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2nd-3rd March

Results, write up and live feeds

Semi & final results here.

Qualification results here.

Massive thanks to the dream team who helped us to deliver our best ever Plywood Masters….. yet! 🤯

Congratulations to our winners, Holly Toothill and Aiden Dunne who certainly pulled out all the stops to take the win on the last boulders of the comp. 👑

Well done to everyone who competed in this year’s event, especially to those who were taking part for the first time and our International athletes for making the extra effort to get here!

You can re-live all of the action from the Semi-finals and Finals via the livestream on the Boulder UK YouTube channel and Epic TV. 💻

Special thanks to…

The routesetting team, Yann Genoux, Max Ayrton, James Garden, Dave Barrans, Jamie Swales and Neil Mawson who got creative with the awesome new holds and volumes supplied by Serious Climbing Distribution to fully test the athletes’ skills, flexibility and mental grit, right up until the very last boulder! 🐆

Matt Groom and Leah Crane who expertly guided viewers at home through the livestream provided by Technative and Arran Paul for providing the on-site ambience.

The lively crowd who came out in full-force to support the athletes and to George Lonsdale for getting everyone fired-up and making them climb at least a grade harder. 💪

Sam Pratt for helping to capture the event. 📸

Iain Brown whose 3D renders really helped the blocs come to life on the livestream. 🧠

Paul Robins from Crusher Holds for the dual-purpose event trophies. 🏆

All our amazing judges, headed-up by Steve Li and Michelle for keeping all the athletes in check. 🤓

Everyone who kept us entertained between the Semi-finals and Finals, CAC, 3rd Rock, Griptonite, Shoe Chalk, Process Physio, Summit Therapies and Dynamic Layer.s

Headline sponsors, La Sportiva and UKClimbing.

And of course, everyone on the awesome team at Boulder UK who helped make this all possible.

Full a full write up please click here for the complete UKC article.

What is Plywood Masters?

Plywood Masters is one of the longest-running bouldering-only competitions in the UK.  The first event was held in 2003, when Boulder UK Blackburn first opened.   

Plywood Masters is much more than just another bouldering competition; it is a community event with a fun and friendly atmosphere, where new and experienced climbers have the opportunity to climb alongside some of the biggest names in indoor and outdoor climbing in the UK.

What to expect this year

Qualification round with 30 problems set with everyone in mind and using the latest holds, supplied by Serious Climbing Distribution.

£4000 in prize money for seniors and product prizes for vets and super vets.

IFSC style semi-final and final round with professional lighting and sound.

High-quality branded t-shirts for all competitors.

Food on day 2, from Flying Pig Pizza.

This year, IFSC setter Yann Genoux is leading the setting team. Joining him is GB head setter Max Ayrton and regular guest and national-level competition setters Dave Barrans and James Garden.  You can expect a mix of our classic pulling and more modern movement, on some of the latest holds, with something for everyone! 

We will be teaming up with TechNative to live stream the semi-finals and finals on Sunday. IFSC commentator Matt Groom will be on the live feed along with Leah Crane.

Regular commentator George Lonsdale will be providing in-centre psyche for athletes and spectators.

Event Info

Categories

Senior male & female – age 16 – 44 (inc youth a)

Veterans male & female – age 45 – 59

Super veterans (mixed) – age 60+

Time & Dates

Please note timings could slightly change

Qualification

Saturday 2nd March:

08:30 AM: Doors open

09:00 AM: Registration for qualifying session 1 opens

10:00 AM – 01:00 PM: Qualification session 1

01:30 PM: Registration for qualifying session 2 opens

02:30 PM – 5:30 PM: Qualification session 2

Semi-Final & final

Sunday 3rd  March:

08:30 AM: Doors open

09:00AM – 09:30 AM: Isolation for semi-final opens-closes: 9am-9:30am

11:00 AM – 01:10: PM Semi-final

2:30 PM – 03:00 PM: Isolation for Final opens-closes

4:30 PM – 06:30 PM: Final

Rules

All rounds

  • Each problem has a pre designated starting position, consisting of two fixed positions for both hands and optionally two fixed positions for both feet. Starting holds must be clearly marked.
  • The finishing hold must be clearly marked.
  • Brushes may be used by competitors to clean holds that may be reached from the ground. Other holds may be cleaned by competitors as long as there is no tactile inspection of the holds.
  • A technical incident is defined as; a broken or loose hold, or any other occurrence that results in a disadvantage or unfair advantage to a competitor, which is not the result of an action on the part of the competitor. The problem must be repaired and the competitor allowed another attempt on the problem.

Qualifying Round

  • Everyone will compete on the same 30 problems.
  • There is no isolation for this round. Competitors may watch and communicate with others.
  • Competitors mark their own score card. Any cheating will be dealt with in an incredibly embarrassing way for that person.
  • Competitors are allowed unlimited attempts on each problem. A successful first attempt is worth 10 points, a successful second attempt is worth 7 points, a successful third attempt is worth 4 points. Any successful attempt after 3 tries is worth 1 point.
  • After the qualifying round the competitors shall be ranked according to the total number of points scored.
  • The top 20 men and women (from all categories i.e. veterans and super veterans can progress to the semi-finals if they score enough points to be in the top 20) will progress to a semi-final round.

Semi-Final Round

The semi-final round will be held on our competition wall in the same format as an IFSC world cup semi-final round. The top 6 men and women from this round will progress to the final later in the afternoon.

Final Round

The final will be the same format as a final in a World Cup bouldering competition with the rules set out on the IFSC website.

Spectators

If you have a really good reason for not participating, then we invite all our customers to come and join us on Sunday 3rd to watch the semi-finals and finals where you will get to see some of the best climbers in the UK battle it out for the title of the Plywood Master! It is free to come along and watch the event and there will be food and ale available for purchase too. The centre will be closed to everyone except competitors for the qualification sessions on Saturday 2nd.

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