Scottish National Bouldering League

As the weather outdoors starts to cool, competition is only starting to hot up in the world of indoor climbing.

And through the winter months Scotland’s boulderers will be vying to sort out who’s the tops when it comes to tackling the short but intensely technical and physical climbs that characterise the booming sport of bouldering.

Mountaineering Scotland and members of the Scottish Climbing Wall Network (SCWN) are working in partnership to organise the Scottish National Bouldering League, allowing climbers to pit themselves against their fellow boulderers around the country.

The national league was reintroduced last year after lying idle since the short-lived Vango Bouldering League in the 1980s, and was an immediate hit, with over a hundred competitors vying for the top places.

The new league will use one of the rounds of each host walls' already scheduled bouldering competitions as a round for the league. There will be six rounds at walls across Scotland, one each month from October to March. Scoring after each round will be ranked. Competitors can attend all six rounds if they wish, with their best four scores used to decide their final placings and the Scottish Bouldering Champions.

To be in with the best chance of gaining the highest position at the end of the league, competitors have to do at least four rounds.

There will be categories for juniors (16-17), adults (18-44) and vets (45 ), and male and female in each category.

There’s no extra cost for entering the League: just attend one of the relevant competitions and indicate when you take part that you wish to be entered into the SNBL.

Last year’s champions will have to be climbing well to retain their titles, especially in the junior male and female and vets male categories where competition was particularly tough.

But it’s not all about gaining the podium; many competitors do it for fun and to maintain motivation for training through the dark winter months.

“I enjoyed taking part in SNBL not least because it took me to some new walls, I met new climbers and I pushed myself on some brilliant problems. I hope more mature ladies join us this year.”

Avril Gall (2015-16 Vet Ladies Champion)

The six rounds counting for the League are:

• 28 October – Alien Rock, Edinburgh
• 19 November – Inverness Leisure
• 3 December – Transition Extreme, Aberdeen
• 21 January – TCA Glasgow
• 17 February – Avertical World, Dundee
• 18 March – EICA:Ratho

Prizes for the league are donated by climbing and outdoor equipment and clothing firm Allcord, who also sponsored last year’s series..