Upside Down Festival by Ver Var Regulations

UPSIDE DOWN — FESTIVAL REGULATIONS

BOULDERING DISCIPLINE

May 9–10, 2026 | Yerevan

1. Goals and objectives of the event

1. Promote climbing as an accessible and fun sport.
   
   

2. Build a friendly climbing community in Armenia.
   
   

3. Encourage an active and healthy lifestyle.
   
   

4. Present a high-energy festival with new routes, strong community, and a memorable atmosphere.

2. Dates and venue

Dates

• Saturday, May 9, 2026: qualification — 11:00–23:00
  
  

• Sunday, May 10, 2026: Amateur finals, result checks, and Beginner and Amateur award ceremonies — approximately 12:00–16:15 overall (see Section 7)

Venue

• Ver Var Climbing Gym, M. Khorenatsi 28, Yerevan

3. Participant requirements and conditions

3.1 Participants must be 16+ years old and have no medical contraindications for climbing.

3.2 All participants must read and agree to Ver Var’s gym rules and sign the participation agreement.

3.3 Registration confirms that the participant acknowledges the risks inherent in climbing and accepts personal responsibility for their health and safety during the event.

3.4 Participants are divided into two categories:

• Beginners: Those who have been climbing for less than 3 months (climbing category less than 6b).
  
  

• Amateurs: Regular climbers who do not compete professionally.

3.5 Category must be selected during registration and cannot be changed after the festival starts.

3.6 Professional sportsmen (competitors who participate in professional / national / international climbing competitions as defined by the organizers) may climb during qualification if they wish, but their results are not included in qualification: they do not receive a Beginner or Amateur qualification ranking, and cannot advance to Sunday finals through qualification scores. They are eligible only for the competition format outside qualification (as announced by the organizers).

3.7 The organizers’ decision on category assignment and professional status is final.

3.8 By attending, participants agree that photography, video, or audio may be taken for promotional or archival use.

4. Registration, fees, payment, and refund policy

4.1 Pre-registration is available online or at Ver Var’s reception.

4.2 Participation is confirmed only when payment is complete. A registration is not valid until the full fee for the chosen package has been paid. Unpaid or partially paid sign-ups do not reserve a place and do not count as participation.

4.3 Entry fees (include two-day access — May 9 and May 10):

4.4 A slot in a qualification set is held only after full payment, subject to capacity.

4.5 Refund policy (dates refer to May 2026):

• Until May 8 (inclusive): 50% refund
  
  

• From May 9 onward: no refund

4.6 The festival fee includes entry to Ver Var for both festival days, registration, and gifts from sponsors (see 4.7).

4.7 Participants receive gifts from sponsors; exact items may vary. The 16,000 AMD package includes the festival T-shirt where offered at registration; the 10,000 AMD package does not include the T-shirt.

5. Festival format and scoring — qualification (Saturday)

5.1 The festival is a bouldering jam format. The qualification circuit has 40 boulder problems, numbered 1 through 40 in ascending order of difficulty (lower numbers = easier, higher numbers = harder). Beginners and Amateurs all climb on the same problems; categories differ only in how results are ranked and scored. Participants are not required to climb in numerical order; they choose which problems to attempt according to their ability and strategy during the session. Participants try to complete as many problems as they can within their registered qualification time.

5.2 Maximum 40 participants per set. Up to 5 additional participants per set may be added on the spot if the organizers allow.

5.3 Participants receive a scorecard where they mark completed routes according to the instructions given at the event.

5.4 Flash ascents (sent on the first try) receive a bonus  (see 5.6).

5.5 The participant with the highest total score wins their ranking in qualification. If scores are tied, number of flash ascents is the tiebreaker.

5.6 SCORING SYSTEM

• Each route starts with a value of 1,000 points.
  
  

• Final value = 1,000 ÷ (number of climbers who topped the route in that category).
  
  

• Example: 25 people completed the route → 1,000 ÷ 25 = 40 points per top.
  
  

• If the route is topped in flash (first attempt), the points for that ascent are increased by 10% (flash bonus).

5.7 Symbols on scorecards:

• ⭕ — Flash (first attempt)
  
  

• ❌ — Redpoint (after multiple attempts)

5.8 Amateur advancement to finals: after qualification, the 6 best male and 6 best female participants in the Amateur category advance to Sunday finals. Beginners are ranked within their category from qualification only. Professional sportsmen do not receive a qualification ranking and cannot qualify for finals through qualification (see 3.6); they may still climb during qualification sessions without their scores counting toward Beginner or Amateur results.

6. Finals (Sunday) — simple scoring

6.1 Finals use onsight-style boulders with zone and top (not the qualification jam formula). Problems, order, and timing are explained at the finals briefing on site.

6.2 Isolation and the finals window start approximately 12:00; the exact flow is announced to finalists at the event.

6.3 On each finals boulder, the climber has 4 minutes of working time (as signaled by judges).

6.4 Points (whole numbers only — easy to add up)

6.5 On each finals boulder, only the best result counts: if the climber later gets a top after a zone, that boulder scores 10.

6.6 If the climber gets a top, the zone is automatically credited (no need to score zone and top separately).

6.7 Attempts: For each finals boulder, judges record the number of attempts. An attempt is counted as defined at the finals briefing (typically each time the climber starts from the start / starting holds after the judge’s signal). Total attempts = sum of attempts on all finals boulders.

6.8 Finals total (points) = sum of the points from each finals boulder (add the one score per boulder).

6.9 Tie-breakers (finals): (1) more tops on finals boulders; (2) more zones; (3) fewer total attempts on finals boulders (see 6.7); (4) organizers’ decision or climb-off if still tied.

7. Festival schedule

Saturday, May 9 — qualification

Sunday, May 10 — overall window (public)

• Approximately 12:00–16:15: Amateur finals, result checks, and award ceremonies for the Beginner and Amateur categories (order and segment times are not fixed in this document and will be given at the event).

8. Awards and prizes

8.1 Beginner category: prizes for top 3 men and top 3 women based on qualification results.

8.2 Amateur category: prizes for top 3 men and top 3 women based on finals results.

8.3 Prizes are provided by Ver Var and festival partners (subject to sponsor availability).

8.4 Participants eligible for prizes should make an effort to be available at the relevant award ceremony unless excused in advance by organizers; otherwise prizes may be withheld or reassigned.

8.5 All registrants with confirmed paid registration receive gifts from sponsors as applicable to their package (see 4.7).

8.6 Unclaimed prizes will be kept for 30 days, after which organizers may repurpose them.

9. Conduct during the competition

9.1 Participants must behave respectfully toward other climbers, spectators, and officials, and follow principles of fair play.

9.2 Participants and spectators must wear clean indoor shoes (or climbing shoes where appropriate) in climbing areas.

9.3 Instructions from judges and organizers must be followed at all times.

10. General terms

10.1 By participating, you agree to these regulations and Ver Var gym rules.

10.2 Organizers reserve the right to change schedule or format with prior notice to participants where reasonably possible.

10.3 Personal data will be processed according to RA law and will not be shared with third parties without consent.

10.4 These regulations constitute the official rules of the Upside Down festival.

11. Contact

Organizer: Ver Var Climbing Gym

Phone: +374 44 806806

Instagram: @vervar_yerevan