Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains to small boulders. Climbing is done for locomotion, sporting recreation, for competition, and is also done in trades that rely on ascension, such as construction and military operations. Climbing is done indoors and outdoors, on natural surfaces, and on artificial surfaces.
Evolution as a sport
The sport of climbing evolved by climbers and mountaineers|climbers] making first ascents of new types of climbing routes, using new climbing techniques, at ever-increasing grades of difficulty, with ever-improving pieces of climbing equipment. Guides and guidebooks were an important element in developing the popularity of the sport in the natural environment. Early pioneers included Walter Bonatti, Riccardo Cassin, Hermann Buhl, and Gaston Rébuffat, who were followed by and Reinhold Messner and Doug Scott, and later by Mick Fowler and Marko Prezelj, and Ueli Steck.Since the 1980s, the development of the safer format of bolted sport-climbing, the wider availability of artificial climbing walls and climbing gyms, and the development of competition climbing, increased the popularity of rock climbing as a sport, and led to the emergence of professional rock climbers, such as Wolfgang Güllich, Alexander Huber, Chris Sharma, Adam Ondra, Lynn Hill, Catherine Destivelle, and Janja Garnbret.
Climbing became an Olympic sport for the first time in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo in that format that included competition lead climbing, competition bouldering, and competition speed climbing disciplines; competition ice climbing is not yet an Olympic sport.
Rock-based
The sport of rock climbing can trace its origins to the late 19th-century, and has since developed into several major sub-disciplines. Single-pitch and multi-pitch climbing, can be performed in varying styles, while the standalone discipline of bouldering is, by definition, performed in a free-solo format.- Single pitch climbing means ascending climbs that are a single rope-length while multi-pitch climbing means ascending routes that are many rope-lengths. These two rock climbing sub-disciplines can be conducted in one of several ways:
- Bouldering: means ascending boulders or small outcrops with no artificial aids and due to the lower height, with no protection ; very tall boulders where a fall could be serious are known as highball bouldering. Many milestones in bouldering were created by practitioners of bouldering and free climbing.
Mountain-based
Mountaineering as a form of recreation can trace its origins to an even earlier time than rock climbing, and by the mid 18th century mountaineering in alpine environmnets has become as established pastime. It has since developed into several major sub-disciplines, including:- Mountaineering: Ascending mountains, which can involve some rock or ice climbing, but unlike alpine climbing can involve support and fixed ropes.
- Ice climbing: Ascending frozen water ice or hard alpine snow using equipment such as ice axes and crampons; usually in mountain settings.
- Solo climbing: Ascending routes alone; can involve ropes and artificial aid; where no protection or aid is used, it is free soloing.
Competition-based
Competition climbing, is a regulated sport of 'competitive rock climbing' that originated in the 1980s, and which is done as indoor climbing on artificial climbing walls. The worldwide governing body for competition rock-climbing is World Climbing, which is recognized by the IOC and GAISF, and is a member of the International World Games Association. Competition climbing has three parts:- Competition lead climbing is a form of competitive lead climbing performed on an artificial bolted sport climbing route.
- Competition bouldering is a form of competitive bouldering performed on a selection of artificial bouldering routes.
- Competition speed climbing is a form of competitive speed climbing performed on a standardized artificial wall with a top rope.
Other recreational-based
- Buildering: Ascending the exterior skeletons of buildings, typically without protective equipment.
- Canyoneering: Climbing along canyons for sport or recreation.
- Crane climbing: An illicit act of climbing up mechanical cranes, which is a form of buildering.
- Grass climbing: An older form of climbing when climbing steep but grassy mountainsides, often requiring ropes, was undertaken.
- Mallakhamba: A traditional Indian sport that combines climbing a pole or rope with the performance of aerial yoga and gymnastics.
- Parkour: A sport based around smooth movement, including climbing, around urban landscapes.
- Pole climbing: Climbing poles and masts without equipment.
- Rope climbing: Climbing a short, thick rope for speed; not to be confused with roped climbing, as used in rock or ice climbing.
- Stair climbing: ascending elevation via stairs.
- Tree climbing: Recreationally ascending trees using ropes and other protective equipment.
Commercial-based
- Rope access: Industrial climbing, usually abseiling, as an alternative to scaffolding for short works on exposed structures.
- A tower climber is a professional who climbs broadcasting or telecommunication towers or masts for maintenance or repair.
Climbing and health
Therapeutic climbing refers to the structured use of climbing for mental and physical health benefits. It integrates psychotherapeutic principles such as goal setting, emotion regulation, and self-efficacy building into climbing sessions.International organizations and governing bodies
- World Climbing serves as the official governing body for competition climbing worldwide. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the Global Association of International Sports Federations and oversees and regulates competitive climbing events in the disciplines of lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing.
- The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation is a long-standing body for mountaineering and climbing equipment, and which also oversees competition ice climbing, where it sets standards and guidelines for ice climbing events and promotes the sport's development.