On Saturday 29 August, Osborne Park hosts our one-day, once a year, premier climbing competition. West Coast Blocs is back again to test the best. This year, we’re joined by guest setters Trisha Tham and Jordan Grant. Let’s go.
For Opens climbers, qualifications run earlier in the day, with finals taking over in the evening with a big crowd and even bigger prizes up for grabs.
Novice and Intermediate categories run a classic pumpfest format. Expect full sets, continuous climbing, and a full atmosphere.
COMPETE OR COME DOWN AND SPECTATE
Schedule
Time | What | Format |
|---|---|---|
7:30am - 9:30am | Open Qualifications | Judged Boulder Jam |
9:30am - 10:30am | Wall Reset | |
10:30am - 12:30pm | Novice & Intermediate Session 1 | Self-scored Pumpfest |
12:30pm - 12:45pm | 15 Minute Break | |
12:45pm - 2:45pm | Novice & Intermediate Session 2 | Self-scored Pumpfest |
2:45pm - 3:00pm | 15 Minute Break | |
3:00pm - 5:00pm | Novice & Intermediate Session 3 | Self-scored Pumpfest |
5:00pm - 6:00pm | Wall Reset | |
6:00pm - 8:30pm | Open Finals | World Cup Style, 4 minutes+ |
8:30pm | Podium Presentations |
T-shirt
Very limited stock available on event day.
$50 a pop.
Age Limits
This competition is open only to those 17 years of age and over. If you are an Opens climber, under 17 years of age and would like to compete, please see the FAQ at the bottom of this page.
Categories
Based on community feedback, we’ve changed up our categories this year. Make sure you have a read before applying.
Novice
Consistently completing yellow
If you consistently complete pink, white, yellows and projecting blue tags, you should enter Novice Female.
Consistently completing blues
If you consistently complete yellow and blues, you should enter Novice Male.
Intermediate
Consistently completing blues
If you consistently complete yellow and blues and are projecting some red tags, you should enter Intermediate Female.
Consistently completing red
If you consistently complete blues and reds and are projecting some green tags, you should enter Intermediate Male.
Open
Consistently completing red
If you consistently complete blues and red and are projecting some green tags, you should enter Open Female.
Working on green – black
Scoring
Qualifiers
Each gender has 8 unique boulders, each individually scored by judges. The top 6 men and women from this round move to finals. Maximum of 8 attempts per boulder.
SCORED BY
Number of Tops
Number of Attempts to Top
Number of Zones
Pumpfest
Each category has 21 unique boulders and 4 shared with the other category. Self scored digitally.
POINT SYSTEM
Flash = 10pts
2 attempts = 7pts
3 attempts = 4pts
Finals
Four World Cup style boulders, judged live with new World Climbing scoring rules.
POINT SYSTEM
Top = 25 pts
Zone = 10 pts
Each unsuccessful attempt = -0.1 pts
Vendors & Promos
Pro-fit Shoes & gift with purchase
Massage Stall
Exclusive Merch
Exclusive Merch
Bar & Vibes
Doing the Right Thing
West Coast Blocs is all about good climbing and vibes for everyone involved.
Here’s what we expect from all competitors:
Score honestly and follow the comp rules.
Category selection is integrity-based, so please don’t sandbag or jump categories. Integrity matters.
This helps us keep the day running smoothly and safely.
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.
Integrity matters. If something looks off, speak to one of our staff wearing a lanyard. Let’s keep it fun, fair, and friendly. Best of luck, and see you on the wall.
Prizes
Open Cash Prizes
$1,500
FIRST PLACE
$1,125
SECOND PLACE
$750
THIRD PLACE
Sponsor Prizes
Merch & 2x Crash Pads ($580 RRP)
Chalk Bags & Merch
Hand Balms
Treatments
Merch
Merch
Pets
For the safety of all attendees, please leave your pets at home.
WCB 25
WOULDN’T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT
FAQ
For any questions about categories, timeslots, and more – email wcbregos@portsideboulders.com.au
West Coast Blocs is Portside Boulders’ flagship climbing competition - an annual high-energy event that brings together climbers from across Australia (and beyond) for a full day of grit, movement, and spectacle. With categories for novice, intermediate, and open competitors, the comp welcomes everyone from fresh faces to seasoned elites.
The day builds to a high-stakes finals round, transformed into an immersive viewing experience with over 150 spectators, vibrant crowd energy, and world cup-level routes that push athletes to their limits.
A competition format where climbers have a set amount of time to complete as many boulders as possible. Every climb counts, so you'll need to pace yourself, choose your attempts wisely, and keep enough energy for the whole session.
Novice/Intermediate
Pumpfest formatEach category has 21 boulders unique to the category, and 4 shared problems.
Self scored on a digital scorecard
-
Flash = 10 pts
-
2 attempts = 7 pts
-
3+ attempts = 4 pts
Opens Qualifiers
Each gender has 8 unique boulders. Each boulder will have a judge.There are a maximum of 8 attempts per boulder.
The top 6 Men and Women move to finals.
Scoring will be judged based on:
-
Number of Tops
-
Number of Attempts to Top
-
Number of Zones
Opens Finals
Four World Cup-style boulders, judged live with new World Cup scoring rules:
-
4 minutes+
-
Top = 25 pts
-
Zone = 10 pts
-
Each unsuccessful attempt = -0.1 pts
-
Friday 28th of August, 4:00pm.
Open Qualifiers
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Open Qualifiers will be individually manually scored by judges.
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Scoring will be completed approx. 1 hour after the Opens Qualifications round concludes. We appreciate your patience while scores are manually reviewed.
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Finalists will be announced via Instagram Stories and contacted directly. The full scoreboard will also be published at this time.
Novice/Intermediate Pumpfest
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Scoring will be completed approx. 1 hour after the final timeslot finishes (scores live approx. 6pm). We appreciate your patience while scores are reviewed.
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Scores will be announced via Instagram Stories. The full scoreboard will also be published at this time.
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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.
As long as you’re not climbing – yes.
No, sorry. In order to climb during WCB you must be a registered competitor, and can only climb during your allocated timeslot.
Youth may apply for Special Considerations ONLY if the below Eligibility Criteria are met. If you have already been approved for Special Considerations in the past, you do not need to re-apply.
Eligibility Criteria
Must be in the Opens category (ie. Climbing Green – Black tags). Applications for other categories will NOT be accepted.
Must have prior competition climbing experience and be able to prove it.
How to Apply
Email wcbregos@portsideboulders.com.au with the below information:
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Reasons why you would like to compete in West Coast Blocs
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Eligible Youth must provide evidence of prior Opens-level competition experience/history.
We will review Special Consideration requests as they come, and aim to get back to you within 7 business days.
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Stay Tuned for Updates
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Check out the gallery from last year below.
