Climb With a Purpose

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.

EVENT DETAILS:

SCHEDULE
5:00pm-6:00pm | Competitor Check-in + Rules Meeting
6:00pm-9:00pm | Climb Time!
9:00pm-10:00pm | Awards + Social

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!

Excellent Parking + Raffle Prizes!

May 1 – 31, 2023 – “Bike like the mountain is out!”

Join the “Bike to Edgeworks” Challenge.

It’s simple. Each time you ride your bike to Edgeworks to climb, take a fitness class, or workout you’ll receive one raffle ticket to be entered in a drawing for prizes including Edgeworks swag, FREE day passes, and more!

Plus, you get to enjoy all of these added benefits:

1. Skip the traffic
2. Find excellent parking
3. Save money
4. Help the environment
5. Improve your physical health
6. Improve your mental health

The more you ride, the more chances you have to WIN! So get on your bike and RIDE.

Fine Print:
– Tickets are limited to 1 per person/day for rides that occur during the month of May 2023 only.
– Tickets must be collected at the time you and your bike are at Edgeworks; sorry, no “oops, I forgots”.
– Raffle is open to everyone and all ages, including members and non-members.
– Drawing will take place Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Ride safe. Ride smart. And always securely lock your bike to one of our racks.

Climbing with your kids just got that much better!

Don’t want to give up climbing now that you’re a parent?
Want to meet other climbers with kids who understand the challenges?

We get it! Being a parent doesn’t mean you need to stop climbing but it does mean you may need to climb differently and that’s what Family Night is all about.

• Meet and learn from other parents.
• Make connections and share the responsibility of supervising the kid(s) while you climb.
• Shift your climb times to when it’s less busy in the gym.
• Manage expectations because sometimes the kids just won’t cooperate.

4th Saturday of every month | 5pm – 10pm
$12 day passes w/ FREE gear rental

Price includes bouldering access for those with little to no experience.  Top rope climbing is available to those who pass our belay test.

Important Notes:
– Adults must be accompanied by 1 or more children.
– Children must be under 18 years of age.
– Maximum 2 adults and 3 children per group.
– Youth under 14 must be directly supervised by an adult at all times.
– Please see our Climbing With Kids tips for more information.

Earn Your Peaks!

February 1 – April 30, 2023
Put your membership to good use, add a little fun to your climbing sessions and earn a FREE t-shirt with our 7th annual members only 90-day challenge!

THE OBJECTIVE

Earn points by completing a list of challenges including over 100 different activities – from climbing, fitness and check-in challenges to attending socials, interacting with staff, fun training games/activities, dancing and more.

As points are achieved, 3 different levels of “peaks” are awarded and added to your FREE member challenge t-shirt. It takes 150 points to earn all 3 peaks; with over 300 points available!

First Peak: 65 points  |  Second Peak: 100 points  |  Third Peak: 150 points

THE LIST

New challenges are added every year including fitness, climbing games and skills based challenges with a distribution of points designed to engage both the over and under achievers among us. As proven in previous years, it is possible to earn all 3 peaks in one day (IAD) but there are also plenty of really fun challenges that are accessible to all skill levels and will keep you coming back for more points and peaks!

Now Available!
Get a sneak peek at the 2023 Challenge List for your home gym and start planning your strategies now.

THE SHIRT

Points will be tallied once a week by Edgeworks staff and T-shirts will be distributed upon achievement of the first peak (65 points). T-shirts will be labelled with the member’s name and added to a rolling cart to be located near the front desk. 

*Current stock/availability may delay the delivery of a t-shirt by 1-2 weeks.

Note: Feel free to wear and wash your shirt during the challenge but please refrain from using fabric softener until after all of your peaks have been added.

THE PEAKS

Iron-on peaks will be made available at the front desk along with simple to follow DIY instructions.

Or you can bring your shirt to the monthly Member Socials in March, April and May, when we’ll have staff available to add the peaks for you.

YOUR PROGRESS

Members are responsible for tracking their progress and checking the boxes on their challenge sheets as items are completed.

To entice those of us with an extra competitive spirit, we will update a public Challenge Board with everyone’s individual points – you know, just in case you want to see how you match up to the achievements of others.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

April 15, 2023 | USAC Qualifying Event at Edgeworks Tacoma

Competitor registration is available on the USAC website. Competitors must have a USA Climbing membership to register. Please register as soon as possible as this helps our facility and coaches plan appropriately for the correct number of climbers.

DETAILS:
Session 1: 8:00am – 11:00am | Male B + D, Female Jr
Session 2: 12:00pm – 3:00pm | Female B + D, Male A + C
Session 3: 4:00pm – 7:00pm | Female A + C, Male Jr

This will be an onsight format and we will host three sessions of youth climbing on Saturday, April 15. The entire gym will be closed to everyone except competitors and spectators during this time.

In order to qualify for Regionals, each competitor will need to compete in at least one qualifying event. Your best results from one event will be used to determine your ranking points. The more competitions attended offers the best chance at qualifying.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 

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!

WHEN DOES REGISTRATION CLOSE?
Registration will be available through the USAC website until Wednesday, April 12 at 10:59PM (PST).

WILL RIBBONS BE HANDED OUT?
Yes, ribbons will be awarded to the competitors that place.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT
This will be an onsight competition.

For more information, check out the USAC QE Registration Information & Instructions.

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WALL + GYM CLOSURE SCHEDULE

In preparation for this full-day of youth competition events, our setting team will need to kick things into high gear and temporary closures will be necessary.

It is our goal to work as efficiently as possible to keep all necessary wall and gym closures to a minimum. Thank you for your patience!

Wednesday, April 12 – Friday, April 14 | WALL CLOSURES: All Day

Wall closures will begin as competition setting takes place; closed areas will include:

• Beginning April 12, all sections of the EAST BAY ROPE WALLS will be CLOSED for route removal and setting.
• If you have projects to send in on the tall rope walls, now’s the time to get after them!
• Ropes and boulders in the WEST ROOM will remain OPEN to members and guests throughout the week.

Saturday, April 15 | GYM CLOSED: 8am – 7:30pm

Because the USAC event will run as an onsight competition format, the gym will be CLOSED to non-competitors from 8am – 7:30pm, including: 

• All climbing walls, weight area, upstairs lounge, yoga and instruction rooms. 
• 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.

Saturday, April 15 | GYM RE-OPENS: 7:30pm – 10pm

We will re-open to members only for post-comp climbing and access to all areas of the gym. 

Sunday, April 16 | Return to normal operations!

Climbing will fully reopen with a selection of all new competition style rope routes for everyone to try!

6 WAYS TO FIND A CLIMBING PARTNER AT EDGEWORKS

Our community is full of friendly climbers willing to lend a catch when needed! And while starting from scratch can be a challenging or somewhat awkward endeavor, the rewards for reaching out to others can get you on the ropes with a new friend in no time. 

Here are 6 tried and true ways to find a climbing partner at Edgeworks. 

BRING A FRIEND! 

Members can (and should!) use their FREE guest passes to introduce their friends to climbing at Edgeworks. 

Each member receives: 

• 2 free 1st time guest passes per visit
• 1 free guest pass per month*

*Free guest pass use is limited to 1/every 30 days for guests.

ATTEND A COMMUNITY CLIMB NIGHT.

Pop in for one of our monthly community climb nights designed specifically to help make connecting with people easier. There are several to choose from each month; hit the link to access our events calendar for more details. BELLEVUE | SEATTLE | TACOMA

• Monthly Climber Socials
• Women’s Climb Nights / She Rocks
• Climbers of Color
• Queer Climb Nights
• College Night
• Family Night
• Military Night

ADD YOUR NAME TO THE BELAY FINDER SHEET.

Our belay finder sheet located at the front desk is a great way to share your information with other climbers and let you take control of the connections you make.  

• Add your name and contact information.
• Check the list for other climbers.
• Connect directly or let our staff help.

ASK OUR STAFF TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT.

Find yourself at the gym without a partner? Let our staff help! A simple announcement such as this will have you climbing with a new friend in no time: 

“Attention Edgeworks members and guests, if you were hoping to rope climb with someone today, it’s your lucky day! We have someone at the front desk who is looking for a belay partner. Come on up to the front desk for an introduction.”

JOIN AN ONLINE GROUP.

There are several online options available including: 

• Friends of Edgeworks Facebook Page (moderated by members, not staff)
• Edgeworks Bellevue Climbing Partners Facebook Page (moderated by members, not staff)

BE STRATEGIC.

• Be an awesome belayer. Chance opportunities to climb with new partners are more likely to turn into long-term partnerships if you’re a solid belayer and taking our Intro to Climbing course is a great way to meet other new climbers. This course is offered free for members; click the link to sign up online.
• Look for a group of three. Look for groups in the rope areas with an odd number of climbers and ask if they would like another belayer. There is always a chance that the odd person out would be happy to get climbing sooner.
• Warm up on the boulder walls. Bouldering provides an easy way to be on the lookout for other climbers just like you. If you are unsure how to approach a group of boulderers, try getting in line to start working a popular problem near them.  Usually, other climbers are happy to share what they may have figured out about a particular problem and help you solve the puzzle.

Effective March 1, 2023

As climbing evolves, so do the technologies, techniques, and best practices we use to mitigate the risk of our sport. Effective March 1, 2023, all Edgeworks locations will adopt an Assisted-Braking Device (ABD) policy for all top rope and lead belaying in the gym. 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Beginning March 1, 2023, non-assisted belay devices (ATCs or similar) will no longer be allowed for general use in our facilities. 

TOP 3 “WHY” FACTORS

1. Minimizes risk
2. Adds redundancy
3. Reduces human error

Moving to an ABD-only policy in our facilities will help climbers better mitigate risk in the gym; ABD’s help prevent accidents in a way that older style tube-style/unassisted belay devices cannot do.  Similar to seatbelts, ABDs easily add another level of security. 

FAQ: Click here for answers to the most common questions we’ve received about this change.

RESOURCES DURING TRANSITION

We’re providing several options to assist climbers through the transition, including:

Info Nights with Vendors. We’ve invited the folks from Black Diamond (Ryan Spivey), Petzl (Jay Dufrense), Edelrid (Anna Campbell) and Mammut (Collin Jenkins) to help us showcase available assisted belay devices and provide information to learn and make informed decisions on the products available. 

These events will be held from 6-9pm on the following dates:
• March 7:  Bellevue
• March 8:  Tacoma
• March 9:  Seattle

No registration required! We hope to see you there. 

Tips and demos from our staff. If you’ve never used an ABD before, our staff will happily show you how to use any ABD.  No appointment required, just come see us at the desk!

Free clinics for members. Grigris are not the only ABD only option! Our climbing school instructors are offering free 30 minute clinics designed to teach you how a variety of different active and passive ABDs work, how to use them, and offer recommended belay techniques for various models. Registration is now open, sign up online!

Free rental devices. We will have a selection of Black Diamond Pilots and Mammut Smart 2.0s available for use during the transition.

30% off all ABD devices in our retail shop. Including discounts on Black Diamond Pilots, Edelrid Giga Juls and Jul 2s, Petzl Grigris, and Mammut Smart 2.0s. 

(Limited time offers through March 31, 2023)

MORE INFO:

ABDs provide redundancy.
“In climbing, we use backups all the time.  We use them as an integral part of our systems and we often use words like redundancy and security when we’re talking about backups.  In every case, the basic concept is the same: a climber relies on one system to stay safe, and there is another system that acts as a back-up in case the primary system fails or malfunctions.” – American Alpine Club

Human error reduction.
“Brake assist was basically created to add a “belay backup” in case of emergency or misuse while belaying, with the added bonus of being able to hold the weight of the climber once activated. The basic concept is that in the event the rope moves too quickly through the device, for example if a belayer loses control, the speed and friction on the device cause it to move in a way that stops the rope from feeding.” – Weigh My Rack

Belay Technique
This policy change does not change the way Edgeworks expects people to belay.  As always, all belayers must maintain control of the brake strand at all times and be alert and attentive while belaying.  ABDs are not “auto-locking” or “hands-free” and should not be treated as such.

Edgeworks is committed to increasing equity and inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and experience; working to build a culture where difference is valued, innovation thrives and adventure is accessible to all.

As part of this commitment we’ve developed a scholarship program for participation in the following Youth Programs:

• Mini Rockers (6 weeks)
• Beginning Climbers (6 weeks)
• Junior Climbers (1 year)
• Club Climbers (1 year)
• Team Edgeworks (1 year)

4 scholarships are awarded per location, each one includes:

• 100% of program fees
• Rental gear during program: shoes, harness, belay device
• Edgeworks membership benefits for the duration of the program

Click the link below to learn more about the application and selection process.