Portside Youth festival is our flagship youth climbing event, dedicated to climbers aged 8-17. This event brings young climbers across all experience levels together to challenge themselves and celebrate the sport we love.
We’re excited to welcome guest setters Amanda Miller and Tim Chin, who’ll be helping to set fresh boulders for festival day.
This year, we’ve split the event into two competition formats:
Social Pumpfest, for U11, U13, U15 Categories and
World Cup Format, for U15, U17 & U19 Categories
READ ON TO FIND OUT MORE
Age Categories
If looking for more of a challenge, entrants may register for an older age group category, but not below their age.
Year of Birth | Category |
|---|---|
Born 09/10 | Under 19 |
Born 11/12 | Under 17 |
Born 13/14 | Under 15 |
Born 15/16 | Under 13 |
Born 17/18/19 | Under 11 |
Closures
O’Connor will be closed from 7pm Tuesday 20 October – Saturday 24 October. Spectators are welcome on Saturday 24 October.
Reopen on Sunday 25 October, but all Youth classes are cancelled.
Fill-in set happens on Monday 26 October.
Sponsors & Prizes
Youth Festival wouldn’t be possible without our major sponsors backing the entire event and helping us bring it to life.
A stack of great prizes from a range of sponsors, including…
Climbing Shoes
Coaching Vouchers
Chalk & Brushes
Ice Creams
Water Bottles
Flavoured Milk & Orange Juice
Stay tuned for more!
Schedule
Social Pumpfest – Downstairs
Time | What | Duration |
|---|---|---|
8:00am – 8:30am | Pumpfest Check In | 30 m |
8:30am – 10:30am | Pumpfest | 2 hr |
10:30am – 10:45am | Podiums & Prize Presentations | 15 m |
World Cup Qualifiers – Upstairs
Note: Warm up time begins 1 hour before each timeslot .
Time | What | Duration |
|---|---|---|
6:30am | Gym opens for warm up | |
7:00am – 7:30am | U15 Check-in | 30 m |
7:30am – 9:15am | U15 Qualifiers | 1 hr 45 m |
9:15am – 10:00am | U17 Check-in & Changeover | 45 m |
10:00am – 11:45am | U17 Qualifiers | 1 hr 45 m |
11:45am – 12:30pm | U19 Check-in & Changeover | 45 m |
12:30pm – 2:15pm | U19 Qualifiers | 1 hr 45 m |
World Cup Finals – Downstairs
Time | What | Duration |
|---|---|---|
1:00pm – 1:15pm | U15 Presentation & Viewing | 15 m |
1:15pm – 2:15pm | U15 Finals | 1 hr |
2:45pm – 3:00pm | U17 Presentation & Viewing | 15 m |
3:00pm – 4:00pm | U17 Finals | 1 hr |
4:30pm – 4:45pm | U19 Presentation & Viewing | 15 m |
4:45pm – 5:45pm | U19 Finals | 1 hr |
5:45pm – 6:00pm | World Cup Podiums | 15 m |
T-shirt Pre-order
Inspired by one of Portside O’Connor’s most iconic walls, the Whale Tail, this limited-edition tee brings a little piece of Portside to life, made for wearing long after Festival weekend.
Available to preorder now until Monday 14 September.
Preorder: Kids $20, Adults $30
On the day: Kids $30, Adults $40
Very limited quantities available on the day.
Preorder now to secure your tee!
Portside member discount not available on these tees.
You don’t need to be competing to order a tee.
Pre-orders can be collected from Portside O’Connor on event day.
Formats
Social Pumpfest
A casual and relaxed, social format where climbers have 2 hours to climb their way through the problems. Prizes are awarded to the top 3 in each category.
AGE GROUPS
U15s can choose either format depending on the competition experience that they’d like to have. Medals will only be available for World Cup Format podiums in this age category, but prizes will be awarded to both podium formats.
U11, U13, U15
BOULDERS
40 Boulders to Climb
Unlimited attempts, taking turns ensures everyone gets a go
SCORING
Points Pursuit Scoring
Meaning, only your top 10 boulders count towards your final score.
Boulders are assigned an incremental number of points, i.e.
Boulder 1 = 5pts
Boulder 2 = 8pts
Boulder 3= 11pts
…and so on.
Flash is an extra +1pt
World Cup
A more structured format to simulate a World Cup event. It has judges and time limits, a qualification round and finals for the top six climbers in each category.
AGE GROUPS
U15s can choose either format depending on the competition experience that they’d like to have. Medals will only be available for World Cup Format podiums in this age category, but prizes will be awarded to both podium formats.
U15, U17, U19
BOULDERS
5 Qualification & 4 Finals Boulders
4 minutes on, 4 minutes off. Unlimited attempts.
SCORING
World Cup Scoring
Top = 25pts
Zone = 10pts
Each unsuccessful attempt -0.1pts
Rules & Guidelines
Starts are marked with tape/tags and require four points of contact (hands/feet). Climbers must be in control before moving.
French starts (using momentum of getting on the wall to move from the start holds to the next holds) are invalid.
An attempt begins as soon as a foot leaves the ground; hops also count as attempts.
Two hands in control on the tagged Finish hold.
A flash means finishing a boulder on your first attempt.
A Top or Topping a boulder means finishing a climb.
Grey volumes are always “in” and may be used on any climb.
Coloured volumes (other than grey) are set for specific climbs. Coloured Volumes can be used for that climb only.
Bolt holes in walls are not allowed to be used by fingers as climbing holds.
Black tape marks the boundary of a climb. Any contact on or past the tape will count as a failed attempt.
Vendors & Promos
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Face Painting
Free Face Painting
from 8:30am – 11:00am
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Bake Sale
Thanks to the wonderful parents of Portside, we’ll have a selection of home-made baked goods for sale. All proceeds go towards the Youth Access Fund.
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BBQ
Bacon & Egg Burgers
from 8:00am – 10:00am
Sausage Sizzle
from 11:00am – 1:00pm
Appeals
If you wish to contest a judging decision, you must provide clear video evidence or other solid proof for review. Without this, the judge’s call stands as final.
Phone calls and emails will not be accepted as a method of appeal.
Doing the Right Thing
Portside Youth Festival is all about good climbing and good vibes for everyone involved. Here’s what we expect from all competitors:
Score honestly and follow the comp rules. This is a community event, and we’re trusting you to keep things fair.
Look after your fellow climbers, respect the space, and bring the kind of energy you’d want in return.
Zero tolerance for aggressive behaviour towards staff, judges, or other climbers. If you need to contest a judging decision, we’ll need video evidence or something solid to review.
Portside reserves the right to change your category or disqualify competitors who don’t follow the rules.
Pets
For the safety of all attendees, please leave your pets at home.
PYF 25
Sponsors
WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT
FAQ
Here’s a bit of a breakdown of some of the words we use.
Boulder – A short climbing problem (no ropes, just safety mats).
Problem – Another word for a climb or route on the wall.
Attempt – Each time a climber tries a boulder.
Send – Successfully completing a climb.
Flash – Completing a climb on the first attempt.
Top – The finishing hold of a boulder.
Zone – A mid-way hold that uis used in scoring for finals.
Points Pursuit – A scoring format where only a climber’s top 10 climbs count.
Finals – The last round where the top competitors in each category climb new boulders to decide podium places.
Yes - each under 16 needs at least one parent or guardian supervising them. Youth aged 16 and above do not require adult supervision.
For any questions about categories, timeslots, and more – email wcbregos@portsideboulders.com.au
Climbing shoes and chalk (these can also be rented as usual for $7 and $3 respectively), water and snacks. We recommend light, comfy clothing.
Not at all! The Youth Festival is designed to be fun and inclusive, with climbs for every level.
It’s marked as “Did Not Send.” They can keep trying other boulders — only their top 10 climbs count in the end.
Social Pumpfest - U11, U13, U15
Results will be finalised around 11:00amWorld Cup Qualifiers - U15, U17, U19
This will be judged and scored live on the Vertical Life app
Finalists and scores will be announced ~30mins after each qualifiers round.U15 - 9:45am
U17 - 12:15pm
U19 - 2:45pm
All scores and finalists will be announced via Instagram Stories at the above times.
As long as you’re not climbing – yes.
No, sorry. In order to climb during PYF you must be a registered competitor, and can only climb during your allocated timeslot.
Don’t worry though, some of our competition climbs will still be up after the event, so you are more than welcome to climb on these after the event is over!
You have up to 30 minutes after the scores are made Live to dispute your score. You must come into the gym and see the scoring desk for disputes – calling or emailing is not accepted.
We recommend staying at the gym until your score is displayed to ensure you have enough time to dispute it.
Contact youth@portsideboulders.com.au with any questions about the event.
Stay Tuned for Updates
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Check out the gallery from last year below.
