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Climbing Competitions Outside World Climbing: Rock Master, Deep Water Solo, Red Bull Events, Outdoor Bouldering Festivals and a New Pro League

Oct 19, 20261 min
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TL;DRCompetitions outside World Climbing are mostly invitational, set their own rules and are built to be watched. Rock Master has run since 1986 and held its 40th edition in 2026, with a Lead Duel and a knockout bouldering event. Psicobloc deep water solo still runs in A Coruña, Spain, in 2026. The Pro Climbing League launched in London in 2026 with a £10,000 winner's prize, more than the €6,000 a World Climbing Series event pays its winner, and expands to three events with a £50,000 prize pot each in 2027.
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Series: Climbing Competitions and Pro Climbing (7 / 9)
Why Japan Is So Strong at Climbing: The Facts on Medals, Systems and Gyms, and What Commentators SayThe Other Path for Professional Climbers: 9c, 9A, Proposed and Confirmed Grades, and Making a Living Without Prize Money

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In October 2026, in the Rock Master final in Arco, Italy, Adam Ondra and Filip Schenk set off at the same moment on two identical lead routes, racing to clip the top. Schenk won in 1:07.3, 1.5 seconds ahead of Ondra (8a.nu). You won't see two climbers racing up a lead route side by side in the World Climbing Series.

This is part 7 of the "Climbing Competitions and Pro Climbing" series. The earlier parts covered competitions inside the World Climbing (formerly IFSC) system, with one rulebook, world rankings and national quotas. This one looks at events outside that system: who runs them, what they test, how much they pay and who gets in. By the end you should be able to explain how each one differs from a World Climbing event.

The differences at a glance

World Climbing eventsEvents outside the system
Who takes partNational federations enter athletes by quotaMostly invited by the organiser
RulesOne rulebookSet by the organiser, often designed for spectators
What results count forWorld rankings, Olympic qualificationNo ranking at all
Prize money€6,000 per event winner in the 2026 SeriesVaries; some pay more

Part 8 looks at Series prize money in more detail.

Rock Master: the oldest climbing competition

The official Rock Master site says the event began in 1986 on natural rock at the foot of Monte Colodri in Arco. In 1987 it moved below Arco Castle and took the name Rock Master. In 1988 a purpose-built Climbing Stadium went up, and the event has stayed there since. 2026 was the 40th edition. PlanetMountain calls it "the longest-running sport climbing festival in the world".

Arco is also a major crag; see Italian Crags: Arco.

Format: Rock Master is an invitational held after the competition season. In 2026 the field was 16 elite climbers (8a.nu). Lacrux describes it as "a friendly competition steeped in history that kicks off the off-season". According to the official site, by the 2000s the event had settled on two formats:

  • Lead Duel: two climbers race up two identical lead routes, first to the top wins, in a knockout bracket all the way to the final.
  • KO Boulder: a knockout bouldering competition.

Both are easier to follow than a Series round. Spectators can see who won at a glance.

2026 (40th edition) results (2–4 October): Lead Duel, Jessica Pilz and Filip Schenk; KO Boulder, Jessica Pilz and Adam Ondra. Ondra beat Schenk in the KO Boulder final a day after losing the Duel to him (8a.nu).

Deep water solo: Psicobloc and Red Bull Creepers

Deep water solo means climbing above water with no rope; when you fall, you land in the water. Turning it into a competition takes a wall built out over a pool or the sea.

Psicobloc Masters: the first deep water solo competition in the United States took place in 2013 at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City (The Active Explorer). The park hosted it for five years, then announced in 2019 that it would not host it that summer (Park Record).

The competition carried on in Spain. On 18–20 September 2026, the Graviteo festival in A Coruña made the Psicobloc Master Series its headline event: 16 international athletes, 8 women and 8 men, on a 16-metre wall (La Opinión A Coruña, in Spanish).

Red Bull Creepers: a spin-off of Psicobloc. The production company says that in 2014 Red Bull's global head of sport marketing told them the Psicobloc event needed to be taken "further" (B3 Sportainment). It ran in Spain in 2014 and 2021. The third edition, on 16 August 2025, moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where 16 climbers raced on the side and underside of the Market Street Bridge (WTVC). Editions are years apart; it is not an annual event.

Red Bull Dual Ascent: a multi-pitch race up a dam

Red Bull Dual Ascent takes place on the Verzasca Dam in Switzerland. Teams of two race each other on two identical six-pitch routes.

  • First edition, 2022: eight teams, nearly 600 feet and six pitches. Alberto Ginés López and Luka Potočar won in 51:27 (Climbing.com).
  • Third edition, 2024: mixed teams. Austria's Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert won, on routes of about 180 metres with six pitches from 6c to 8b (Climber).

As of October 2026, the latest edition on Red Bull's official page is still 2024, and no new edition has been announced.

For what multi-pitch climbing involves, see Multi-Pitch Basics.

Outdoor bouldering festivals: Melloblocco and the Hueco Rock Rodeo

These are gatherings on real rock. Some have a ranking element, some don't.

Melloblocco (Val Masino / Val di Mello, Italy): billed as the biggest bouldering gathering in the world, first held in 2004 (PlanetMountain, 2023). After 14 editions in Val Masino, the organisers announced in 2019 that it would not be held in the valley that year (PlanetMountain, 2019). It returned to Val di Mello in 2023.

Less than three weeks before the 2025 edition, more than 1,200 people had already registered (PlanetMountain). The 2026 edition ran on 6–9 May (Calendario Valtellinese).

Melloblocco is mainly a gathering: bouldering and workshops by day, talks in the evening. The only competitive part is a set of "prize boulders" chosen by the organisers, with awards based on how many each climber sends. In 2025 Mélissa Le Nevé topped the women's category with 8 (PlanetMountain, 2025). That is a long way from a World Climbing ranking event. For the valley as a climbing area, see Italian Crags: Val di Mello.

Hueco Rock Rodeo (Texas, USA): a bouldering competition at Hueco Tanks. The American Alpine Club (AAC) ran it for more than a decade and announced in November 2024 that it would no longer host it (AAC update, AAC event page). As of October 2026 there is no public news of anyone taking it over.

Pro Climbing League: a new professional league in 2026

The Pro Climbing League (PCL) is a professional bouldering league that started in 2026. Its founders, Charlie Boscoe and Danaan Markey, have both commentated World Cups (Inside Climbing).

Format: two climbers race head-to-head on identical boulders side by side, and the winner advances. The first event had eight climbers per gender over three knockout rounds (Wikipedia). On the night, first-round matchups were over three boulders, and the semi-finals and finals were decided on a single problem (Climber). That is nothing like World Climbing bouldering, where everyone climbs the same set of problems in turn and scores add up.

First event, 2026: held at Magazine London at the end of February in front of 2,400 spectators and streamed worldwide on Red Bull TV. Scotland's Max Milne, a wildcard entry, won the men's event. France's Oriane Bertone won the women's, beating two-time Olympic champion Janja Garnbret in a final that lasted 19 seconds. Prize money was £10,000 for first, £5,000 for second and £2,500 for third (Climber).

2027: the league expands to a three-event European tour: Berlin on 23 January, Paris on 13 February and London on 20 March, each with a £50,000 (about €58,000) prize pot. The format changes too. A daytime group stage splits 12 climbers per gender into three groups, and the evening semi-finals and final are best of three (UKC, 2026-09-14).

PCL events fall in the World Climbing off-season (January to March), so athletes don't have to choose between the two.

Why these events matter

For athletes, they are another source of income and exposure: one PCL winner's cheque is bigger than a Series event win. For spectators, head-to-head races, falls into water and a race up a dam are easier to follow than a Series round.

They also bridge indoor competition and rock. Rock Master started on natural rock; Melloblocco and Hueco are held on real boulders. The next part leaves competition behind entirely and looks at professional climbers who prove themselves outdoors.

Practice: three scenarios

Answers are under each question. Think first, then check.

1. A climber wins the Rock Master Lead Duel. Does that move them up the world ranking?

Answer

No. Rock Master is an invitational and sits outside the World Climbing ranking system. Its value is history, prestige and spectacle, not ranking points.

2. You want to enter a Psicobloc deep water solo competition. Can you sign up?

Answer

Probably not for the main event. The 2026 Psicobloc Master Series in A Coruña had only 16 international professional athletes, 8 women and 8 men, and local coverage mentioned no open entry. If you want to try deep water solo, look for an outdoor crag with established DWS lines, and check water depth, tides and safety conditions first.

3. Why does the PCL run from January to March?

Answer

The World Climbing Series runs from May to October (in 2026, from Keqiao in May to Santiago in October; see part 0). Running in the off-season means top athletes don't have to choose; they can do both.

Next

Beyond competition, there is a group of professional climbers who barely compete at all and make their name on first ascents, hard repeats and films. What do 9c and 9A mean? How do these climbers earn a living? That's the final part of the series: Part 8: The Other Path for Professional Climbers.

References

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