BFL Climbing Combine
BFL Climbing Combine is a United States-based single-day athletic assessment event focused on competition climbing. Founded in 2021 by Beast Fingers Climbing, the Combine was established to provide standardized, data-driven evaluation for climbers preparing for national and international climbing competitions. Modeled in part after the NFL Scouting Combine, the BFL applies performance analytics to assess climbers across multiple physical and climbing-specific disciplines, helping to identify talent within youth and elite climbing pipelines.
Overview
Held annually, the BFL Climbing Combine evaluates athletes using a series of strength, power, and control-based tests. These include bench press maximums, weighted pull-ups, front lever holds, vertical jump, and isometric compression challenges. It also features climbing-specific tools such as the proprietary Grippul, which measures finger force production on narrow edges. The scoring system normalizes output based on strength-to-weight ratio, allowing for comparison across a wide range of body types and demographics.It has featured climbers from Team USA, Olympic-climbing athletes including Natalia Grossman, and nationally ranked youth competitors. Broadcast coverage has included streaming partnerships with YouTube and EpicTV Europe, making the event accessible to a growing audience of coaches, scouts, and fans of competitive climbing.
History
Founded in 2021 by Aman Anderson, founder of Beast Fingers Climbing, the Combine was developed to address the lack of standardized athletic evaluation in the sport of climbing. The combine began in 2021 in Denver, Colorado and has grown into a recognized scouting tool in the U.S. climbing ecosystem and brands. With yearly improvements, BFL has established a unique identity by incorporating urban sports culture and streaming partnerships.The BFL Climbing Combine has received support from major climbing hold brands including, Kilter Grips, athletic brands, Gatorade, which awarded a Community Grant in 2024, and Adidas Terrex from 2021-2024, and upon change of contract, Adidas Five Ten Footwear for 2025. to expand event infrastructure and athlete support. Additional backing has come from local gyms and training gear manufacturers.
Beast Fingers Climbing and its BFL Combine have received attention from major publications, including The Denver Post and Climbing Magazine for their efforts to increase diversity and athletic development in underserved communities. Anderson established Beast Fingers Climbing in Globeville, Denver neighborhood to serve underprivileged youth, aiming to diversify sport climbing.
In early 2023, Beast Fingers Climbing faced the threat of eviction due to rising rental costs and financial strain exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation gained attention from both the local and national climbing communities, prompting an outpouring of support. Adidas and community members provided critical funding, allowing the gym and the BFL to continue operations.
Testing events
The 2021 format was high-volume and emphasized raw output across standard calisthenics. Metrics like "Reps" and "Seconds" dominated, with some innovation introduced via the Grippul and Compression Box. This laid the groundwork for performance-based standardization in the following BFL 2-4, for athlete safety, and to allow athletes to have more energy for each skilled event, including the 4 skill competition boulders to be climbed after.The combine features unique climbing-specific drills:Bench Press 2RM Athletes perform a two-repetition maximum bench press. The score is calculated as a ratio of the lifted weight to the athlete's body weight, emphasizing relative strength.Front Lever hold Athletes hold a horizontal front lever position for as long as possible. The duration is recorded, with longer holds indicating greater core and shoulder strength.Grippul Lift This test measures finger strength by having athletes lift weight using a 20mm edge. The score is the lifted weight divided by body weight, highlighting grip strength efficiency.Weighted Pull-Up Athletes perform pull-ups with added weight. The score is the additional weight lifted divided by body weight, assessing upper body pulling strength.Vertical Jump Measures explosive leg power by recording the height of a vertical jump.1-Arm Weighted Lift This evaluates unilateral pulling strength. Athletes perform a pull-up with one arm while holding additional weight in the other hand. The score is the added weight divided by body weight.Hollow Body Hold This core endurance test requires athletes to maintain a hollow body position. The time held is recorded, reflecting core stability and endurance.
Tests are derived from academic research and climbing biomechanics.
Athlete evaluation
The BFL Climbing Combine is an annual athletic evaluation and scouting event for competitive rock climbers. Its assessment model was developed along with Anderson and KörperForce, whose focus on neuromuscular efficiency, relative strength, and performance diagnostics, laid the groundwork for a new framework in climbing-specific testing, forming the basis of the BFL Combine's evaluation system. The combine includes standardized drills and scoring protocols that measure grip strength, explosive power, and body control—providing data-driven insights for athlete development and scouting.Scoring system
The BFL Climbing Combine uses a strength-to-weight ratio model to evaluate athletes. Most events are normalized by dividing the athlete's performance by their body weight.Example formula:
Raw metrics such as jump height or hold time are used directly when appropriate.
Ranking Algorithm
Athletes are ranked based on a cumulative score from all events:Where:T is the total scoreS1 to Sn are normalized scores from individual events
The athlete with the highest total score is awarded Rank 1.
Example calculation:
- Bench Ratio = 1.30
- Grippul Ratio = 1.10
- 1-Arm Pull-Up Ratio = 0.20
Broadcast coverage
- BFL 1–2 were streamed on the
- BFL 3–4 were exclusively streamed via EpicTV Europe for International Coverage
Notable athletes
Athletes from BFL who have gone on to Team USA, international events, or notable ascents include:- Adriene Akiko Clark – USA Climbing National Team Member
- Natalia Grossman – Olympian, and USA Climbing National Team Member
- Drew Ruana – USA Climbing National Team Member, Multiple v16/v17
- Noah Wheeler – USA Climbing National Team Member, Multiple v16/v17
Results Summary
Men's Results
2021 BFL Combine Results| Name | Weight | Bench Press | Flying Ladder | Front Lever | Front Lever Rank | 1 Arm Pull Up | Grippul Lift | Weighted Pull-ups | Compression | Compression Rank | Overall Score |
| Drew Ruana | 130 | 22 | 5 | 5.09 | 11 | 8 | 115 | 18 | 19.44 | 8 | 211.53 |
| John McNamara | 135 | 23 | 5 | 1.94 | 8 | 8 | 107 | 10 | 21.59 | 10 | 203.53 |
| Cooper Bastian | 164 | 24 | 5 | 5.62 | 10 | 3 | 107 | 17 | 22.15 | 6 | 199.77 |
| Zander Waller | 162 | 29 | 8 | 11.85 | 3 | 3 | 108 | 10 | 23.53 | 5 | 201.38 |
| Brenden Killian | 155 | 26 | 4 | 4.57 | 7 | 4 | 94 | 17 | 29.34 | 4 | 189.91 |
| Derek New | 138 | 8 | 4 | 23.41 | 9 | 3 | 109 | 8 | 32.56 | 11 | 207.97 |
| Austin Weber | 117 | 7 | 5 | 9.06 | 1 | 2 | 112 | 10 | 37.56 | 9 | 192.62 |
| Shane Fedorov | 143 | 14 | 5 | 29.49 | 6 | 1 | 100 | 11 | 39.25 | 3 | 208.74 |
| Owen Dejohn | 127 | 15 | 5 | 1.93 | 6 | 1 | 98 | 13 | 40.75 | 7 | 173.68 |
| Alex Johnson | 165 | 21 | 3 | 12.75 | 4 | 2 | 104 | 13 | 41.19 | 1 | 182.94 |
| Daniel Frandson | 155 | 11 | 2 | 19.78 | 2 | 1 | 87 | 7 | 51.22 | 2 | 183 |
2022 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Flying Ladder | Front Lever | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up | Weighted % BW | Compression | 1-Arm Pull-Up |
| Derek New | 140.85 | 135 | 61.23 | 5 | 32.28 | 150 | 1.06 | 25 | 100 | 45.36 | 53.67 | 6 |
| Drew Ruana | 135 | 215 | 97.52 | 5 | 32.63 | 165 | 1.22 | 29 | 165 | 74.85 | 56.65 | 8 |
| Zach Galla | 136 | 185 | 83.91 | 5 | 17.84 | 166 | 1.22 | 28 | 135 | 61.23 | 38.42 | 9 |
| Toinon Beigne | 141 | 180 | 81.65 | 6 | 10.3 | 108 | 0.77 | 27 | 120 | 54.43 | 47.4 | 4 |
| Zander Waller | 166 | 235 | 106.59 | 6 | 10.31 | 185 | 1.11 | 30 | 135 | 61.23 | 37.76 | 5 |
| Austin Weber | 125 | 135 | 61.23 | 5 | 8.36 | 140 | 1.12 | 28 | 70 | 31.75 | 17.54 | 2 |
| Jonathan Ruana | 140 | 210 | 95.25 | 3 | 4.5 | 120 | 0.86 | 27 | 90 | 40.82 | 17.51 | 0 |
| Hank Gaylord | 142.4 | 155 | 70.31 | 4 | 10.65 | 160 | 1.12 | 26 | 120 | 54.43 | 44.37 | 6 |
| Matt Dyer | 167 | 195 | 88.45 | 3 | 15.03 | 140 | 0.83 | 26 | 70 | 31.75 | 20.56 | 0 |
2023 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Height | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Front Lever | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up 2RM | Weighted 2RM % BW | 1 Arm Max | 1 Arm % BW | Dragon Squat | Points |
| Noah Wheeler | 5'11" | 150.5 | 165 | 1.096 | 8:19 | 175 | 1.127 | 26 | 135 | 0.90 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Ben Wheeler | 5'11" | 155 | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | |
| Conor Wellman | — | — | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | |
| Gunner Autterson | 5'7" | 170.3 | 205 | 1.204 | 5:43 | 170 | 0.999 | 34 | 115 | 0.658 | 5 | 0.029 | 2 | 2 |
| Derek New | 5'9" | 146.5 | 210 | 1.197 | 16:09 | 150 | 1.022 | 28 | 135 | 0.78 | 5 | 0.034 | 2 | 2 |
| Drew Ruana | 5'7" | 136.3 | 175 | 1.284 | 16:09 | 165 | 1.210 | 28 | 135 | 0.95 | 30 | 0.220 | 3 | 3 |
| Eugene Uhm | 5'7" | 130 | 145 | 1.115 | 1:59 | 145 | 1.115 | 28 | 80 | 0.615 | 5 | 0.038 | 2 | 2 |
| Gabe Krzykwa | 5'7" | 175.35 | 210 | 1.197 | 3:13 | 150 | 0.855 | 28 | 135 | 0.77 | 5 | 0.028 | 2 | 2 |
2024 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Height | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Front Lever | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up 2RM | Weighted 2RM % BW | 1-Arm | 1-Arm % BW |
| Noah Wheeler | 180.3 | 165 | 165 | 1.00 | 13 | 180 | 1.09 | 74 | 140 | 0.85 | 25 | 0.15 |
| Jacob Iarussi | 172.72 | 174 | 275 | 1.58 | 11 | 175 | 1.01 | 51 | 160 | 0.92 | 20 | 0.11 |
| Aiden Gloyd | 177.8 | 149 | 165 | 1.11 | 1 | 170 | 1.14 | 66 | 95 | 0.64 | 15 | 0.10 |
| Gunner Autterson | 180.3 | 161 | 215 | 1.34 | 11 | 175 | 1.09 | 86 | 100 | 0.62 | 5 | 0.03 |
| Francesco Military | 177.8 | 166 | 225 | 1.36 | 8 | 180 | 1.08 | 82 | 135 | 0.81 | 30 | 0.18 |
| Drew Ruana | 170.18 | 145 | 195 | 1.34 | 20.4 | 155 | 1.07 | 68 | 145 | 1.00 | 30 | 0.21 |
| Austin Reitz | 180.3 | 135 | 155 | 1.15 | 2 | 155 | 1.15 | 64 | 90 | 0.67 | 17.5 | 0.13 |
2025 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Height | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Front Lever | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up 2RM | Weighted 2RM % BW | 1-Arm | 1-Arm % BW |
| Gabe Krzykwa | 175.35 | 175.8 | 225 | 1.28 | 8 | 174 | 0.99 | 71.2 | 140 | 0.85 | 12.5 | 0.07 |
| Gunner Autterson | 180.3 | 168 | 225 | 1.33 | 5 | 186.5 | 1.11 | 76.2 | 115 | 0.68 | 25 | 0.14 |
Women's Results
2021 BFL Combine Results| Name | Weight | Bench Press | Flying Ladder | Front Lever Rank | Front Lever | Grippul Lift | Weighted Pull-ups | Compression | Compression Rank | Overall Score |
| Emily Herdic | 119.2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2.19 | 100 | 79 | 37.9 | 6 | 237.09 |
| Natalia Grossman | 104.4 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2.8 | 93 | 79 | 52 | 7 | 242.8 |
| Campbell Sarinopoulos | 116 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2.3 | 101 | 60 | 16.1 | 3 | 192.4 |
| Maya Rudd | 120 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0.9 | 79 | 70 | 28.2 | 5 | 190.1 |
| McKenzie Howard | 149.6 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2.9 | 66 | 53 | 6.3 | 1 | 149.2 |
| Grace Ryan | 144.6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1.12 | 76 | 51 | 7.63 | 2 | 147.75 |
| Alexa Scherhrer | 150 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 36 | 25.03 | 4 | 131.03 |
2022 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Flying Ladder | Hollow Body | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up | Weighted % BW | Compression | 1-Arm Pull-Up |
| Scott Kerry | 131.4 | 90 | 0.68 | 1 | 2:36 | 90 | 0.68 | 21 | 55 | 0.42 | 26.37 | 1 |
| Campbell Sarinopoulos | 110 | 90 | 0.81 | 2 | 2:36 | 110 | 1.00 | 22 | 65 | 0.59 | 42.92 | 1 |
| Dolan Lydia | 107.2 | 90 | 0.84 | 4 | 1:19 | 90 | 0.84 | 21 | 45 | 0.42 | 35.02 | 0 |
| Adriene Clark | 117.6 | 90 | 0.76 | 2 | 1:59 | 105 | 0.89 | 22 | 50 | 0.43 | 27.66 | 1 |
| Stephanie Celommi | 102 | 110 | 1.08 | 5 | 1:52 | 95 | 0.93 | 24 | 47.5 | 0.47 | 32.2 | 0 |
2023 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Height | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Hollow Body | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up 2RM | Weighted 2RM % BW | 1 Arm | 1 Arm % BW | Dragon Squat | Points |
| Stephanie Celommi | 5'4" | 124.8 | 110 | 0.881 | 1:19:00 | 80 | 0.641 | 25 | 45 | 0.36 | 15 | 0.121 | 3 | 3 |
| Kestrel Pikiewicz | 5'3" | 119.8 | 80 | 0.667 | 1:27:00 | 95 | 0.794 | 22 | 50 | 0.42 | 25 | 0.210 | 3 | 3 |
| Tiana Schwarz | 5'2" | 115.1 | 85 | 0.734 | 1:54:00 | 105 | 0.912 | 20 | 45 | 0.39 | 0 | 0.000 | 3 | 3 |
| Zoe Steinberg | 5'5" | 130.85 | 113 | 0.864 | 2:00:00 | 110 | 0.841 | 24 | 65 | 0.497 | 15 | 0.114 | 3 | 3 |
| Sonia Gutierrez | 5'7" | 125.45 | 85 | 0.678 | 1:59:00 | 95 | 0.758 | 23 | 57.5 | 0.458 | 30 | 0.239 | 3 | 3 |
| Adrienne Clark | 5'6" | 120 | 80 | 0.667 | 0:55:31 | 95 | 0.792 | 22 | 65 | 0.54 | 25 | 0.208 | 3 | 3 |
2024 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Height | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Hollow Body | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up 2RM | Weighted 2RM % BW | 1-Arm Lock-off | 1-Arm Lock-off % BW |
| Anika Shoemaker | 162.56 | 140 | 140 | 1.00 | — | 130 | 0.93 | 55 | 85 | 0.61 | 30 | 0.21 |
| Maddy Morris | 165 | 135 | 115 | 0.85 | — | 115 | 0.85 | 47 | 80 | 0.59 | 30 | 0.22 |
| Kestrel Pikiewicz | 162.56 | 126 | 115 | 0.91 | — | 90 | 0.71 | 51 | 50 | 0.40 | 40 | 0.32 |
| Kaitlyn Bone | 157.48 | 125 | 115 | 0.92 | — | 135 | 1.08 | 61 | 80 | 0.64 | 40 | 0.32 |
2025 BFL Combine Results
| Name | Height | Weight | Bench Max | Bench % BW | Hollow Body | Grippul Lift | Grippul % BW | Vertical Jump | Weighted Pull-Up 2RM | Weighted 2RM % BW | 1-Arm Lock-off | 1-Arm Lock-off % BW |
| Amayah Burgos | 172.72 | 150 | 110 | 0.73 | 1:34 | 120 | 0.80 | 62 | 40 | 0.26 | 35 | 0.23 |
| Kestrel Pikiewicz | 162.56 | 139.6 | 145 | 1.03 | 2:03 | 115 | 0.82 | 61 | 65 | 0.40 | 45 | 0.32 |
| Marlowe LeMaire | 167.64 | 102 | 85 | 0.83 | 1:16 | 85 | 0.83 | 55 | 35 | 0.34 | 35 | 0.34 |