News
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.
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.
Volunteers Needed at BLOCS Saturday
The Youth B/A and Jr. Boulder Local is coming up fast on December 14th! We have a lot of 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! Mature athletes that are competing in one qualifier round can help judge in the other round. Please consider signing up to help here.
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!
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,
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.
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
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
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!
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.
2024-DEC-07 Trailhead comp updates
We’re excited to share the tentative schedule and volunteer sign up link for the C&D + Tier 2 competition at Trailhead in Red Deer on December 7th 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.
Also, the ACA is planning to host a community crush session on Sunday at the gym after the competition. Check out the event page for that info. All athletes are welcome to the session, and just need to pay for a day pass at Trailhead. Coaches and a routesetter will be there to help athletes with the finals problems.
Community Crush - Trailhead - 2024-DEC-08
The ACA is hosting a community crush session on Sunday December 8th, the day after the Trailhead C&D + Tier 2 bouldering competition.
ACA community crush sessions are an opportunity for ACA athletes to work on finals boulders after the competition. These sessions are open to all competitors but are geared towards athletes who didn’t compete in finals; ACA coaches and a routesetter will be present at the session to provide support to athletes and adjust boulders so that everyone can learn and enjoy the movement of finals boulders! Note that climbers do not have to sign up for this event and will be asked to pay for a day pass at trailhead.
https://albertaclimbing.org/season-schedule/community-crush-trailhead
Reach out to communications@albertaclimbing.org if you have questions.
ACA is hiring 3 positions for the Community Crush 2024-DEC-08
The ACA is hiring 2 coaches and a routesetter to run the community crush event after the Trailhead ACA youth bouldering local. The session will run December 8th from 8-11am. Please send a resume and optional cover letter to Paige Boklaschuk (paigeboklaschuk@albertaclimbing.org) before the end of the day November 15th. Successful applicants will be contacted before November 18th.
ACA community crush sessions are an opportunity for ACA athletes to work on finals boulders after the competition. These sessions are open to all competitors but are geared towards athletes who didn’t compete in finals; ACA coaches and a routesetter will be present at the session to provide support to athletes and adjust boulders so that everyone can learn and enjoy the movement of finals boulders! Note that climbers do not have to sign up for this event and will be asked to pay for a day pass at trailhead.
Coaches- 2 positions, compensation $100/3hrs
Role:
Coach at the community crush session, Trail Head Competition 8-11am
Provide coaching and support to ACA athletes of all levels, with a particular focus on providing meaningful learning opportunities
Ideally looking for coaches who will be present at the Trailhead competition and will have watched the final round
Paige will provide support to coaches before the event to help plan an appropriate and dynamic session
Ideal applicant:
Experience coaching competitive climbing 3+ years from the development to elite level
Familiar with ACA athletes
Familiar with complex competition style movements
Setter- 1 position, compensation $100/3hrs
Role:
Set at the community crush session, Trail Head Competition 8-11am
Will be responsible for adding ‘working jugs’ and extra footholds to make the boulders appropriate for climbers
Communicate with coaches and observe climbers to provide the right amount of challenge for climbers
Ideal applicant:
Experience setting competitive climbing 3+ years and ideally experience setting at youth training camps or other development events
Familiar with ACA athletes
Ability to modify boulders to be appropriate for newer climbers while maintaining complex movement and essence of climbing in finals
Registration Open: 2024-DEC-08 Speed Provincials
The grand finale for our speed season is happening at Calgary Climbing Centre Rocky Mountain in Calgary on December 8th 2024. This event is open to Sr, Jr, A, B, and C category athletes.
Registration for this event is on our new registration system, 2mev from Interpodia:
https://2mev.com/#!/events/8843-speed-provincials
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 on December 1st, 2024. Don’t wait till the last minute to register.
Registration Open: 2024-DEC-07 Youth C/D Boulder Local + Tier 2
The first competition of the Youth bouldering season kicks off at Trailhead Climbing in Red Deer on December 7th 2024. This event is for C&D category athletes (qualifiers and finals for ACA points), and Tier 2 athletes from the B&A&Jr categories (qualifiers only, no finals, no ACA points). Keep up to date with details for this competition by reviewing the event page on our website.
Registration for this event is on our new registration system, 2mev from Interpodia:
https://2mev.com/#!/events/8575-youth-cd-boulder-local-tier-2
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 on November 30th. Don’t wait till the last minute to register.
Eligible Tier 2 athletes
Tier 2 athletes from the B & A categories can register for this event as well.
Tier 2 competitions are for Youth B/A/Junior athletes, who would like to gain more competition experience and are looking for further development on boulders and routes that have a more attainable difficulty level.
Athletes ranked in the top 30% of their category at the end of Alberta's 2023-2024 competition season in Youth events ARE NOT ELIGIBLE to compete in Tier 2 competitions.
You can review your rankings from last season using this link.
If you are a new athlete to Alberta and do not have a rank from our Province, you can compete in Tier 2 Competitions.
Tier 2 competitions DO NOT provide ranking points.
If you are unsure about whether your athlete qualifies for this Tier 2 competition, please contact communications@albertaclimbing.org
Thank you: 2024-Nov-7 Speed Local
The 2024 Speed Local is in the books!
Thank you to Simon and the staff at Rocky for hosting it!
Thank you to all the volunteers. We can’t run these events without you!
Finally, thank you to the athletes and their coaches!
Volunteers Needed: Speed Local 2024-NOV-02
We’re looking for more volunteers for the ACA speed local competition this weekend. Head over to the sign up form to help.
Registration extended: 2024-NOV-02 Speed Local
The registration deadline for the 2024-NOV-02 ACA Speed Local competition at CCC Rocky has been extended until 11:59pm MST on Thursday October 31st.
Thanks for an amazing weekend!
The 2024 Open bouldering and lead competitions are in the books. We were treated to the most amazing display of athleticism you can imagine!
Thank you to Simon, Maria, Will, and all of the staff at Calgary Climbing Centre Chinook and Hanger gyms! It’s quite a feat to host back to back competitions, and we really appreciate your hospitality.
Thank you to Matty, Ty, and their amazing setting crews!
Thank you to Chris, Brian, and their belaying crew!
Last, but not least, thank you to the athletes and coaches for bringing your best to the provincial championship! We’re all super proud of you. As the senior season wraps up, we look forward to a few speed competitions and starting the youth season.
Thank you
