A round-up of the latest events, news and notices from GB Climbing.

Junior BLCCs

The junior British Lead Climbing Championships were held at the Big Depot in Leeds last weekend. This was the first year that the competition was held as a stand-alone event separate from the senior championships.

RESULTS: Junior British Lead Climbing Championships

Updated GB Climbing Selection Policies for 2024

Following the receipt of an open letter from GB Climbing athletes and parents, GB Climbing has updated its selection policies based on feedback from stakeholders.

An announcement on the GB Climbing website reads:

"The ever-evolving landscape of competition climbing requires the development of selection processes that have been improved upon from our learnings. As we move forward towards selection in the 2024 season, we have listened to the feedback provided by all stakeholders and updated the selection policies to ensure we deliver the best possible process.

These changes are driven by a commitment to collaboration, fairness, performance improvement, and alignment with our strategies."

Updated 2024 Selection Policies include the GB Team Selection Framework, the GB Squad Selection Framework, the GB Annual Performance Strategy, the England Selection Framework and the England Annual Benchmarking Strategy

Read more here.

England National Squad Applications Now Open

The application process for the England National Squad is now open.

Opens - 16 October

Closes - 3 November

Note: Youth B and Upper Youth C athletes may wish to wait until after the YCS grand final in order to gain additional points. A second round of applications will open on 27 November and closing 8 December.

Full details on the GB Climbing website.

Link to the form.

SkiMo Steering Group Launched

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina, eligibility criteria has been released by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation and approved by the IOC.

"With this in mind, an enthusiastic group of athletes from within the SkiMo community, in conjunction with the sport's National Governing Body, the BMC, has been established.

"The aim of the steering group is to put in place an athlete development process, a robust selection policy, instigate a coaching pathway, and further advance the sport in the UK. Initially, the Steering Group will seek to create a structure that allows the sport and its participants to flourish, with a stretch aim of selecting potential athletes for Cortina in 2026."

The BMC/GB Climbing are appealing for volunteers to join and expand this initial steering group.

Read more on the GB Climbing website.

Tributes shared to Jessica Baker

The parents of 15-year-old Jessica Baker, who died in an accident on 29 September, have launched a memory page for their daughter. Jessica was a keen competition climber. An update on the BMC website reads:

"Following the tragic loss of our loving daughter we would like to thank everyone for their condolences and offers of support during this extremely difficult time. Jessica was a passionate sportsperson especially climbing which she loved for 10 years. During this time, she met so many people young and old and we would like to capture people's pictures, videos, and memories of Jessica along with their thoughts of her over her short life. To facilitate this we set up a Much Loved online page where you can share your thoughts of Jessica and donate to Climbers Against Cancer, which was a charity close to her heart."

More information on the BMC website.

For more information and updates, follow GB Climbing on Instagram and visit their website.