2024 Steel Town Throw Down

The ASCEND Steel Town Throw Down, scheduled for Saturday, December 7, 2024, happening at ASCEND SOUTH SIDE, is Pittsburgh's premier climbing competition, designed for anyone who likes a little friendly competition while having a great time! We'll continue to add to this event post, so please check back often for the most up-to-date information.

Let us start by saying... the Steel Town Throw Down doesn't define us, rather, it shapes us. Each year, this event breathes life into the collective soul of our community. The spirit of the Steel Town Thrown Down is meant for everyone. If you've never competed or spectated or taken part in the slightest... this year, we invite you to take a gander, maybe just a little one, get involved, and see for yourself what it's all about!

ITINERARY | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 | SOUTH SIDE

• 9:00a - 12:00p: Youth Competition

• 12:30p: Youth Competition Awards

• 1:00 - 4:00p: Community Competition [Phase 1]

• 2:00 - 5:00p: Community Competition [Phase 2]

  • You may choose which phase you'd like to compete in when registering below, though, each has a maximum capacity, so don't delay in registering for your preferred phase. The split phases are meant to help alleviate some crowding and assist with scoring. You must compete within the times listed, no exceptions!

• 5:30p: Community Competition Awards + Finalist Selection / Start of Isolation

• 6:30 - 8:30p: Finals | Award Ceremony

• 8:30 - 11:00p: After Party + End-Of-Year ASCEND Community Celebration (at Velum Fermentation)

See below for registration links and more information on all the things.

The Community Competition is for all ages and abilities of climbers. Like the youth competition, we aim to make this competition fun, challenging, and rewarding for casual climbers, as well as those seeking a legitimate competitive experience.

FORMAT

PHASES 1+ 2: To alleviate crowding and assist us with scoring, we're splitting everyone into two overlapping phases. You will select which phase you want to be in when you register. You will not be permitted to climb outside of the times of your phase.

CHECK-IN + COMPETITOR MEETING: Please try to arrive roughly 30-60 minutes before the start of your phase and be prepared for an important Competitor Meeting 15 minutes before the start of the phase.

• Phase 1: Arrive between 12 - 12:30p and be ready for an important Competitor Meeting to begin promptly at 12:45p.

• Phase 2: Arrive between 1 - 1:30p and be ready for an important Competitor Meeting to begin promptly at 1:45p.

From 1 - 4p or 2 - 5p, climbers will compete in a redpoint competition, which means that many, many climbs of varying difficulty will be set for the competition. All of the boulder problems are available to all of the climbers at once, and the competitors may attempt the climbs as many times as they wish within the given time period.

DIVISIONS

You know yourself best, so we're asking you to select which division you'll compete in. Please be aware that once scores have been reviewed, ASCEND reserves the right to move a competitor up a division, but never down. The reason for this is to be as fair as possible, and to prevent a stronger climber from entering themselves into a lower division, either by accident, or, in a nefarious attempt to ensure a first place finish.

• JAZZ: V1-V4 | consistently sends purple circuit (V1-V3), often sends yellow circuit (V2-V4), works on blue circuit (V3-V5)

• ROCK 'N' ROLL: V4-V6 | consistently sends blue circuit (V3-V5), often sends orange circuit (V4-V6), works on pink circuit (V5-V7)

• CLASSICAL: V6-V9+ | consistently sends pink circuit (V5-V7), often sends red circuit (V6-V8), works on white circuit (V7-V9)

CATEGORIES

Competitors will self-identify into the following categories:

• WTNB [Women, Trans, Non-Binary]

• MTNB [Men, Trans, Non-Binary]

• Masters sub-category, of 49 and older. Why 49? Because, that's why. You'll automatically be entered into this field and will be recognized as such during the accolades held before finals. Masters competitors will still be a part of the comp in every way, simply recognized as distinguished field, and maybe awarded some extra special items.

*While ASCEND recognizes that gender is not a binary system, for this competition we are asking that competitors self-select into either the WTNB or MTNB categories. Thank you for your understanding.

ACCOLADES

Awards for Jazz, Rock 'n' Roll, and Classical divisions, along with the selection of the of our Finalists will happen shortly after 5p, but we'll need approximately 30 minutes to tally the results and get organized.

• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in the respective divisions and categories will receive ribbons and prizes from ASCEND. 4th, 5th, and 6th place finishers will also receive ribbons!

• The top three Classical finishers will be the 7th, 8th, and 9th place finishers since the top 6 are moving to the Finals round.

COMPETITOR INFORMATION

The top six MTNB and WTNB finishers from the Classical field will move to Finals, where they will compete in front of an energetic and supportive live audience! Finals will take place on the front of the Purple Arch from the edge before the Wave Wall to the end of the Comp Wall. They will attempt to onsite four problems, having 4 minutes per boulder. All finalists will split a cash purse, amount TBA!

From 5-6:30p, the routesetters will be getting the Finals problems up and tweaked while we're also readying the space for the main event. Close to 5:30p, we will announce who the Finalists are. Shortly thereafter, they will gather their items and head to isolation, which will be held in the fitness + training zone behind the rope wall. They must stay in ISO from that point until Finals begins at 6:30p, though, we will accommodate bathroom breaks and do our best to assist them in getting anything they need from the outside world. That being said, please try and be prepared if you think you might have a shot at Finals!

Close to 6:30p, we'll get started by introducing the Finalists to the crowd. Then, they will have a few minutes to preview each boulder as a group, before being sent back into ISO. Then, we'll bring out one MTNB and one WTNB competitor at a time to run the problems, one at a time. It's going to be great!

SPECTATOR INFORMATION

Spectators may arrive anytime to grab a spot to watch Finals from. There will be limited seating close to the Arch pads, then standing room behind near the front desk to toward the bathrooms. And don't forget about the mezzanine!

Velum Fermentation will be serving beer via a satellite bar in ASCEND's space, as well as downstairs in their space.

To set the mood... ASCEND Member and good friend, Sam Shephard, A.K.A. HellaGentle, will be laying down some chill, yet groovy and energetic, down-tempo and, well, hella-gentle beats. He'll also be turning it up a notch and working to get you to dance during the after-party!

LIVESTREAM

It will be a bare-bones operation with no commentary, graphics, or editing. Just an iPhone positioned in a reasonably decent spot to capture the action. Still, we're psyched to broadcast the event live on YouTube!