Max Milne and Oriane Bertone triumph at inaugural Pro Climbing League event
Scotland’s Max Milne and France’s Oriane Bertone made history by winning the first Pro Climbing League event. Find out how to watch highlights from London and learn more about the new series.
The Pro Climbing League, a professional bouldering competition that features the world's best climbers battling in an innovative head–to–head format, held its first-ever event. Taking place at Magazine London, more than 2,400 fans set the stage for a historic night. Find out what went down at the inaugural event below:
01
What happened at the Pro Climbing League premiere
In the men's event, wildcard entry Max Milne rose to the occasion, winning all his battles before facing American Colin Duffy in the final. Drawing on the energy of the crowd, the 25-year-old from Scotland found another gear when it mattered most and executed a move that took everyone by surprise.
Milne, 25, said: “It was amazing, the crowd was unbelievable. At the start of the event Charlie (note: Boscoe; one of the Pro Climbing League founders) wrote everyone a note and said, 'You’re the wildcard, you can go win this thing', so yeah, I did."
The women’s final lasted just 19 seconds but delivered one of the defining moments of the night. France's Oriane Bertone, the 2025 World Championship silver medallist, flashed the final boulder to claim the inaugural title ahead of Janja Garnbret in a lightning-fast showdown.
“I feel so great! Overall, it was so fun. It’s a new format, it’s very interesting, it’s crazy, thank you guys so much,” said Bertone. “I had fun. In the final round with Janja, I wanted to fight a little bit more. Next time, we’ll hopefully have some very, very hard boulders and we can make something very interesting happen.”
Pro Climbing League London results
1
Max Milne
Great Britain
2
Colin Duffy
United States
3
Tomoa Narasaki
Japan
Rank
Person
Nationality
1
Max Milne
Great Britain
2
Colin Duffy
United States
3
Tomoa Narasaki
Japan
02
Watch the recap of Pro Climbing League London
The first–ever Pro Climbing League event was broadcast live on Red Bull TV on Saturday, February 28. You can watch a replay of the full event in the video below.
Pro Climbing League London livestream
A brand-new professional knockout style head-to-head climbing competition features the world's best climbers.
You can also find out more about the series and the athletes that will compete below.
03
What is the Pro Climbing League?
Featuring 16 elite climbers – eight men and eight women – the Pro Climbing League sees athletes go head–to–head in a high-pressure knockout format in bouldering, which is a form of rock climbing performed on formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses.
The series was founded by climbers Danaan Markey and Charlie Boscoe, who wanted to make the most of the rapid growth of the sport and offer viewers an exciting and easy-to-follow tournament. "It's a place where the sport can grow, connect and inspire – all while staying true to the people at its heart," says Markey.
Climbers will go head-to-head in the new high-pressure format
16 climbers: Eight men and eight women compete head–to–head in pairs on identical boulder problems.
Qualifying rounds: Each match-up consists of the best of three boulders. If both finish, the first to reach the top wins, while no tops means the climber who controlled the highest move advances. If that's still equal, the one who reached the highest point first wins.
Semi–finals: Four winners from the pairs in round one progress to round two, where the same rules apply, but this time they compete on just one boulder.
Final: The four semi–finalists then duel it out for the podium places on two separate boulders – one battle to crown the ultimate champion and one battle for third place – under the same rules as the previous rounds.
The winner of each head-to-head matchup will advance to the next round
Among the confirmed female athletes are Slovenia's climbing legend Janja Garnbret, a double Olympic champion and now 10-time world champion across several disciplines, as well as French phenomenon Orian Bertone, one of the hottest young properties in both bouldering and lead climbing.
In the men's lineup, the UK's Toby Roberts is the Paris 2024 combined gold medalist and multiple World Cup winner in lead and bouldering, while teenage sensation Darius Râpa of Romania is an exciting prospect to look out for in this new format.
In addition, Shauna Coxsey – the most successful competitive climber in British history – will appear as host and commentator at the inaugural event in London.
Shauna Coxsey will be hosting the first-ever PCL event in London
How the Pro Climbing League differs from traditional climbing competitions
Traditional climbing
Pro Climbing League
Format
Athletes take turns on separate boulders.
Head–to–head duels on identical boulders.
Scoring
Rankings based on performance over multiple rounds.
Knockout rounds until a champion is crowned.
Excitement
Rankings change over time and rounds.
Side–by–side duels create a simple, high–energy spectacle.
Representation
Athletes compete for their countries.
Individual–focused league where athletes represent themselves.
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Pro Climbing League FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about the Pro Climbing League
The first-ever event in the Pro Climbing League takes place at Magazine London in Greenwich, London, on Saturday. February 28. Watch it live on Red Bull TV.
Don't miss a minute of the exciting action from the premiere. Head to Red Bull TV to watch it live on February 28. If you miss it, don't worry, the replay will be available after the competition.
The Pro Climbing League focuses on the bouldering discipline, with elite climbers going head-to-head as they negotiate identical boulder problems simultaneously.
Founded by former World Cup commentator Charlie Boscoe and climbing coach Danaan Markey, the Pro Climbing League aims to revolutionise competitive bouldering by offering a fast–paced and easy–to–follow event that differs from traditional, longer-format competitions.
In the Pro Climbing League, rather than competing one–at–a–time across multiple rounds, climbers duel side–by–side in three knockout rounds – qualifying, semi–finals and finals – with the winner of each pairing advancing until an eventual champion is crowned.
Eight men and eight women will battle it out at each competition. Some of the biggest names in climbing have already been confirmed ahead of the event in London, including the UK's Toby Roberts – a multiple World Cup winner in lead and bouldering – and 10-time world champion Janja Garnbret of Slovenia.
