Free on the App Store
Challenge ladders for RowErg, SkiErg and BikeErg
Take the rung above you.
Challenge any spot above you. You and whoever holds it row the same piece on your own ergs, on your own time. Results stay sealed until you've both finished. Win, and the spot is yours.
iPhone appFreeBluetooth PM5 monitorRowErg · SkiErg · BikeErg
Ladder Challenge
timemeter/500ms/m
7:29.720001:52.430186
1:51.85001:51.831168
1:53.410001:53.429176
1:53.915001:53.929181
1:50.620001:50.633186
timemeter/500m
–:––.––––––:––.–
Sealed
Sam O. · #4Their time stays hidden from you, and yours from them, until you've both rowed.
Try one
A ladder, not a leaderboard.
A leaderboard rewards one great day. A ladder makes you defend it. Challenge any spot above you. Win it and you move in, and everyone from that spot down to yours drops one. Every result is a fresh, head-to-head piece. Tap Challenge to run a match.
- #1Mara K.Defended #1 · 3 days agoHolding
- #2Theo B.Moved up · last weekRacing
- #3Priya N.Next result due in 4 days
- #4Sam O.Next result due in 2 daysHolding
- #5YouNext result due in 6 daysYour rung
- #6Lena V.Joined this weekHolding
500 m · Open · example match
- You're #5. You can challenge any spot above you. Try spot #3.
- Whoever holds #3 has 7 days to accept. Unanswered offers expire.
- You row your 500 m. Priya can't see your time.
- Priya rows. Both results are revealed.
- Win and you take #3. Everyone from #3 down to your old spot drops one.
How a challenge works
One spot, five steps.
Nobody has to be online at the same time. Every match runs on its own clock, and the server settles it the moment the second result lands.
- Day 0
Challenge
Pick any spot above yours. The offer is for the spot: if it changes hands, the new holder gets it. One open offer per ladder.
- Within 7 days
Accept
The holder has a week to accept. If they decline or never answer, nobody moves, and it doesn't count as their weekly race.
- Within 7 days of accepting
Race
Each of you rows the piece once, on your own PM5, whenever suits you. The app sets up your monitor and records the result.
- Until both finish
Sealed
Whoever rows first can't be scouted. Neither athlete sees the other's result until both are in.
- Instantly
Settle
Challenger wins: you take the spot and everyone from there down moves down one. Defender wins, or a dead heat: nothing moves.
Launch events
Three ergs. Nineteen pieces.
Distance pieces are won on time, timed pieces on meters. Every piece has Men's and Women's ladders, each with Open and Power-to-Weight, so you can hold a different rung on each.
RowErg 6 pieces
SkiErg 6 pieces
BikeErg 7 pieces · distances doubled
BikeErg distances run double (its 1,000 m matches the 500 m on the other ergs), and its 20-minute piece doubles as an FTP test.
Two divisions
Raw speed, or pound for pound.
Open and Power-to-Weight are separate ladders with separate ranks, in both the Men's and Women's categories. Race one or both.
Open
What the monitor says.
Your time or distance, straight from the PM5. No weigh-in, no paperwork. Show up and row.
500 m → fastest time
1:00 → most meters
- No weigh-in required
- Ranked on the piece itself
- Separate ladder for every event
Power-to-Weight
Watts per kilogram.
Average watts from your piece, divided by your verified body weight. A lighter athlete with a slower time can take the rung.
- Weigh-in photo stays private and is reviewed by a person
- An approved weight is valid for 7 days
- Your weight is locked in when an attempt opens
- Other athletes only ever see your W/kg, never your weight
House rules
Short enough to remember mid-piece.
- Any spot above you
- Challenge any rank higher than yours. Win and you move in; everyone from that spot down to yours drops one.
- Offers follow the spot
- An offer belongs to whoever holds the spot. The holder can accept, decline, or let it expire after 7 days; ranks stay put. One open offer and one race per ladder at a time.
- Row every week
- Submit at least one result on each ladder every 7 days, or drop one place. That includes #1: the top spot is kept by racing, not by waiting.
- One official attempt
- You get a single attempt per challenge. Abandon it and it counts as no result.
- Ties hold
- A dead heat goes to the defender. Nobody moves.
- Every ladder stands alone
- Each event and division has its own ranks and weekly clock. Leave a ladder anytime outside a race; everyone below moves up.
Grit
Rank rewards winning. Grit rewards showing up.
Every challenge you answer and race earns Grit, win or lose. It's yours for life, it never moves anyone on a ladder, and it's how the athletes who race the most get noticed.
Earned
By racing
Accept a challenge, send one that gets raced, and keep racing to hold your spot. Answering an offer quickly counts for more.
Kept
For life
Grit adds up across every ladder and never expires. Climb from Rookie to Legend; once you reach a tier, it's yours.
On your card
Answered
Your player card shows how many of the challenges offered to you you've answered. Ducking shows.
This season
Leaderboard
A season leaderboard in the app ranks everyone by Grit. Your name appears only if you choose to show it.
RookieBronzeSilverGoldPlatinumDiamondLegend
Grit is built so it can't be farmed: racing the same athlete over and over, or racing just for points, stops paying. The exact numbers stay behind the scenes.
Result cards
Every match gets a result card.
Settled matches can be shared as a result card on ErgLadder's official feed. You decide how you appear: your racing name, your initials, or "Anonymous athlete." Body weight never appears on a card, and nothing is posted before both athletes have finished.
RowErg 500mOpen
#18Josh C.1:31.4
defeats
#17Alex R.1:33.7
Josh moves to #17ErgLadderVerified PM5 Challenge
BikeErg FTP testW/kg
#6Josh C.3.62 W/kg
defeats
#5Alex R.3.48 W/kg
Josh moves to #5ErgLadderVerified PM5 Challenge
Sample cards. Athletes and results are illustrative.
Questions
Before you pull.
What equipment do I need?
An iPhone and a Concept2 RowErg, SkiErg or BikeErg with a PM5 monitor, which has Bluetooth. Older PM3 and PM4 monitors don't have Bluetooth, so they can't run a ladder attempt.
Is this a workout log or an ErgData replacement?
No. Keep using whatever you train with. ErgLadder is only for ladder challenges: one head-to-head piece at a time.
Can I use a piece I've already rowed?
No. Ranked results only come from a new attempt started in the app for an accepted challenge. You can't select an old Logbook workout or type a time.
Are men and women ranked separately?
Yes. Every piece has separate Men's and Women's ladders, and you only challenge athletes in your own category. You choose yours in the app, and you can switch until your first race.
Does anyone see my body weight?
No. Weight is only used for Power-to-Weight, and other athletes only see your W/kg score. Your weigh-in photo is private and is only seen by reviewers.
What if my Bluetooth drops mid-piece?
Keep rowing. The app reconnects to your monitor and carries on. If it can't reconnect before you finish, you can abandon the attempt, and it counts as no result.
Will my results go to my Concept2 Logbook?
Logbook sync is planned as an optional extra. Your ladder result never depends on it.
Why is a challenge for a spot, not a person?
Ranks move while offers wait. If the athlete holding the spot you want wins or loses somewhere else first, your offer goes to whoever holds that spot now. You're always racing for the place, not the name.
When can I start?
Right now. ErgLadder is free on the App Store for iPhone. Download the app and sign in with Apple to start.
Get on the ladder.
ErgLadder is free on the App Store for iPhone. Download the app, sign in with Apple and find your first challenge.
Racing needs a Concept2 RowErg, SkiErg or BikeErg with a Bluetooth PM5 monitor.
Free · iPhone only
Download on the App Storehello@athmetrics.com