BFL Climbing Combine (short for Beast Fingers League 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 BFL Climbing Combine was founded in Denver, Colorado in 2021 by Aman Anderson of Beast Fingers Climbing. The intent was to address the lack of standardized evaluation in the sport of climbing. The combine has grown into a recognized tool in US climbing. BFL has established a presence in urban sports culture and streaming.

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 (% body weight) 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 (seconds) 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 (grip test) 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 (% body weight) 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 (inches) 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 (for women) 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: S = MaxLift / BodyWeight

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:

T = S1 + S2 + ... + Sn

Where: T is the total score S1 to Sn are normalized scores from individual events (e.g., bench press ratio, grippul ratio)

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

T = 1.30 + 1.10 + 0.20 = 2.60

This approach emphasizes relative strength, power, and efficiency across climbers of different body types.

Broadcast coverage BFL 1–2 were streamed on the Beast Fingers YouTube Channel 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 (Reps) Flying Ladder (Reps) Front Lever (s) Front Lever Rank 1 Arm Pull Up (Reps) Grippul Lift (STW%) Weighted Pull-ups (Reps) Compression (s) 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 (lb) Bench Max (lb) Bench % BW Flying Ladder (Reps) Front Lever (s) Grippul Lift (lb) Grippul % BW Vertical Jump (in) Weighted Pull-Up (lb) Weighted % BW Compression (s) 1-Arm Pull-Up (Reps) 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 (lb) Bench Max Bench % BW Front Lever (s) Grippul Lift (lb) Grippul % BW Vertical Jump (in) Weighted Pull-Up 2RM (lb) Weighted 2RM % BW 1 Arm Max (lb) 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 (cm) Weight (lb) Bench Max (lb) Bench % BW Front Lever (s) Grippul Lift (lb) Grippul % BW Vertical Jump (cm) Weighted Pull-Up 2RM (lb) Weighted 2RM % BW 1-Arm (lb) 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 (cm) Weight (lb) Bench Max (lb) Bench % BW Front Lever (s) Grippul Lift (lb) Grippul % BW Vertical Jump (cm) Weighted Pull-Up 2RM (lb) Weighted 2RM % BW 1-Arm (lb) 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 (Reps) Flying Ladder (Reps) Front Lever Rank Front Lever (s) Grippul Lift (STW%) Weighted Pull-ups (Reps) Compression (s) 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 (lb) Bench Max (lb) Bench % BW Flying Ladder (Reps) Hollow Body (min:sec) Grippul Lift (lb) Grippul % BW Vertical Jump (in) Weighted Pull-Up (lb) Weighted % BW Compression (s) 1-Arm Pull-Up (Reps) 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 Akiko 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