2026 youth boulder jam.

sunday 3 may, 9am–4pm.

what is a boulder jam?

boulder jam is a mini pumpfest for 6–17yrs.

perfect for those who are keen to dive into competition climbing & challenge their abilities on comp-style climbs — it’s open to kids of all climbing abilities & there are prizes to be won for every podium in all categories.

cliff notes:

sign-ups:

open until sat 2 may.

when:

sun 3 may, 9am–4pm.

where:

BlocHaus fyshwick.

categories:

A: 14–17yrs*
B: 10–13yrs
C: 6–9yrs

* the top 6 category A competitors go onto climb the finals boulders from 2:30pm!

timetable:

from 8am:

A & B categories will be allowed to warm up.

8:45–9am:

A & B category briefing for parents & athletes.

9–11am:

A & B categories climb.

from 10:30am:

C category will be allowed to warm up.

11:15–11:30am:

C category briefing for parents & athletes.

11–11:30am:

A finalists + B podium.

11:30am–1:30pm:

C category climbs.

1:30–2:30pm:

C podium.

2–2:30pm:

A finalists isolation & briefing.

from 2:30pm:

finals begin.

4pm:

finals podium.

boulder jam haus rules.

1. boulders & time limit:

athletes will have 1 hour & 45 minutes to attempt or complete 5 specific boulder jam boulders within the main area.

2. ranking system:

athletes will be ranked based on the number of ‘tops’ & ‘zones’ they achieve, as well as the number of attempts taken to complete all 5 boulders.

3. zone & top holds:

each boulder problem will have one zone hold & one top hold.

4. zone hold:

this serves as a checkpoint along the route — athletes who reach the zone hold but fail to top the boulder will be awarded partial credit — to secure the zone hold, athletes must control the zone hold for 3 seconds or climb through to the next hold with control.

5. top hold:

athletes must place both hands on the top hold & maintain control for 3 seconds to secure the top.

6. prohibited:

athletes are not allowed to climb by inserting their fingers into bolt holes.

7. logging attempts:

athletes & their parent/guardian must log their attempts & tops through the setday competition system on their personal device once the athlete finishes a boulder problem.

8. start position:

each boulder problem will have a 4-point start — each line of tape indicates a point of contact (hand or foot) required in order to start — athletes must establish control before advancing on the climb.

9. attempts:

an attempt is any time an athlete completely leaves the mat when climbing a boulder, regardless of whether they complete the boulder or not.

10. waiting queue:

two traffic cones will be placed 2.5 meters away from each boulder to indicate the waiting queue for the problem —athletes must queue themselves for their turn; parents/guardians are not allowed to queue on behalf of the athlete.

11. category

if unsure about which category to participate in, please consult the head judge before the boulder jam begins — during the boulder jam, if the head judge decides that an athlete isn’t in their appropriate category, they will be asked to compete in the higher level category.

12. turn rules:

athletes are allowed one attempt per turn — if no other athlete is waiting at the cone, the same athlete may continue attempting the same boulder.

13. tiebreakers:

in the event of a tie in the rankings for the b or c category, there will be a head-to-head sudden death round.

14. final decisions:

all final decisions will be made by the head judge & management team.