The past few weeks have revolved around many bouldering competitions. This weekend, I took part in the sold-out Zuidgraad 2025 at Boulderhal Zuidhaven in Utrecht. I had only been there once before, so I did not really know what to expect. Together with Martijn I travelled early to Utrecht, full of enthusiasm for an active day.
First impressions
We arrived well on time and had to wait a little before we were allowed to enter. After collecting our scorecard and a nice competition shirt, we took some time to look at the boulders in advance. In total, there were forty boulders spread throughout the hall. They looked interesting and varied, with a mix of creative movements and different styles. Some boulders appeared quite tough, but that was partly due to the numbering. For example, boulder number 36 seemed very difficult at first, but it turned out to be surprisingly manageable.
The boulders
At 1:00 p.m., we were allowed to begin. I started with a few easy boulders to warm up properly. After that, I moved on to the middle category. I like to work through the boulders wall by wall, so I soon reached the more difficult ones. To my surprise, those went better than I had expected.
Each boulder was worth a fixed number of points, with bonus points for a flash. On a bat-hang boulder and one with a running start, my flash attempt failed, which cost me some points, though fortunately not too many. After an hour and a half of climbing, I had only two of the most difficult boulders left.
I focused my attention on boulder number 40, a paddle jump. That is not my strongest skill, and at first, the movement failed. At one point, I even hit my fingers hard against the hold, which resulted in a bruised nail. In the end, I decided to ignore the paddle and solve the move as a dyno instead. That approach worked! I managed to hold on and reached the top.
Boulder 39 felt like the toughest one of the day. It included a dynamic jump from a pinch to a small edge. Each attempt went a bit better until I was finally able to tick off this boulder as well. After just over two hours, I had completed all forty boulders.
A lively buzz in the hall
In the afternoon, it became increasingly busy, and long queues formed at some of the boulders. Sometimes you had to wait up to fifteen minutes, which slowed down the climbing pace. While waiting, I coached Martijn on the boulders he still had left to complete. Despite the crowds, the atmosphere remained pleasant and full of enthusiasm.
Results and final
Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice meal, after which the results were announced. Martijn finished in third place, and I was delighted to take first place. We stood proudly on the podium with our prizes.
For this competition, only the climbers with closely matched scores were selected to compete in the final. It was a unique concept that I had not experienced before, but one that the audience and other participants clearly appreciated.
All in all, Zuidgraad 2025 was a successful, enjoyable, and sporty day in a great bouldering gym. Boulderhal Zuidhaven is a place I will definitely return to.
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