Welcome to the New Zealand Alpine Club National Bouldering Series 2012!
This year the the Series will encompass three new venues- Wanaka, Turakirae Head and Froggatt Edge. The Grand Final will return to everyones favourite, Spittle Hill
This Series is first and foremost about FUN! Its a chance to boulder with your friends, or compete against them- the choice is yours!
The events are:
11th February Wanaka (starting 9am)
18th February Froggatt Edge (starting 9am)
25th February Turakirae Head (starting 9am)
10th March Spittle Hill (startin 9.30am)
Once again there are fantastic prizes from our fabulous sponsors: NZAC,Cactus, Edelrid, Metolius, La Sportiva, Tools of the Adventure, Bivouac Outdoor and Chalky Digits.
What is bouldering?
Haven't heard of bouldering before? Its a form of rockclimbing on boulders, rock faces, or indoor walls anywhere between one and five metres high. Bouldering routes are called problems and climbers tackle these without the use ropes or climbing hardware. The only equipment used is rock shoes and a chalkbag, and anyone can give it a go!
How does the NBS work?
The Series is a collection of four competitions in different locations.At each competition there are three categories: Expert (mens and womens); Endurance (mens and womens); and Junior (boys and girsl). The Expert and Junior categpries will be competing for the National Championships (Mens. Womens, Jun Mens and Jum Womens) while the Endurance Category is for those who are'nt wishing to take it so seriously but want to get lots of climbing done.
The Experts and Juniors will be scored under the Fibonacci System while the Endurance Catagory will be scored on their best 25 problems.
The Fibonacci System: VE=1; VM=2;V0=3; V1-5;V2=8; V3=13;V4=21;V5=34;V6=55; V7=89;V8=144;V9=233;V10=377;V11=610
Endurance Scoring System: VM=.25; VO=.05; V1=1;V2=2; V3=3:V4=4; V5=5; V6=6: V7=7; V8=8; V9=9;V10=10; V11=11; V12=12
Categories
Categories are Expert Women, Expert Men, Recreational Men, Recreational Women, Junior Female and Junior Male. Junior (U16) is for those born in 1996 or later. To qualify for a National Championship, competitors must have entered two or more competitions.
Are the competitions really competitive? (hell no!)
The NBS is more about participation in bouldering than anything else. Most people come along to enjoy the buzz of the bouldering scene, hang out and have a good workout in the sun. There is a healthy dose of friendly competitive spirit, usually where up and coming young climbers are trying to better their peers or out climb established gurus. This shouldn't discourage people just starting out; the NBS is the best way to get into bouldering and learn the tricks of the trade quickly as all the problems are marked out and there are lots of other climbers to learn from!
Acknowledgements
The NBS is organised wholey by volunteers and people willing to give their time and skills for not much in return. A big thank you to all the people involved including the New Zealand Alpine Club, Competition Organisers, Volunteers, the landowners.
Thankyou also to the sponsors in particular Andrew at Bivouac, Liz at Chalkydigits, Kate at Marvelox, Mark at Tools of the Adventures, Rob at Cactus.