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 separate Youth and Community Competitions.

  • The Youth Competition is not affiliated with USAC and is for climbers 7-16 years old.

  • The Community Competition is for all ages and abilities with recreational, intermediate, advanced, and masters (40+) divisions.

• The Community Competition offers two identical waves: Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

  • Finals Hopefuls: Compete Friday night to rest before Saturday night's Finals.

  • Standings: Top Friday climbers will be notified that night. If contacted, you must return by 4:00 PM Saturday, as Saturday competitors could still alter the final roster.

  • Isolation: Opens at 4:30 PM and strictly closes at 5:00 PM. If you are late, you will forfeit your spot.

• 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

• 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

• 12:00p - 12:45p: Registration + Warmup

• 12:45p - 1:00p: Competitor Meeting

• 1:00 - 4:00p: Community Competition - Wave 2

• 4:15p: Community Competition Awards

Finals

• 4:30p: Finalists announced

• 4:30p: Isolation Opens

• 5:00p: Isolation Closes

• 6:00 - 8:00p: Finals | Award Ceremony

See below for more information on all the things.

CLASSIC REDPOINT ROUND

Both youth and adult climbers will compete in a Classic Redpoint Competition, which means that 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, however, number of attempts will count in the event of tie. The climbs will be ranked from easiest to hardest and will come with incremental point values.

• BASE SCORE EXAMPLES: 1 = 100 pts. | 6 = 600 pts. | 11 = 1,100 pts. | 16 = 1,600 pts. | 100 = 10,000 pts.

• POINT DEDUCTION EXAMPLES

  • Climb #1 was flashed (completed on the 1st attempt) = 100 pts. w/ 1 attempt

  • Climb #6 was completed on the 2nd attempt, after just one fall = 600 pts. w/ 2 attempts

  • Climb #11 was completed on the 3rd attempt, after two falls = 1,100 pts. w/ 3 attempts

  • Climb #16 was completed on the 4th attempt, after three falls = 1,600 pts. w/ 4 attempts

  • Climb #100 was completed on the 13th attempt, after 12 falls = 10,000 pts. w/ 13 attempts

Each climbers' top five scores count toward their total number of points. All scores will be entered into an app that competitors will have downloaded. Point values will automatically be determined based on number of attempts input.

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 12:00 - 12:30p on Saturday and be ready for an important Competitor Meeting to begin promptly at 12:45p.

Climbers will compete in a classic redpoint competition, which means that 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)

• MASTERS: 40+ | All preconceived abilities will be a part of the same division, but also separated by a gender category. Climbers 40 and older are not required to join this division, it's up to you!

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 4:00p.

• 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.

CLIMB CHASER SIDE BET

TBA