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

Entry to the BMC Youth Climbing Series 2021 is now closed. Late entries are not accepted.

The competition is open to first-time competitors, as well as experienced competition climbers from categories Youth E to Youth A. Find 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.

To be eligible for the Grand Final it is necessary to take part in a minimum of three regional rounds in the same region throughout the series. Youth E are not eligible to attend the Grand Final.

Scotland
Mountaineering Scotland run their own Youth Climbing Series consisting of 4 rounds, 2 boulder and 2 roped. The top 3 in each eligible category, after the 4 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 3 in each category will be invited to attend the Grand Final.

Find a rough guide to the Youth Climbing Series here.

Dates England & Wales
Dates for every round and region:

Round 1                - (boulder)
Round 2                - (roped)
Round 3                - (boulder)
Round 4                - (roped)

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
Grade table
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 2021 results for all rounds here
View the 2020 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 which is to be confirmed. Competitors must attend both days.

Day 1 - Saturday 27 November
Day 2 - Sunday 28 November

Further information on the Grand Final is to be confirmed 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.

London & SE North
160 entries only
Round 1: Stronghold UK, Tottenham Hale
Round 2: Big Rock Bond, Milton Keynes
Round 3: Highball Climbing Centre, Norwich
Round 4: Big Rock Bond, Milton Keynes

London & SE South
160 entries only
Round 1: Parthian Climbing, Southampton
Round 2: Parthian Climbing, Southampton
Round 3: Boulder Shack, Southampton
Round 4: Calshot Activity Centre, Southampton

Midlands
160 entries only
Round 1: Social Climbing, Leicester
Round 2: Nottingham Climbing Centre
Round 3: Depot Climbing Centre, Birmingham
Round 4: Creation Climbing Centre, Birmingham

North East & Lakes
90 entries only
Round 1: Valley Climbing Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Round 2: Sunderland Wall
Round 3: Eden Rock, Carlisle
Round 4: Lakeland Climbing Centre, Kendal

North West & Yorkshire
100 entries only
Round 1: Depot Climbing Centre, Manchester
Round 2: Preston Climbing Wall
Round 3: City Bloc, Leeds
Round 4: Big Depot Climbing, Leeds

South West North
100 entries only
Round 1: Rockstar Climbing, Swindon
Round 2: Rockstar Climbing, Swindon
Round 3: Boulders, Cheltenham
Round 4: Green Spider Climbing, Hereford

South West South
110 entries only
Round 1: The Quay Climbing Centre, Exeter
Round 2: Plymouth Life Centre
Round 3: The Tide, Cornwall
Round 4: The Climbing Hangar, Plymouth

Wales/Cymru
120 entries only
Round 1: Boulder Hut, Ellesmere Port
Round 2: Rock UK, Summit Centre, Treharris
Round 3: The Climbing Hangar, Swansea
Round 4: Beacon Climbing Centre, Caernarfon

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 is now closed. 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 here.

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

Entry for the entire series will be open for just under 3-weeks only. You cannot enter at any other stage throughout the series. 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.

£120.00 - for all four rounds
£30.00 - per individual rounds

Income support / Universal credit:

£60.00 - for all four rounds
£15.00 - per individual rounds

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

Cancellation policy

If you cancel with less than five business days of the competition - you will not be entitled to a refund.
If you cancel more than five business days before the competition - you will receive a 50% refund of the cancelled round/s.
If a regional round is cancelled due to an unforeseen circumstance - you will be entitled to a full refund of that round.

If you no longer plan on attending your booked rounds, please email us to ensure you are eligible for a refund.

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

An additional parent/guardian, spectator or coach can attend if they are fulfilling a volunteer role only.

See below for further clarity:

Coaches can attend if acting as the sole responsible person for the child on the day
Coaches can attend if they are volunteering
Can coaches attend if a parent/guardian is volunteering and the coach is acting as the sole responsible person. As above.
We do not allow for any spectators of any kind. We only allow additional persons when fulfilling a volunteer role or are acting as the responsible person for the child on the day.
If additional persons pay entry to the wall, the centre can turn you away over climbing custom or if they reach their max capacity. 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 2021
Please familiarise yourself with the rules ahead of the competition.

Download the Youth Climbing Series Rules and Regulations 2021 here.
Download the Youth Climbing Series Adendum 2021 here.
Find a rough guide to the YCS here.

Changes to the 2021 series:
A number of changes have been made for the 2021 series

Youth E will not attend the Grand Final
The number of boulders in each boulder round will be 8
The North West region has been combined with Yorkshire
The North East region has been combined with the Lakes
Entry for the entire series will be open for just under 3-weeks only
Proof of a negative lateral flow text must be provided ahead of each round for both competitor and parent/guardian

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 is now closed
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.