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.
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.
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.
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:
Tests are derived from academic research and climbing biomechanics.
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 controlâÂÂproviding data-driven insights for athlete development and scouting.
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.
Athletes are ranked based on a cumulative score from all events:
Where:
The athlete with the highest total score is awarded Rank 1.
Example calculation:
This approach emphasizes relative strength, power, and efficiency across climbers of different body types.
Athletes from BFL who have gone on to Team USA , international events, or notable ascents include:
2021 BFL Combine Results
2022 BFL Combine Results
2023 BFL Combine Results
2024 BFL Combine Results
2025 BFL Combine Results
2021 BFL Combine Results
2022 BFL Combine Results
2023 BFL Combine Results
2024 BFL Combine Results
2025 BFL Combine Results