The 11th ASCEND Steel Town Throw Down®, scheduled for Friday, December 11 - Saturday, December 12, 2026, 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!

The Steel Town Throw Down® shapes the collective soul of our community. Whether you're a seasoned competitor, a casual climber, or you've never been involved, this event is for everyone. We invite you to take a look, get involved, and experience the spirit of the Throw Down for yourself this year!

WATCH 2024 HIGHLIGHT REEL

OVERVIEW

• This event features a Youth Competition and a Community Competition.

  • The Youth Competition is not affiliated with USAC and is for climbers under 15.

  • The Community Competition is for all ages and abilities with recreational, intermediate, and advanced divisions.

• The Community Competition will have two waves for competitors to choose from, either Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

  • They are the same competition, just split up to allow for more competitors.

  • Stronger competitors aiming to be part of Finals on Saturday night are encouraged to compete on Friday night, so they are well-rested for Finals. Those who climb well enough on Friday night to be in the running for Finals will be alerted of their current standing later that night. If you receive a notice, you are required to be present on Saturday NO LATER THAN 5:00p, roughly when the Finals competitors will be finalized. Since climbers in the Saturday competition are eligible to make Finals, there is a chance that you could be knocked out of position. Isolation will open at 5:45p and will close at 6:15p. If you are not present, we will find someone else to take your position.

• Awards for the Community Competition will occur after Wave 2 on Saturday and will be inclusive of Friday night and Saturday afternoon competitors.

ITINERARY

Friday, December 11

Community Competition - Wave 1

• 5:00p - 5:45p: Registration + Warmup

• 5:45p - 6:00p: Competitor Meeting

• 6:00p - 9:00p: Community Competition - Wave 1

Saturday, December 12

Youth Competition (U9, U11, U13, U15)

• 8:00a - 8:45a: Registration + Warmup

• 8:45a - 9:00a: Competitor Meeting

• 9:00a - 12:00a: Youth Competition

• 12:15p: Youth Competition Awards

Community Competition - Wave 2

• 1:00p - 1:45p: Registration + Warmup

• 1:45p - 2:00p: Competitor Meeting

• 2:00 - 5:00p: Community Competition - Wave 2

• 5:15p: Community Competition Awards

Finals

• 5:45p: Finalists announced

• 5:45p: Isolation Opens

• 6:15p: Isolation Closes

• 7:00 - 9:00p: Finals | Award Ceremony

See below for more information on all the things.

• Community Competition Registration + Event Shirt Purchase

• Community Competition Format

• Community Competition Scoring

• Community Competition Finals

• USAC Youth Competition

• USAC Collegiate Competition

• Facilities Closures

• Event Sponsors + Partners

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

FORMAT

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

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

• Wave 1: Arrive between 5 - 5:30p on Friday and be ready for an important Competitor Meeting to begin promptly at 5:45p.

• Wave 2: Arrive between 1:00 - 1:30p on Saturday and be ready for an important Competitor Meeting to begin promptly at 1:45p.

Climbers will compete in a classic 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. See more below.

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]

*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 5:00p, 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.

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

Finals will run from 7-9p, give or take.

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 of $5,000!

• 1st = $1,000

• 2nd = $600

• 3rd = $400

• 4th = $250

• 5th = $150

• 6th = $100

From 5:30-6:30p, 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 the Finalists. 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 7:00p, 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!

At 7p, 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 from 5-10p!

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.

LIVESTREAM

Join us on our YouTube Page starting around 6:30p on Saturday, December 12, 2026! Competition Starts at 7:00p.