The 2025 North American Cup Series (NACS) kicked off this past weekend in Greenville, South Carolina. NACS allows for athletes from the Americas to compete at an elite level outside of the World Cup circuit. Nearly 150 athletes traveled to BlocHaven for the series opener, which featured the Boulder discipline. It was also the first time that athletes under 17 were able to compete in their own U17 category at a North American Cup. Costanza Finishes 1st in Every Round Melina Costanza had an impressive Gold performance with three tops during the Qualification round, four during Semi-Finals, and two more during her Finals round. From one dynamic coordination move to a paddle dyno, Costanza was the first and only athlete to stick the zone move of W4 as well as being the only athlete to top it. When interviewed, Costanza said the next generation of climbing is already here, giving some encouraging words to the athletes in the U17 category, “The opportunities are endless, the sport is growing, and the community is really cool,” Costanza said. Taking Silver, Jojo Chi topped W3 with 40 seconds left, almost parallel to Waller’s performance in the Men’s category. Overall, Chi had one top, with Costanza being the only athlete to top more than one climb. Finally, Evangelina Briggs had no tops, but still took Bronze with two zones. Women’s Boulder Podium (Adult): Melina Costanza (USA) Jojo Chi (USA) Evangelina Briggs (CAN) Countryman Finishes 1st in Every Round Dillon Countryman also had an impressive Gold performance with four tops during the Qualification round, three during Semi-Finals, and three more during Finals. To encourage young climbers stepping onto the competition scene, Countryman said, “Have fun, stay psyched, and never stop climbing!” In Silver, Matthew Rodriguez had the quickest ascent of M3 in only 40 seconds, and was also the only athlete to top M1. In Bronze, Zander Waller finished with two close calls, including a top on M3 with 40 seconds left and a top on M4 with 4 seconds left. On M1, Waller fell on the last hold after attempting to finish with an inverted toe hook. Men’s Boulder Podium (Adult): Dillon Countryman (USA) Matthew Rodriguez (CAN) Zander Waller (USA) Haddad Takes Gold at first U17 North American Cup Finals Maika Ruiz Haddad, Kailyn Leong, Lauren Williams and Abigail Schlotterback all flashed W1 in Finals. However, Haddad secured Gold, pushing Charley Planegger into Silver by one attempt. Notably, Haddad topped W3 with 3 seconds left on the clock. Other than W1, Planegger had the exact same score as Haddad. Another comeback from the Qualification round, Planegger originally barely made Finals in 8th place, proving herself in Finals. In Bronze, Kailyn Leong was the only athlete to top W2. Women’s Boulder Podium (U17): Maika Ruiz Haddad (USA) Charley Planegger (USA) Kailyn Leong (USA) Cobbs Takes Gold as the Only Men’s U17 Athlete to Top Kai Cobbs was the only male athlete to both flash and top any of the U17 Finals climbs. Cobbs also made a surprising comeback from the Qualification round after originally placing fifth. The Men’s U17 Finals climbs were particularly difficult for every athlete to make progress on, especially climbs M1 and M3, which no athletes were able to zone or top. Impressively, Owen Pham won Silver with a zone on M2. Finally, Vincent Schmidt won Bronze with his zone on M4, which no other athlete was able to accomplish. Men’s Boulder Podium (U17): Kai Cobbs (USA) Owen Pham (USA) Vincent Schmidt (USA) You can rewatch the Semi-Final and Final rounds of the 2025 NACS Greenville at any time on the USA Climbing YouTube Channel. The next NACS competition will be hosted by Climb-Murfreesboro from April 12-13 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Follow @usaclimbing on social media for future updates and behind-the-scenes action.
The 2025 North American Cup Series starts this April and will welcome elite athletes from all over the Americas. With six stops scheduled across the United States and Canada, climbers will have the opportunity to compete at an elite level and develop outside of the World Cup circuit. Last year’s series welcomed hundreds of competitors, from up-and-comers like Emiko Takeuchi, who stood on a North American Cup podium for the first time, to climbing icons like Chris Sharma, who found himself back on the podium at 43-years-old. Each of USA Climbing’s NACS competitions will be open to spectators, while the Semi-Final and Final rounds will stream live on the USA Climbing YouTube channel. How To Watch North American Cup Greenville, SC (Boulder) April 5-6 at BlocHaven Spectator Tickets Streaming LIVE on the USA Climbing YouTube channel North American Cup Murfreesboro, TN (Lead) April 12-13 at Climb Murfreesboro Spectator Tickets Streaming LIVE on the USA Climbing YouTube channel North American Cup Montreal, Canada (Boulder) May 3-4, Hosted by Climbing Escalade Canada Check Climbing Escalade Canada for more info North American Cup Vail, CO (Boulder, Speed) June 5-7 at the GoPro Mountain Games Spectator Info (Free Entry) Streaming LIVE on the USA Climbing YouTube channel North American Cup Edmonton, Canada (Lead, Speed) June 21-22, Hosted by Climbing Escalade Canada Check Climbing Escalade Canada for more info North American Cup Salt Lake City, UT (Lead, Speed) August 23-24 at the USA Climbing National Training Center Spectator Tickets (Coming Soon) Streaming LIVE on the USA Climbing YouTube channel
Climbing Escalade Canada (CEC) and USA Climbing (USAC) are pleased to announce that the North American Cup Series (NACS) Manual has been updated for the 2025 season. The only change in the manual is related to age eligibility, aligning with the IFSC Eligibility Code. 2025 NACS Age Eligibility The 2025 NACS will be open to athletes who are 17 years old or older as of December 31, 2025 (i.e., born in 2008 or earlier). A new clause has been added, allowing each NACS host to include a U17 (Youth B) category at their discretion. If offered, this category would be open to athletes born in 2009-2010. Cash prizes will be awarded exclusively to the Adult category. This update ensures consistency with international competition standards while providing more opportunities for developing athletes at the discretion of event organizers. The updated 2025 NACS Manual is now available. We encourage all athletes, coaches, and event organizers to review the changes. Additional information for the events will be published to the Climbing Escalade Canada and USA Climbing websites throughout the season.
Climbing Escalade Canada and USA Climbing are excited to announce that the North American Cup Series (NACS) is back for 2025! NACS features the three individual disciplines of climbing – Boulder, Lead, and Speed – and allows athletes from the Americas the opportunity to compete at an elite level and develop outside of the World Cup circuit. The 2025 NACS will kick off in Greenville, SC in April and will consist of at least six stops across the United States and Canada. 2025 Dates and Locations: April 5-6 Greenville, SC (Boulder) Hosted by USA Climbing In Partnership with BlocHaven April 12-13 Murfreesboro, TN (Lead) Hosted by USA Climbing In Partnership with Climb Murfreesboro May 3-4 Montreal, Canada (Boulder) Hosted by Climbing Escalade Canada June 5-8 Vail, CO (Boulder, Speed) Hosted by USA Climbing In Partnership with the GoPro Mountain Games June 21-22 Edmonton, Canada (Lead, Speed) Hosted by Climbing Escalade Canada August 23-24 Salt Lake City, UT (Lead, Speed) Hosted by USA Climbing Spectator tickets and streaming info for the events will be published to the Climbing Escalade Canada and USA Climbing websites throughout the season. Participants in the Series must be licensed with and register through their respective National Federations. Detailed information sheets for each event including registration, training availability, time schedules, etc. will be provided a minimum of 30 days prior to each event. Rules for the events will be published to the Climbing Escalade Canada and USA Climbing websites.