Sports Climbing – How to Train For Your Outdoor Adventure

Sport climbing is a style of climbing that focuses on short and challenging climbs, usually set indoors.

Sport climbing differs from trad climbing in that it involves the use of pre-set protection and artificial holds instead of natural features.

Depending on the type of sport climbing, these artificial holds may be fixed to walls or bolted onto them. Sport climbing first began as an activity pursued only by other climbers training for competitions, but it has gained popularity in recent years.

Many indoor facilities have added sport climbing as a way to attract new visitors and offer a new challenge for veteran climbers.

With the right training, you can learn how to get started with this exciting style of climbing.

In this guide, you’ll learn what sport climbing is, its benefits, what gear required you need to get started, and where you can find a facility near you that offers it.

The Benefits Of Sport Climbing

Sport climbs has been around for decades and have evolved with the technology of the times. Sport climbing was invented as a way to make climbing indoors possible year-round.

Before the invention of sport climbing, indoor climbing was only possible in the spring and fall or between October and March.

In addition to making climbing indoors year-round possible, sport climbing also allows most climbers to train more often as compared to traditional rock climbing.

With sport climbing, no matter how many times you fall off the wall, you can’t really hurt yourself.

This makes it possible to try really challenging sport route over and over again, which helps people improve much faster. Sport climbing also provides a safer experience than traditional climbing.

When you fall while sport climbing, you usually just fall off the wall and land on a crash pad made of soft material.

When you fall while trad climbing, you fall off the wall and onto the ground, which can lead climber to broken bones, sprains, and other injuries.

Sport Climbing Vs Trad Vs Aid

Sport Climbing In The Olympics

The sport of climbing has been a part of the modern Olympics since 1936, but it’s only recently (2018) that sport climbing became an Olympic medal sport.

In 2018, the Tokyo Olympics made history by becoming the first to include indoor sports. This added climbing, skateboarding, and surfing to the roster of outdoor Olympic sports.

Although climbing indoors has been a major part of climbing culture for years, it was only recently that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) added it to the official roster of events.

This made sport climbing the first new sport added to the Olympics in over 100 years, and the first new sport added to the indoor Olympics in more than 50 years.

The indoor version of the sport has been around since the 1980s when it was recognized as a competitive sport by the IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing).

It was originally called “indoor climbing,” but since many outdoor sports climbs also involve indoor climbing, the name was changed to “sport climbing” in 2006.

How Does Sport Climbing Work?

Sport climbing is a form of climbing that relies entirely on pre-placed artificial holds and protection (bolted or fixed into the wall or ceiling) as opposed to natural features, such as cracks or ledges.

If you are sport climbing indoors, these holds and protection will be attached to the walls or ceiling of the climbing facility, whereas outdoor climbing will use fixed protection such as bolts..

Climbers typically begin by tying into a rope tied and clipping the rope into each piece of protection as they ascend the wall.

This is done to ensure that, in case a piece of protection were to fail, the climber will not fall and hit the ground.

When a climber falls, it’s called a “belay” and the fall ends when they either clip the next piece of protection above the failed piece or when the belayer (person controlling the rope) catches the climber.

When does Did Sport Climbing begin?

Climbing has been around for centuries, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that sport climbing was introduced.

The first climbing wall was built in Germany in the late 1960s, and by the early 1980s, climbing walls were popping up all over the world.

The first World Championship for indoor climbing was held in 1985, and it wasn’t until 2002 that the first World Championships for outdoor climbing were contested.

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) was formed in 2001 and held its first official World Cup season in 2002.

The IFSC officially recognized the sport of indoor climbing in 2003, and the first World Championships for outdoor climbing were held in 2004.

Is Sport Climbing Single Pitch Or Multi-pitch?

A single-pitch climb is one that is ascended with one continuous climbing rope and a belay device (such as a Grigri or ATC).

A multi-pitch climb is one that is ascended with more than one climbing rope and a belay device, such as one person climbing with one rope, tagging the top of the climb, and then having a second person climb with a second rope (belay device) back down.

Since sport climbing is done on manmade walls, it is almost always a single-pitch climb. You can find multi-pitch sport climbs in the form of big wall climbing, but those are usually done outdoors and not in a climbing facility.

Sport Climbing Gear

Climbers’ gear varies greatly depending on the type of climbing being done, but things like climbing shoes, a harness, and a climbing rope are essential for all types of climbing. For sport climbing, traditional sport climbing shoes are typically used.

These climbing shoes have smaller rubber soles and a stiff-as-a-board heel that makes it easier to stand on small footholds and clip into the wall.

Depending on the type of harness you’re using, it may have a few extra pieces that make it suitable for sport climbing. A full-body harness is the most common type of harness used in sport climbing.

Sport climbing ropes are thinner and less durable than those used in trad climbing, and are usually between 9-11mm in diameter.

Tips For Beginners

If you’re just getting started in sport climbing, make sure to have a spotter: someone who stands below the climber and watches for falling gear or dropped items.

While sport climbing, you will be attached to a rope, but it’s always important to be safe and have a spotter.

You should be sure to know how to tie the most common climbing knots, including the figure-8 follow-through (for top rope), the grapevine (for bouldering), and the double fisherman’s knot (for joining two pieces of rope).

Remember to pace yourself. Climbing is a very taxing sport, so it’s important that you build up your strength and endurance before going full throttle.

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