Event Format & Rules

The NZAC National Indoor Bouldering Series is all about having fun and giving it a go! Whether it’s your first climbing competition or you're a seasoned pro, you'll find challenges suited to your skill and confidence level, all within a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Once the self-scored main rounds are done, the top 6 ranked female and male competitors in the open category advance to the finals. This is where the energy and music volume ramp up and we get to witness some incredible climbing from the best in the game.

Summary of Changes in 2026

Updated and minor tweaks to online registration and scoring platform
Friday Fun round 6-8pm added at all rounds (partcipants cannot qualify for finals)
Youth round (U11, U13, and U15 and caregivers) moved back to Saturday morning

Format

Participants can choose from the Friday Fun Round, the Saturday Youth Round, or one of the three main Saturday rounds.

Round Schedule

Friday

6:00pm – 8:00pm Friday Fun Round (Registration opens 5.30pm)

Saturday

9:30am – 11:30am Youth Round (Registration opens 9.00am)
11:30am Youth Prizegiving (U11, U13, U15)
12:00pm – 2:00pm Round (Registration opens 11.30am)
2:30pm – 4:30pm Round (Registration opens 2.00pm)
5:00pm – 7:00pm Round (Registration opens 4.30pm)
7:30pm - 9pm Finals, followed by Opens prizegiving

Finals

The Open Finals will begin at approximately 7:30pm for the top 6 Open Female and 6 Open Male competitors from the Saturday main rounds.

Friday Fun Round

Be the first to try the boulders at this relaxed Friday evening session. This round is open to anyone and ideal for first-timers or anyone wanting a low-pressure climbing experience. Expect a fun, social atmosphere focused on giving it a go.

Important: You will still appear in category rankings, but you cannot qualify for the Open Finals if you climb in this round. Serious competitors aiming for finals should wait until Saturday.

Saturday Youth Round

Open exclusively to U11, U13, and U15 competitors, plus any parents/caregivers who prefer to climb alongside their kids.

U11, U13, and U15 climbers cannot participate in the 12:00pm, 2:30pm, or 5:00pm rounds.
They may climb in the Friday round only if they are unable to attend the Saturday Youth Round.
Youth participants must have an accompanying adult (who may also climb) to keep them safe and enter scores on their behalf.
Adults who are not parents/caregivers may not climb in the Youth Round.

U11, U13, and U15 prizegiving will be held at the end of the Saturday Youth Round.
Caregivers competing in other categories (Opens, Masters, Veterans) will still earn series points.

MAIN ROUNDS

Boulders will be split into one of five difficulty grades and each assigned a unique identifier, which will be displayed on a tag at the start of the boulder, example below for the third Orange boulder, O3:

Tag Colour Approximate Grade Base Point Allocation

Green VB-V0 1000

Yellow V0 - V2 1500

Orange V2 - V4 2000

Red V4 - V6 2500

Black V6+ 3000

Every handhold and foothold that you can use for a specific problem must be of the same colour (this doesn't need to correspond with the tag colour), and:

The starting handhold or handholds will be clearly identifiable
The finishing hold will be clearly identifiable

Usable parts of the wall

The event organiser will identify any volumes or features that are usable for all boulders prior to the start of the rounds.

Any part of the climbing wall can be used unless it is:

Considered “structural” (e.g. the tops, sides of the wall, exposed beams)

Marked “out of bounds” with black cloth tape.

Any areas marked out of bounds should be described to competitors before the event starts.

Putting weight on the black tape or on an area outside the section will result in an incomplete attempt.

T-nut holes on the climbing wall surface cannot be used as a handhold, this does not apply to holes on volumes or holds that are attached to the wall.

Mats

All the problems will be protected by mats as deemed safe by the host gym. On all problems the lowest part of the climber must not exceed three metres.

Scoring

A competitor that takes their weight off the wall in control with their hands on the designated start holds, and then progresses to the finishing hold and controls it with both hands in a stable body position, without touching the ground, out-of-bounds areas or holds not allowed, will be awarded the ‘top’ of that problem. Each problem can be scored only once.

Boulders must be recorded as ‘topped’ in the online scoring platform.

Main Round Score

The less people top a boulder, the more points it is worth. Black boulders are worth more than red, which are in turn worth more than orange and so on. A boulder which has had more tops is worth slightly less than one of the same colour that has had fewer tops.

The points awarded for each boulder are equal to the base point allocation, plus 500 divided by the number of tops in the ranking category. There are three ranking categories: Female, Male and All.

For instance, Problem B7 has a base point allocation of 3000 points. If 10 Female competitors top this boulder, they will each receive 3050 points (3000 + 500/10) in their categories (e.g. Open Female, U19 Female etc.).

If 5 Male competitors also top this boulder they will receive 3100 points (3000 + 500/5) in their categories.

If 5 Other/Non-Binary competitors also top this boulder, all 20 will receive 3025 points (3000 + 500/20)in the All category rankings.

The top 7 highest-value boulders that you top determine your final main round score.

RECORDING SCORES

At the start of the event, the participants will receive a paper scorecard with a unique 5-digit code. Once the event is underway, scores can be logged using the QR code on the scoresheet. More than 7 boulders can be recorded as topped but only the 7 most valuable will contribute to your overall score.

You can log your boulders up to 10 minutes after your round finishes.

Black tag boulders must be timestamped

All black boulders must be timestamped (record the hour/minute of the ascent in the scorecard) and if there are any challenges to a recorded top, the event organisers may at their discretion use CCTV footage to review any ascents. Any incorrect recording may result in part or all of a participant’s scores being nullified.

Fair Play

NiBS is a participation-based, self-scored event — and honesty is essential to keeping it fun and fair for everyone!

Out of respect for those who train hard and travel to compete, please avoid visiting the gym during the routesetting days leading up to the event. Climbing on competition boulders before your round, or falsifying your scorecard, may result in disqualification.

Thanks for helping us uphold fair play for all competitors.

FINAL ROUND

The top six ranked Open Men’s and Open Women’s competitors after the Saturday main rounds will progress to the final round. If there are time constraints, less or more finalists may be included at the discretion of the Head Judge.

There will be three finals boulders each for the Open Men’s and the Open Women’s. There will be an observation period of 2 minutes per problem.

Each finalist will have 4 minutes to try each problem. They can have as many attempts as they want, but their current attempt is terminated at the 4 minute mark.

Scoring for the final round will be judged as per the current IFSC Boulder Rules.

SERIES POINTS

Series points will be allocated in all categories. The person with the highest score, based on their placing over their best 3 competitions, will be the overall series winner. Ties for all places will be allowed in each competition, including 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Points will be awarded for ties taking the average points for all placings.

For example, a tie for 1st will score 903 points (1000+805) / 2

The overall series winner will be decided at the conclusion of event 4, and the series medals awarded. If a tie exists for 1st place after this competition there will be a count back as per IFSC rules, with the highest point score and number of competitors per event used to split the competitors.

Series points will be awarded according to the current IFSC World Cup points.