NiBS 2026 Round One
2026 NZAC National Indoor Bouldering Series — Round 1 Report Faultline, Wellington | 22–23 May 2026
The 2026 NZAC National Indoor Bouldering Series kicked off in style at Faultline, Wellington on 22–23 May. This was the largest climbing event ever held in New Zealand, with over 400 entries surpassing the previous record set at the same venue in 2024. The bouldering community that has flourished in Wellington's central city is friendly, motivated, and psyched—and that supportive vibe always makes for a great event.
This year we introduced a new format element: a Friday 'fun round' from 6–8pm, perfect for first-timers or anyone who's more about the experience than the rankings. Saturday's programme opened with the youth round, and as ever, performances across all categories were eye-opening. The level of youth climbing has jumped measurably over the last three years, and with better facilities and coaching support becoming more widely available, that rate of change is only set to accelerate. If you want a vivid illustration of where things are heading, visit a host gym the Sunday after the event and watch the kids casually running laps on the Open finals boulders from the night before. The routesetters certainly have their work cut out for them in the years to come.
On the topic of routesetting—the Faultline team, led by George Sanders, did a fantastic job shaping a smorgasbord of blocs to test every style: bone-crushing crimps, flying coordination moves, technical slabs, and no-tex hand jams.
They faced one of the toughest competition briefs in NiBS history for the finals round, with not one but two American pros appearing in the Open Female category. Taking time out of their Castle Hill Basin residency, it was a treat to watch Simone Winger and Sienna "Cece" Kopf deliver a world-class performance. The setting team had to dial things up on the finals boulders, and it's a testament to the depth of the New Zealand women's field that they were able to go toe-to-toe with the strong Team USA climbers. Ultimately Cece took the top spot with Simone in second, and the inseparable Katie Chinn and Zoe Ball sharing third—unable to be split in either the main round or the finals.
In the men's field, Oskar Wolff had unfinished business. A foot slip on the final slab boulder at Round 4 in Wellington last year had cost him not just that event win but the series title, and he came back looking for redemption. It was, fittingly, the slab that gave him the edge over a stacked field—Finlay Cate right behind him, and crowd favourite Falk Neal Hormann rounding out the podium in third.
A huge thank you to our gracious hosts at Faultline, especially Stella for doing so much of the organisational heavy lifting, and to Brook and the whole team. The bar has been set once again. The question now: can any other city top the excitement and sheer numbers of a Wellington NiBS round?
All photos courtesy of Kusal.