The BMC Youth Climbing Series is a climbing competition for young people. The series is extremely popular and attracts hundreds of young climbers nationwide.

The competition is open to first-time competitors, as well as experienced competition climbers from categories Youth E to Youth A. See the category table below to see if your child is eligible to enter.

There are four regional rounds; two roped and two boulder. Each round consists of eight separate events taking place simultaneously across eight different regions in England and Wales. The series will culminate in a two-day Grand Final where the top three in each category from each BMC region, and from Scotland and Ireland, are invited to take part.

At the end of the last regional 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 in each region at the end of the regional 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.

Scotland
Mountaineering Scotland run their own Youth Climbing Series consisting of four rounds, two boulder and two roped. The top three in each eligible category, after the four rounds, will make the Scottish Team and be invited to attend the Grand Final. 

Ireland
Mountaineering Ireland run their own Youth Climbing Series and the top three in each category will be invited to attend the Grand Final.

READ: A rough guide to the Youth Climbing Series

Registration opens on 1 July and closes Monday 12th August at Midday

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST AND GET ENTRY REMINDERS:

Click Here!

Dates: England & Wales

Dates for every round and region in England:

Round 1        14 September -  (boulder)
Round 2        28 September -  (roped)
Round 3        19 October -  (boulder)
Round 4        2 November -  (roped)

Dates for every round in Wales:

Round 1        28 September -  (roped)
Round 2        29 September -  (boulder)
Round 3        19 October -  (boulder)
Round 4        20 October -  (roped)

Welsh translation coming soon

Competitor eligibility
To see if your child is eligible to take part in the series, please see here.

The link above contains the following:

• Age categories
• Parent/guardian and spectator requirements
• Top tips for first-timers

Results
Results will be published below by 5pm on the Monday after each round.

• View the 2023 results for all rounds here
• View the 2023 Grand Final results here

Grand Final
The Grand Final is a two-day, invite only event for the top 3 competitors from each category and each region. The Grand Final will have a separate entry price of £65 Competitors must attend both days. 

Day 1                - Saturday 23 November          
Day 2                - Sunday 24 November            

Further details will follow in due course.

Competition timings
The timings for each round will be published below on the Tuesday before each round and emailed to all competitors.

BMC Regions:
Competitors can compete in a region of their choice but MUST compete within the same region throughout the entire series.

Venues
Competitors can compete in a region of their choice but MUST compete within the same region throughout the entire series.

If no venue is shown for a round, there are currently only three rounds confirmed for this region. This may change at a later date.

London & SE North
160 entries only 
Round 1: Stronghold Climbing Centre
Round 2: Big Rock
Round 3: Mile End
Round 4: The Westway

London & SE South 
160 entries only 
Round 1: Rhino Boulder
Round 2: Highsports Brighton
Round 3: Boulder Shack
Round 4: Calshot Activities Centre

Midlands 
100 entries only
Round 1: The Climbing Station
Round 2: Newark Climbing Wall
Round 3: Flash Climbing Centre
Round 4: Nottingham Climbing Centre

North East & Lakes
120 entries only
Round 1: Friction Bouldering
Round 2: Kendall Wall
Round 3: Durham Climbing Centre
Round 4: Sunderland Wall

North West & Yorkshire
150 entries only 
Round 1: Lancaster Wall
Round 2: Summit Up Oldham
Round 3: BlocHaus Manchester
Round 4: Big Depot Leeds

South West North 
100 entries only
Round 1: TCA The Mothership
Round 2: Rockstar Swindon
Round 3: Bloc Climbing Centre
Round 4: TCA The Arc

South West South
160 entries only
Round 1: Chalk Up
Round 2: The Quay
Round 3: The Tide 
Round 4: Plymouth Active

Wales/Cymru
150 entries only
Round 1:  The Beacon
Round 2: 
Round 3:  Boulders Culverhouse
Round 4: Rock UK Summit Centre

Each region has a unique entry cap on their regional rounds based on the maximum number of competitors the smallest wall in their region can facilitate. This must be used to ensure the safety of the competitors, spectators, volunteers and wall staff. 

How to enter
Entry opens on 1 July at 8am and closes on 12 August at Midday. Late entries are not accepted.

To enter you must complete our online booking form, with successful payment, by the entry deadline. Forms without payment will NOT be counted.

All competitors MUST be a member of the BMC to enter.

Join the BMC from £1.56 / month

If you haven’t used the online booking system before, then you will need to create an account to log in.

On the day entry is strictly forbidden.

If you are experiencing difficulty with the booking system, please contact us before the entry deadline.    

Volunteers
Volunteers are pivotal to the running of the BMC Youth Climbing Series. Please volunteer if you can. The more volunteers there are, the smoother the events can run.

• Volunteer requirements here (boulder)
• Volunteer requirements here (roped)             

Parents of competitors can confirm their intention to volunteer on the entry form.  Anyone else wishing to volunteer please email the YCS team stating which region, rounds and roles you are able to do. Roles will be allocated on the day.

Costs per round
All competitors must be a member of the BMC to enter. Join here.

£140.00 - for all four rounds
£35.00  - per individual rounds

Income support / Universal credit:

£70.00  - for all four rounds
£17.50  - per individual rounds

(proof required, please contact - ycs@thebmc.co.uk)

Cancellation policy

• If you cancel - you will not be entitled to a refund.
• If a regional round is cancelled due to an unforeseen circumstance - you will be entitled to a full refund of that round.

Parental/Guardian, Spectators & Coaches
All competitors must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at each round.

See below for further clarity:

• Coaches can attend if they have registered with the BMC prior to the round taking place.
• Host venues must adhere to fire and safety regulations and to ensure additional persons do not impact on the functionality of the centre.

Rules and Regulations 2024

Please familiarise yourself with the rules ahead of the competition.

• Download the Youth Climbing Series Rules and Regulations 2024 TBC
• Find a rough guide to the YCS here.

As the Rules and Regulations for the YCS are changing we invite you to join our Webinar on 14 August where the changes will be explained. Please register via the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wBoiEgjeSFKhcZxWj0rzLw

Further information

• For any queries please email ycs@thebmc.co.uk
• Keep up to date by following our YCS Facebook page here
• Entry for the entire series opens on 1 July 2024 at 8am
• An email will be sent to all competitors with event details on the Tuesday before each round
• See here for more competitions for young people
• For an explanation of the difference between leading and top-roping a route, please see A Parents Guide to Climbing

Youth Outdoor Climbing Courses

Whether you want to make the leap from indoor climbing into Sport or Trad climbing outdoors, we run many courses across the country and throughout the year that are specially for 11-17 year olds.

BOOK: Youth Trad Climbing Course

BOOK: Youth Sport Climbing Course

Subsidised Youth Course Places

There are a large number of free places on courses for families who may struggle to afford it. Any families who live in rented accommodation and who receive income support or universal credit may contact the instructor of a course or Alex West for a place.

U27 Membership 

From just £1.77 a month it's never been easier to join and support our work: 

JOIN TODAY: BMC Under 27 Membership

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