Black Light Bouldering is making its grand return! After a brief hiatus, we’re thrilled to announce that the year’s most creative bouldering competition is back in action.
THE EXPERIENCE
Since 2004, Edgeworks has combined the thrill and motivation of climbing contests with the creative, exhilarating magic of black lights.
Our exceptional team of route setters meticulously crafts the year’s most captivating boulder problems, while our creative staff and dedicated volunteers transform the walls into vibrant, glowing artworks. No matter your skill level, the excitement that fills the room when the lights go out is impossible to ignore.
From the routes and black light tape decorations to the imaginative costumes and pulse-pounding beats of our DJ, every aspect of our event is designed to amaze. Join us and be part of the excitement as we continue to push the boundaries of fun and adventure!
Pre-registration by October 24th, guarantees access to our exclusive swag bags including an extra raffle ticket and bonus chance at walking away with an incredible raffle prize at the end of the night.
Location: Edgeworks Tacoma Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023 Pre-registration (ends 10/24): $35 members, $45 community Shirt Order w/ Registration (ends 10/10): $20 Day-of registration: $60 everyone
THE SCHEDULE
COMMUNITY SESSION: 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Categories: All
Judges Meeting: 3:15pm
Competitor Check-in: 3:30pm
Competitor Rules Meeting: 3:50pm
Climbing: 4:00pm – 7:00pm
AWARDS + AFTER PARTY: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Raffle Prizes: 7:30pm
Awards: 7:45pm
Social: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
All climbers must complete a signed waiver or have one on file with Edgeworks in order to participate. Waivers must be renewed each year and are available online.
THE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
It takes a lot of support from our entire community to pull together a climbing competition like Black Light Bouldering. If you have some time to spare, we’d love to have your help!
BLB 2023 | TAPE ART VOLUNTEERS The Job: Bring your creative energy and/or taping skills to the gym! No experience necessary. Dates/Times:
Wed, October 25: 12pm-5pm or 5pm-10pm
Thur, October 26: 12pm-5pm or 5pm-10pm
Fri, October 27: 12pm-5pm or 5pm-10pm
BLB 2023 | COMP VOLUNTEERS The Job: Help manage routes, competitor queues, scoring and communication of rules as needed.
Additional details will be posted soon. And, while you’re here, be sure to check out the VIDEOfrom a previous Black Light comp! ←(click the link to video watch).
Thursday | June 1, 2023 Edgeworks Seattle is thrilled to host a Community Fundraiser Comp in collaboration with Washington Climbers Coalition to support and raise money for conservation projects and toilets in Vantage!
THE BASICS:
REGISTRATION: Competitors must be a registered user on the KAYA Climb app; no additional cost Download the KAYA Climb app to register.
$20 (all proceeds benefit Washington Climbers Coalition)
Open: Now – June 1
Closes: After the first hour of the competition (at 7:00pm) so that flights can be created (see below)
SCHEDULE: Thursday, June 1 | 6pm – 10pm
5pm-6pm: Competitor Check-in + Rules Meeting
6pm-9pm: Climb Time!
9pm-10pm: Awards + Social
FLIGHTS: Instead of self-selecting into a category at the time of registration or guessing which category is right for you, competitors will be placed into “flights” based on their overall performance. Once scoring is complete, flights will be automatically generated within the KAYA app and prizes will be awarded to the top competitors in each flight.
For example, a competition with 100 competitors would result in 5 flights:
Flight A: 1st – 20th place
Flight B: 21st – 40th place
Flight C: 41st – 60th place
Flight D: 61st – 80th place
Flight E: 81st – 100th place
PRIZES: A selection of rad prizes will be awarded to the “top 3 competitors” in each flight, courtesy of The Mountaineers, Petzl, Edelrid, Patagonia, MiiR and Fremont Brewery.
RULES: This a redpoint bouldering competition meaning that each route has been assigned a unique point value that is largely based on the level of difficulty.
Points are gained only if the route is completed.
Competitors will track each attempt in the Kaya app
Tie-breaking scenarios, will be deducted 1 point per attempt up to 25 attempts per climb.
Final scores will be the sum total of their top 5 climbs.
ABILITY LEVELS: All climbers welcome! We’ll have 35+ boulders available for you to climb, designed to challenge competitors at every skill level.
CATEGORIES: There are no categories to sign up for before the competition. Instead categories will be created after the climbing session is over and will be based on the finishing order of all participants.
AWARDS + RAFFLE PRIZES:
Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 finishers of each category. Participants do not need to be present to win.
WALL + GYM CLOSURES:
Monday, May 29 | Old 45, Old 30 and New 45
Tuesday, May 30 | Cardiac + Old 45, Old 30 and New 45
Wednesday, May 31 | Walltopia + Cardiac + Old 45, Old 30 and New 45
Thursday, June 1 | Walltopia + Cardiac + Old 45, Old 30 and New 45
After the competition ends, everything is back open!
Building on the ENERGY, STOKE and FUN of our previous October bouldering competitions, Edgeworks Tacoma is excited to introduce the TACOMA BOULDER CHALLENGE!
A Redpoint-style citizen comp designed to build community, ignite the joys of climbing and reimagine your climbing ability on a stellar selection of competition style boulders.
While this year’s comp will not be black light, we remain committed to delivering many of the same essentials as before, including:
•BEST ROUTES of the year •AWARDS + RAFFLE PRIZES • DJ DEVINE•AFTER PARTY (21+)
Please note our full weekend comp schedule and see below for planned wall closures: • Saturday, October 29 | USAC Youth Qualifying Events • Sunday, October 30 | TBC Community Comp
Climbing Discipline: Bouldering Format: Redpoint, no finals
Categories: Female/Male: Recreation | Intermediate | Advanced | Open | Masters (45+ yrs) Non-Binary: All climbing abilities
Ages: Competitors must be 16 years or older Cost: Sign up early to save! • Pre-registration: $45/members or $55/ non-members, before 10/26 • Day-of registration: $60/everyone
Categories: Non-binary: All | Beginner: Men | Intermediate: Women | Advanced: Men | Open: Men *Both sessions are open to all competitors, though these categories are recommended.
Categories: Masters: All | Beginner: Women | Intermediate: Men | Advanced: Women | Open: Women *Both sessions are open to all competitors, though these categories are recommended.
When in doubt, fill one out! All climbers must complete a signed waiver or have one on file with Edgeworks in order to participate. Waivers must be renewed each year. Click here now!
AWARDS + RAFFLE PRIZES:
Instead of cash prizes, we choose to invest that money into some pretty sweet swag that everyone has a chance to win! The top 3 competitors in each category are guaranteed to walk away with a prize. Beyond that, our raffle prize system ensures that every competitor has a chance to walk away with a prize; competitors must be present to win. Raffle prizes will start at 6:15pm and continue throughout the awards!
FREE AFTER PARTY! 6pm – 8pm
Once the competition ends, competitors and guests who are 21+ are invited to join us for the after party! Please note: all climbing will shut down at the conclusion of the community comp; post-comp climbing sessions will not be available during this time.
All climbers age 16 or older are welcome to compete. We will have up to 60 competitors in each session, a total of 120 competitors throughout the day.
What is a Redpoint format?
A Redpoint format provides many different climbing routes. Each route has a different level of difficulty and a unique point value commensurate to the level of difficulty. Points are gained only if the route is completed. If you can not complete a climb, you may return your scorecard to the queue and try again. Climbers are given 3 hours to complete as many routes as desired; with a climber’s top 5 adding up their final score. Falls will be used to determine tie-breakers.
Do you need help?
Yes, we’re looking for volunteers for both sessions. Find out more about what is needed and how you will be rewarded your for your time here. Volunteering is the best way to get a front row seat to all the action!
How much does it cost?
Sign up early to save! Presale prices are $45 for members and $55 for guests; ends Wednesday, 10/26. Day-of registration cost is $60.
Can I watch but not compete?
Yes! Spectators are welcome throughout the day or you can volunteer to help with competitor queues and judging, giving you a front row seat to all the action!
Competition setting will begin to take place Monday evening; closed areas will include all of the bouldering walls as well as some of the top rope walls in the West Bay.
The top rope and lead walls in the East Bay will remain open to members and customers during this time.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022 | ALL DAY:
LIMITED CLIMBING AVAILABLE. CLOSED areas include: • ALL of the climbing walls in the WEST BAY; including all boulder and lower level rope walls. • Weight + Cardio areas; including Campus Board • Upstairs area; including lounge, yoga studio and Kilter Board
OPEN areas include: • The EAST BAY will be OPEN for rope climbing.
All youth programs, climbing school courses and fitness classes will be canceled. Our parking lot will be full so please plan ahead! Spectators are welcome in the competition area.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022 | ALL DAY:
LIMITED CLIMBING AVAILABLE. CLOSED areas include: • ALL of the climbing walls in the WEST BAY; including all boulder and lower level rope walls. • Weight + Cardio areas; including Campus Board
OPEN areas include: • The EAST BAY will be OPEN for rope climbing Sunday, October 30. • Upstairs area; including lounge, yoga studio and Kilter Board
All youth programs, climbing school courses and fitness classes will be canceled. Our parking lot will be full so please plan ahead! Spectators are welcome in the competition area.
After two looong years of pandemic, competition bouldering returns to Ballard! For 2022, SBC is going BIG!! We’ll have two sessions of modified redpoint climbing, a social in the parking lot, morning coffee and food trucks, and onsight-format Finals round in the evening. Come compete against others in your category, or just stop by to socialize and watch finals!
Climbing Disciplines: Bouldering Format: Modified Redpoint Categories: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Masters, Open Genders: Female, Male, Non-Binary Ages: Competitors must be 16 years or older
SCHEDULE:
SESSION 1 Categories: Non-binary: All | Beginner: Men | Intermediate: Women | Advanced: Men | Open: Men CompetitorCheck-in: 7:00am Judges Meeting: 7:30am Competitor Rules Meeting: 7:45am Climbing: 8:00am-11:00am
SESSION 2 Categories: Masters: All | Beginner: Women | Intermediate: Men | Advanced: Women | Open: Women CompetitorCheck-in: 11:00am Judges Meeting: 11:30am Competitor Rules Meeting: 11:45am Climbing: 12:00pm-3:00pm Awards: 5:00pm(outside)
Transition Walltopia Room to Finals: Fun/Games + Food Truck: 3:00pm-5:45pm
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – WAIVERS: When in doubt, fill one out! All climbers must complete a signed waiver or have one on file with Edgeworks in order to participate. Waivers must be renewed each year. Click here now!
AWARDS + RAFFLE PRIZES: Instead of cash prizes, we choose to invest that money into some pretty sweet swag that everyone has a chance to win! The top 3 competitors in each category are guaranteed to walk away with a prize. Beyond that, our raffle prize system ensures that every competitor has a chance to win something too; competitors must be present to win. Raffle prizes will be given out after the Awards (approx 5pm)!
FREE AFTER PARTY! 3:00pm-9:00pm Once the competition ends, competitors and guests who are 21+ are invited to join us for the after party! Please note: all climbing will shut down at the conclusion of the community comp session; post-comp climbing sessions will not be available during this time.
All climbers age 16 or older are welcome to compete; we’re planning to have up to 200 competitors split into 2 sessions.
What format is the competition?
Sessions 1 and 2 will be modified redpoint format — this means that we will set a collection of climbs in the grade range for that category, and competitors are scored based on their tops, zones, and attempts on that collection of climbs. The top six competitors in each of Open – Men and Open – Women will qualify for the Finals round.
Finals round will be onsight format for the 6 competitors in each category. Finals competitors will each have a 4 minute turn to attempt each climb.
Do you need help?
Yes, we’re looking for volunteers for all three sessions! Find out more about what we need and what perks we’re offering here.
How much does it cost?
Sign up early to save! Presale prices are $45 for members and $50 for guests; they end Wednesday, 4/27. Later signups will cost $55 for members and $60 for guests.
Can I watch but not compete?
Yes, please come by for our social starting at 2:30pm, and stick around for Finals at 6pm! We expect the two earlier sessions to be pretty full, which might make spectating difficult, but if you volunteer to judge, you’ll have a front row seat!
Where should I park?
Parking at the gym will be limited — we’re using several spots for coffee, food trucks, and gathering space. In addition to our lot and the gravel road behind the gym, there’s paid parking is available at the Hiram Chittenden Locks a hundred yards west, and free on-street parallel parking on the streets and avenues north of the gym (28th through 32nd Avenues, 54th through 58th Streets).
Chalk up and get ready for a fun, new community rope competition! Bring a belayer and all the stoke to send while putting your rope climbing skills to the test on an all new set of competition style routes.
3 comps. 1 day. We’ll start the day early with morning and afternoon USAC Qualifying Events and then roll straight into an evening session dedicated to our members and community.
Climbing Disciplines: Top rope and lead climbing Format: Redpoint Belayers: Bring your own belayer! Categories: Select your gender during sign up – you’ll be automatically placed into a category based on total score. Genders: Female, Male, Non-Binary Ages: Competitors must be 16 years or older
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – WAIVERS: When in doubt, fill one out! All climbers must complete a signed waiver or have one on file with Edgeworks in order to participate. Waivers must be renewed each year. Click here now!
BRING YOUR OWN BELAYER: Belayers must hold a current belay certification with Edgeworks Climbing. Top rope and lead tests can be taken at any of our locations at any time prior to comp day! The day is going to be quite busy and our Tacoma staff will not be available for belay/lead test on the day of the event.
AWARDS and RAFFLE PRIZES: Instead of cash prizes, we choose to invest that money into some pretty sweet swag that everyone has a chance to win! The top 3 competitors in each COMMUNITY COMP category are guaranteed to walk away with a prize. Beyond that, our raffle prize system ensures that every competitor has a chance to win something too. Competitors must be present to win. Raffle prizes will be given out after the Awards (approx 9pm) and will include a sweet Grand Prize drawing!
AFTER PARTY! 8:30PM – 10PM Once the competition ends, competitors and guests who are 21+ are invited to join us upstairs for the after party! Please note: all climbing will shut down at the conclusion of the community comp session; post-comp climbing sessions will not be available during this time.
Prizes: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place competitors in each category will receive a sweet product prize from one of our event sponsors.
USAC Credit and Chalk UP: USAC Competitors CANNOT get credit for competing in the Chalk UP community comp. In the event that a USAC participant wants to compete for BOTH USAC credit AND prizes they must register for and climb in both sessions. Yes, that means they have to pay twice.
Climbing Time: Climbers will be allowed EXACTLY 2.5 hours to climb. All climbing will end at the 2.5 hour mark.
Monday – Friday, March 21st – 25th: Wall closures will begin as competition setting takes place; closed areas will include all of the EAST BAY rope walls. The rope and boulder walls in the West Room will remain open to members and customers throughout the week!
Saturday, March 26th | Gym Closed 8am – 6pm Because the morning and afternoon USAC Qualifying sessions will run as onsight competitions, the entire gym will be closed to all non-competitors from 8am – 6pm (including ALL of the climbing walls in the West Room, weight area, upstairs lounge, yoga and instruction rooms). All youth programs, climbing school courses and fitness classes will be cancelled. Our parking lot will be full so please plan ahead! Spectators are welcome in the competition area.
The West Bay and fitness areas will OPEN to MEMBERS ONLY after 6pm while the East Bay remains closed for the Chalk Up! rope comp.
Sunday, March 27th | Gym Re-Opens to Everyone Climbing will fully reopen on Sunday, March 27 with a large selection of all new competition style rope routes for everyone to try!
August 9 – September 3, 2021 Open to all who want to participate! With a relative scoring system, climbers of all levels and abilities have the chance to win. Join the fun and sign up through KAYA today!
THE BASICS:
Participation is FREE and scoring is based on the relative grade limit for the climber. All boulders in Seattle and Bellevue will be part of the league.
The league starts with a community event kick-off on August 9th and ends September 3rd. Winners will be announced shortly after. Get psyched and try hard!
CHALLENGE FORMAT:
Skill level: choose the hardest grade you can send in 5 tries
Individual event: no team, no categories and no repeats
Prizes awarded to the top 3 competitors from each gym (SEA/BEL), including great gear, fun t-shirts, and more!
RULES:
Scoring is based off of self-reported V-Max grades (a grade you can send in 5 go’s – or less – on a regular basis).
100 points for routes completed at your V-Max grade.
10 additional points for every grade above that.
20 points subtracted for climbs below your V-Max.
1 point will also be deducted for each attempt.
Sandbaggers beware! V-Max grades will be bumped when necessary.
Climbs must be logged in KAYA, anytime from Aug 9th – Sep 3rd.
Download the KAYA app and add Stone Gardens Bellevue or Seattle as your home gym; the League will pop up in your feed.
Be sure to follow the live, ongoing leaderboard in KAYA to track your progress and compete!
Our ALL NEW Community Challenge is similar to our Boulder Series (or leagues) of the past but amped up in a whole new way!
Designed to be 2 competitions in one(seasoned pro or newbie), prizes will be awarded for top overall winners; recognition for “most improved”, “most recommendations” and “most unique routes”; plus a variety of weekly flash challenges worked in for added fun.
Regardless of your climbing ability (strong or newbie), this is sure to be a fun social experiment – er, EXPERIENCE – for everyone involved.
WHY ARE WE USING THE KAYA APP?
The KAYA Climb app may be new to the Tacoma community but is used by climbers all around the world and its features help us better facilitate the challenge by:
Making it easier for us to track participation and progress.
Giving you real time standings to see where you’re at, how your progress compares to others and exactly what you need to do to WIN!
CHALLENGE DETAILS:
Here’s all that you really need to know.
BOULDERING:
Four categories: (prizes for 1st place in each category + most improved) – Intro VB -V1 – Beginner V1 – V3 – Intermediate V3 – V5 – Advanced V5 – V+
ROPES:
Elevation Comp: (most feet climbed during comp; top 3 win prizes) – 25 ft for West Bay (ropes) – 40 ft for East Bay – 50 ft for Lead Prow
OVERALL PRIZES:
Flash Challenges
Most recommendations
PRIZES AWARDED DURING OUR NEXT MEMBER SOCIAL: AUGUST 3RD!
Edgeworks has always been dedicated to providing opportunities for youth climbers to advance their skills and become strong competitors on a local, regional and national level. That is why we’ve chosen to partner with USA Climbing and other gyms in our region to offer a Virtual Youth Climbing Competition, November 9-23.
In preparation, we’re also excited to announce a new combined effort of Edgeworks and Stone Gardens route setters who will be working to reset both our boulder and rope walls!
Starting November 2, you’ll notice focused attention on our boulder walls as these teams work to reset for the competition. The benefit will be 60+ new competition problems for all to enjoy! You don’t have to be a youth climber to get your hands on these stellar new routes.
And, while we’re working with other coaches and climbing teams to reduce any impact on our reservation system, it’s important to note that during the 2-week comp period (Nov 9-23) reservations for ZONE 4 could fill up faster than usual.
Please make sure to adjust your plans accordingly.
