The Youth Climbing Series is an ideal competition for intermediate and experienced youth climbers, open to categories Youth E to Youth A; held across the regions Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

The Series consists of four rounds per region; 2 boulder rounds and 2 route rounds. The series will culminate in a two-day Grand Final, hosted in the UK, where the top three in each category from each region are invited to take part. Youth E are not eligible to attend the Grand Final.

Competitors may compete in any number of rounds, but need to compete in at least 3 out of the 4 rounds to qualify for a series ranking.

Dates and venues

Entry

• Entry is only accepted online.
• Entry for all rounds will open approx. five weeks before Round 1.
• Entries close at 8:00pm, on the Thursday before the week leading up to the competition. (See above for dates)
• Late entries will not be accepted.
• No entries are accepted on the day of the competition.

Entry Fees

2022 was a fantastic year for competitions, especially with the introduction of the Four Nations Series.

However, costs have been and are continuing to increase in the running, staffing and hosting of these events. Mountaineering Ireland has therefore made the difficult decision to increase the round entry fee of The Youth Climbing Series by €5. This is the first increase in many years and this increase in price will enable us to run competitions to the same current standard.

Mountaineering Ireland greatly appreciates your continued support, and if you have any further questions regarding this price change, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Categories

The Youth Climbing Series is open to climbers in the following categories:

Rules

The rules and regulations for the Youth Climbing Series are available via the following link: Rules & Regulations - Youth Climbing Series - 2023

Competitors can enter any regional round of their choice of the Nation they are resident in, but they must remain in the same region for the entire Series if they wish for their scores to count.

A COVID-19 Addendum to the standard YCS Rules will be reinstated should it be required under Government policy.

Parental/Guardian, Spectators & Coaches:
All competitors must be accompanied by one parent/guardian at each round. An additional parent/guardian, spectator or coach can attend if they are fulfilling a volunteer role.

Format - Bouldering rounds

• Round 1 and Round 3 are bouldering rounds.
• Each competition category will have eight boulder problems to attempt.
• Competitors can make up to five attempts per boulder problem.
• Competitors can attempt boulder problems in any order they choose.

Format - Route rounds

• Round 2 and Round 4 are route climbing rounds.
• Each competition category will have four routes to attempt.
• Competitors can make one attempt per route.
• Competitors in Youth E and Youth D will top-rope, competitors in Youth C, Youth B and Youth A will lead climb.

Schedule - Bouldering rounds

All categories have two hours to complete eight boulder problems.

Note: The competition schedule is subject to change up until, and on the day of the competition.

Schedule - Route rounds

Category A - C, Lead Climbing, have three hours to complete four routes.

Category D - E, Top-roping, have two hours to complete four routes.

Note: - The competition schedule is subject to change up until, and on the day of the competition.

Qualification for Grand-Final

At the end of the last round, each competitor's Series score shall be the aggregate of their three best ranking results in the Series. The top three competitors in each category at the end of the Series who have competed in at least three rounds will qualify to enter the Grand Final. Youth E are not eligible to attend the Grand Final.

The Grand-Final will be held in the UK, and will take place on the 25th & 26th November. Please see the BMC website for further details.

Overall Results - YCS 2023 - Ireland

Click here for provisional results and overall rankings: YCS Provisional Results