the first ACA youth competition of the season.  I'm absolutely amazed by how many new athletes we have.

Event Details

Location: Trailhead Climbing & Fitness, 33 Mckenzie Crescent, Red Deer AB

Date: Saturday December 7th, 2024

Officials: Jury President: Jeremy Fidelack | Head Judge: Morgan Fines  |  Technical Delegate: Nolan Archer  | Head Routesetter: Juan Delfin  |  Assistant Routesetter: Jordan Ly

Age categories: D+C (ACA points), B+A+Jr Tier 2 (no ACA points).

Format: Qualifiers: 25 problems, 8-12 judging areas, full scramble, 3 hours, 4 point start, no zones, no video review, scores tallied in a spreadsheet and posted on the event page, points per boulder / attempt table on the event page.  Finals: C&D only, 5 on 5 off, 4 problems, no group preview, isolation, top 8 advance from C&D, no video review, scores tallied in Vertical Life.

Waiver: If you have not done so already please ensure you have filled out the waiver for Trailhead Climbing.

Community Crush

The ACA is hosting a community crush session on Sunday after the comp at Trailhead . Details here.  All athletes welcome, just pay for a day pass at Trailhead.  ACA hired coaches & routesetter available.

Schedule

C+A+Jr Athletes Qualifier Round
7:30am Check-in & Technical Mtg.
8:30am start, 11:30am finish

D+B Athletes Qualifier Round
11:00am Check-in & Technical Mtg.
12:00pm Start, 3:00pm finish

Setting Changeover- 3:00pm - 6:00pm

Finals
5:00pm Iso Check-in & Technical Mtg.
5:45pm iso closes
6:00pm Start

Athletes

The Jury President will host a short athlete's meeting approximately 30 minutes before the start of each qualifier / finals round.  Coaches are encouraged to join as well.  Athletes are encouraged to work with their coaches to understand the format details before the competition.

Coaches

Coaches need to have a valid 2024-2025 coaching membership with the ACA to be allowed in the field of play and isolation for finals.  Coach memberships can be purchased from member.albertaclimbing.org.  Contact us if you need help with your membership; don't wait till Saturday.

Coaches are also asked to be aware that the field of play is going to be very busy.  We appreciate your cooperation in helping your athletes while inside the field of play.  Athletes can warm up in the fitness area.

Parent / Guardian Meeting

The Jury President will host a meeting for the parents / guardians after the start of each qualifier round.  If you are new to the ACA or the sport, we'll take some time to explain how we do things and answer your questions.

Volunteering

Thank you to everyone that has signed up to volunteer.  We still need volunteers, and can't run these competitions without your help.  Please consider signing up to volunteer here.  You will be trained and full supported by experienced ACA officials.  Food, water, and other snacks will be provided for the volunteers.

Judges training is available through an eLearning module available through Climbing Escalade Canada (CEC) at https://www.climbingcanada.ca/e-learning/ If you still have questions, the IFSC Rules are also a great resource: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/resources/events. 

An overview will also be provided at the Judges Meeting before each qualifier and finals round.

Spectating

Spectating for this competition will be limited to specific sections of the gym, in order to ensure the field of play is clear for athletes / coaches / officials.

  • The field of play will include the immediate and surrounding areas:

    • Slab Wall

    • Bouldering

    • Top Rope

  • Spectators can use the following areas, so long as pathways and doors are clear:

    • Retail / Front entrance

    • Lead Wall

    • Party Room #2 (this is a mezzanine overlooking the gym, also where volunteer officials are setup).

Since space is limited, spectators will be asked to make way for officials, athletes, and coaches if necessary.  Athletes, Parents / Guardians, spectators from Group 1 (C+A+Jr) will be asked to make space for Group 2 after the first qualifier round.

We're looking forward to seeing all of you on Saturday!

Regards,

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Paul Robert Paul Robert

2024-DEC-14 Youth B/A + Jr. Boulder Local - BLOCS

TENTATIVE Schedule updated!

Volunteer Sign-up is now live! We have 81 volunteer positions to be filled to ensure the best possible competition for our athletes. The good news is that you will be fully supported and trained in your position!  You don't need to be a climber yourself, or have even been to a competition before to judge, or keep score, or help with finals isolation.  Mature athletes that are competing in one qualifier round can help judge in the other round. Please consider signing up to help here.

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

2024-DEC-07 C&D + Tier 2 Boulder Local @ Trailhead

Important information will be updated on the event page for this event.  Check it often to get the latest info.

The registration numbers for this competition are growing, which is excellent to see our sport growing!  We can't wait to see all the new ACA athletes on the walls!  Last season we had 48 athletes registered at this gym; the C&D + Tier 2 pilot last season had 75 athletes.  We're on track to have over 120 athletes registered for this competition!  However, this means that we have to re-balance the scheduled athlete classes and also consider measures to manage the gym for athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators.

  • A & Jr category athletes (female & male) will be moved to the early morning round with the C category athletes. Check-in for this round begins at 8am.

  • The field of play will be very busy for the qualifier rounds.  Only athletes, coaches, judges, and officials will be allowed on the field of play (where the problems are).  Coaches will need to have a valid ACA seasonal membership and check in to access the field of play (purchased on our old system member.albertaclimbing.org).  We're working with the gym to provide the best locations for spectators, while ensuring the best experience for athletes.  If you want a better view of your athletes, consider signing up to volunteer. As my friend Sylvain Vanier says, volunteer to get the best seats in the house.

  • In consultation with the Head Routesetter, we have decided to adjust the qualifier format

    • Maintaining full scramble format

    • ~25 problems shared for all categories in the field of play; 

    • 4 point starts for all problems (4 limbs established); no zones

    • Tops are worth points per boulder; we will share the points per boulder calculations before the competition for your reference.  

      • For example: Topping problem #1 in one attempt is worth 10 points, and fewer points for each attempt afterwards; Topping problem #25 in one attempt is worth 250 points, and fewer points for each attempt afterwards.

  • The finals format was changed in two ways:

    • Top 8 instead of top 6 from C&D female and male qualifiers moves onto finals.

    • Format is now 5 on 5 off with isolation, 4 problems.  Previously advertised as flashed 5 on 5 off with no isolation.

    • Adding 15 second transition to the 5 on 5 off clock.

  • The ACA event organizer and jury president (same person for this competition, Jeremy Fidelack) has decided not to accept late registrations. Registration closes on November 30th. Register here on our new system, 2M.

  • The ACA has a long tradition of including as many athletes that want to compete as possible, and we're proud to keep that opportunity for our C,D and tier 2 athletes for this competition.

    • However, the large number of athletes has a direct impact on the logistics, particularly line ups for judging zones.

    • We’d like to encourage the athletes and coaches to prepare for a busy field of play.

    • We have scheduled each qualifier round to be 2.5 hours.  If the registration counts increase significantly before registration closes next weekend, we will consider extending the qualifier round length.  This has a cascading effect on the rest of the logistical planning; we just want everyone to be patient as we attempt to provide the absolute best experience for all athletes.

  • Thank you to all of the volunteers that have signed up. We need over 45 volunteer positions to be filled to ensure the best possible competition for our athletes.  Given that this competition is targeted to our newest and youngest competitors, we can appreciate that some of our parents and guardians are relatively new to the sport and a bit hesitant to sign up to help.  The good news is that you will be fully supported and trained in your position!  You don't need to be a climber yourself, or have even been to a competition before to judge, or keep score, or help with finals isolation.  Mature athletes that are competing in one qualifier round can help judge in the other round. Please consider signing up to help here.

  • The ACA is hosting a community crush event on Sunday at the gym after the comp.  Just pay for a day pass and try the finals problems with the help of a routesetter and coaches hired by the ACA.

  • Parents, guardians: we’ll be hosting a meeting at the gym to answer questions after the start of each qualifier round.

We are looking forward to hosting an amazing competition with our partners at Trailhead!

Reach out to us if you have questions or comments communications@albertaclimbing.org

-Jeremy Fidelack

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

Updates: comp registrations, 2mev.com, and more

Dear Athletes/Parents/Coaches

We have multiple events coming up with registration currently open. Please ensure you register for these events prior to the close of registration for each event, which is one week before the event is scheduled. Remember that we’ve launched our new member registration system, 2mev.com.

Trailhead Youth Local for Youth D/C/Tier 2- December 7, 2024

  • If you are in the top 30% of your category based on last seasons ranking you DO NOT qualify to compete in the Tier 2 event. Please email us if you are unsure if you qualify. Please be aware that we will be rounding DOWN in each category. For example, if the top 30% is 15.6 for a category, the top 15 do not qualify to participate in this event.

  • Please use this link to register.

  • The ACA is hosting a Community Crush session on December 8, 2024. This is an opportunity to try out the finals boulders with coaches and a setter.

CCC Rocky Speed Provincials for Youth C/B/A/Jr/Senior- December 8, 2024

  • You must compete in Provincials if you want to advance to Nationals

  • Please use this link to register.

Blocs Youth Local for Youth B/A/Junior Tier 1 Event- December 14, 2024

  • All athletes who are in these categories qualify to compete in this competition

  • Please use this link to register.

Moving from 6 to 8 athletes for finals rounds in most boulder competitions

  • The ACA board approved a decision that boulder finals rounds (excluding world cup finals format) for all local competitions this season will include 8 athletes per category, up from 6 previously.

2mev.com / Interpodia member registration system

  • Thank you for your patience as we roll out the system.

  • If you previously purchased a seasonal membership on the legacy system, check your email for details on how to login to 2mev.com to access your profile.

  • New registrations for competitions at 2mev.com will be able to add the seasonal membership in the same transaction.

  • We’re looking to migrate the coaching memberships to the new system soon.

If you have any questions about these events please do not hesitate to reach out!

Good luck to all of our ACA Senior athletes competing in Senior Nationals this coming week!

Jacquelyn Mitchell

ACA Team Manager

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Paul Robert Paul Robert

Registration Open: Youth B/A + Jr. Boulder Local

December 14th 2024 at BLOCS in Edmonton. One day only! This event is open to Youth B, A, and Jr. category athletes. See details including format on the Season Schedule page.

Register via our new system:

https://2mev.com/#!/events/8880-youth-ba-and-junior-boulder-local-blocs-2024-dec-14

  • If you have previously purchased a 2024-2025 ACA membership, then that has been migrated and you were emailed instructions on how to login.

  • If you haven’t purchased a 2024-2025 ACA membership, then you will be able to purchase at the same time as your event registration.

Please be patient with us rolling out the new system. Contact communications@albertaclimbing.org and we’ll do our best to sort things out.

Registration closes at 11:59:00PM on December 7th, 2024. Don’t wait!

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Alberta Climbing Association Alberta Climbing Association

2024-DEC-08 Speed Provincials updates

We’re excited to share the tentative schedule and volunteer sign up link for the Speed Provincials at Calgary Climbing Centre Rocky Mountain on December 8th 2024. Check out the event page for more details. We can’t run these competitions without your help, so please consider signing up, even if you are new to the sport. You’ll be fully trained and supported by experienced ACA officials.

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