Rock Climbing

Lucy Rados '25 ~ October 2021

Maybe you watched the Disney+ movie Free Solo, or watched climbing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but did you realize that rock climbing is an international sport with competitions all over the world throughout the year for many age groups? In fact, the 2021 Youth Nationals were held this summer in Reno, Nevada.

In the world of competitive rock climbing, there are three disciplines: lead, bouldering, and speed climbing.

As described by REI, in lead climbing, you are tied in with a belayer, but rather than the rope being attached at the top, the climber clips themself in as they go. The climber is awarded points for each hold they reach.

In bouldering, the climber climbs a wall generally around thirteen feet with no rope or harness, and with thick crash pads at the bottom of the wall.

The final competition discipline is speed climbing, according to Climber News , in which two climbers compete on a standardized route, racing to hit the buzzer at the top first. In the olympics, the first round was for time, and after that, the top 16 competitors raced, the loser of each round getting eliminated.

Though not a form of competition on the worldwide stage, it should be mentioned that top roping is another type of climbing. Tope rope is where novice climbers begin and younger climbers compete before aging up to lead. When top roping, the climber is tied into one end of a rope that attaches to an anchor at the top of the wall, while the other end is used by the belayer to catch the climber if they fall.

According to the International Federation of Sport Climbing, recent competitions include the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, the Moscow Climbing World Championships in Boulder, Lead and Speed, and the Climbing World Cup in Kranj, Slovenia, which was solely lead climbing.

Top climbers in the world, some of whom are mentioned on Rock Climbing Central’s “The Best 8 Competition Climbers in 2019,” include Janja Garnbret of Slovenia, a climber consistently placing first and second in competitions, including first at the Tokyo Olympics in Combined Women and first at the Kranj Climbing World Cup. From the men, Adam Ondra is widely considered one of the best, ranked third in the world for bouldering. Despite placing only sixth at the Tokyo Olympics, he is regarded as a top climber. From the United States, Brooke Raboutou and Colin Duffy are both exceptional climbers, Duffy only seventeen years old, and Raboutou twenty.

However, rock climbing is not just competitive. There is a huge outdoor climbing scene in places like Yosemite, California and elsewhere within the country according to 57 Hours' list of top climbing spots in the USA. 57 Hours also lists the best places in the world to climb, including places like Fontainebleau, France, Dolomites, Italy and Kalymnos, Greece, popular for its various terrains, climbs and rock types. When climbing outside, people either boulder or lead climb.

If you are interested in climbing, check out Central Rock Gym here in Buffalo. They offer bouldering, top rope, and lead climbing. Climbing does have expenses, such as equipment (shoes, harnesses, chalk) and buying a gym membership, but most gyms offer gear rentals and day passes, and the fun of climbing makes up for the expense!

Title Photo: 7163893, Pixabay