Welcome to AscentStats

We build statistical models and software tools for climbing analytics.

Competition climbing data science

We have analysed the last 17 years (2008-2024) of IFSC bouldering competitions using a full Bayesian dynamic Bradley-Terry model to find out which climbers are the most skilful, and which boulder problems have been the most difficult. Check out our analyses and elo rankings for climbers and routes here.

FlashGrade

FlashGrade is a mathematical grading system for climbers! It leverages probabilistic data modeling to accurately assess the skill level of climbers based on their ascent data.

Adam Ondra’s bouldering flash grade

We applied the flash grade model to Adam Ondra’s bouldering ascent data on 8a.nu. Check out the results.

FlashGrade tool

We have developed a simple experimental tool that allows climbers to input their ascent data (from thecrag.com) and estimate their climbing ability. Currently it only uses the simple Bradley-Terry model, but a version that uses the dynamic Bradley-Terry model is under development.

Explore our website to stay updated on the latest developments in climbing analytics.

Cumulative Performance Grade

The cumulative performance grade is a universal index of climbing performance over multiple ascents that weights each ascent proportional to the expected difficulty compared with other ascents.