Climbing

Climbing is an activity where people use their hands, feet, or other parts of their bodies to go up steep things. These can be very big, like the world's tallest mountains such as the eight thousanders, or small rocks called boulders. People climb for many reasons: to move from place to place, for fun, in competitions, and even for jobs like construction or military work.

Climbing can happen both inside buildings and outside. When it is done outside, people might climb natural things like rocks for rock climbing or ice for ice climbing. Inside, there are special places made for climbing, such as climbing walls and climbing gyms. These places let people practice and enjoy climbing safely without having to go to a real mountain or ice field.

Evolution as a sport

Climbing grew as a sport when climbers reached new heights, tried new ways to climb, and used better tools. Guides and guidebooks helped many people learn to enjoy climbing outdoors. Famous early climbers include Walter Bonatti, Riccardo Cassin, Hermann Buhl, and Gaston Rébuffat. Later, Reinhold Messner and Doug Scott became well-known, followed by others like Mick Fowler, Marko Prezelj, and Ueli Steck.

Since the 1980s, safer ways to climb, like using bolts and indoor climbing walls, made the sport more popular. Competition climbing also grew, with climbers like Wolfgang Güllich, Alexander Huber, Chris Sharma, Adam Ondra, Lynn Hill, Catherine Destivelle, and Janja Garnbret becoming professionals. Climbing became an Olympic sport for the first time in the 2021 games in Tokyo, with lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing as events. Ice climbing is not yet an Olympic sport.

Rock-based

The sport of rock climbing started in the late 19th century and has grown into several main types. These include single-pitch climbing, which uses routes up to 50 metres, and multi-pitch climbing, which can go up to 1,000 metres.

There are different ways to climb, such as aid climbing, which uses tools to help, and sport climbing, which uses fixed anchors for safety but no other aids. Traditional climbing relies on climbers placing their own removable safety gear as they go. Free soloing means climbing without any safety gear, which can be very risky, though deep-water soloing has water below to catch a fall. Top rope climbing uses a rope at the top for safety and is a common way for beginners to try climbing. Bouldering involves climbing short, sturdy rock formations without aids or safety gear, and very tall bouldering routes are called highball bouldering.

Mountain-based

Mountaineering as a fun activity started a long time ago, even before rock climbing did. By the middle of the 1700s, people were already enjoying climbing in the mountains. Over time, mountaineering has grown into different types of climbing.

These include:

• Mountaineering: Climbing mountains, which might need some rock or ice climbing. This type often uses support and fixed ropes.
• Alpine climbing: Climbing big routes that need skills in rock, ice, and mixed climbing, but with very little equipment and no outside help.
• Scrambling: Climbing rocky faces and ridges, which can include basic rock climbing and is often part of hillwalking.
• Via ferrata: Climbing mountain paths using fixed steel cables, metal steps, and ladders for safety.
• Ice climbing: Climbing frozen water or hard snow using tools like ice axes and crampons, usually in mountains.
• Mixed climbing: Climbing paths that use ice climbing tools where there is both rock and ice. If there is no ice, this is called dry-tooling.
• Solo climbing: Climbing paths alone. This can be done with ropes or without any protection, known as free soloing.

Competition-based

Competition climbing is a type of organized sport where people climb on special walls indoors. It started in the 1980s and is managed by World Climbing, which is part of big sports groups like the IOC and GAISF. There are three main parts to competition climbing:

• Competition lead climbing is a race to climb a special route on a wall.
• Competition bouldering is a race to solve different climbing puzzles on a wall.
• Competition speed climbing is a race to climb a tall wall as fast as possible using a top rope.

Competition ice climbing is another kind of climbing sport that started in the early 2000s. It involves climbing on walls that look like ice, both outdoors and indoors. The UIAA manages this sport worldwide, but it is not yet part of the Olympic Games.

Other recreational-based

There are many fun ways people enjoy climbing for recreation. Some people climb the outside of buildings, often without safety gear, just for the challenge. Others enjoy climbing along canyons, which are deep valleys with steep sides, or even up tall mechanical cranes.

You can also find climbing in traditional sports like Mallakhamba, where people climb poles or ropes while doing yoga and gymnastics. Climbing can also include moving smoothly through city areas, called parkour, or quickly climbing thick ropes. Some people like to climb trees using ropes and safety gear for extra fun and adventure.

Commercial-based

Climbing can also be used in jobs. For example, some workers use climbing to reach high places instead of using scaffolding. This is called rope access and often involves abseiling.

There are also special workers called tower climbers. They climb very tall towers, like those used for broadcasting or telecommunications, to fix or maintain them.

Climbing and health

Therapeutic climbing uses climbing to help improve mental and physical health. It includes setting goals, managing emotions, and building confidence through climbing activities.

International organizations and governing bodies

World Climbing is the main group that runs climbing competitions all around the world. It is approved by the International Olympic Committee and works with other sports groups. It helps organize contests for different types of climbing, like climbing quickly, solving puzzles on walls, and moving over big rocks.

The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation has been around for a long time and looks after climbing and ice climbing. It makes rules for ice climbing contests and helps grow the sport.

In film

Main article: Mountain film

Climbing has been shown in many movies, both stories and real-life documentaries. Some well-known climbing movies are Touching the Void from 2003, Everest from 2015, Meru from 2015, The Dawn Wall from 2015, Free Solo from 2018, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible from 2021, and The Alpinist from 2021. There is also a traveling film festival called the Reel Rock Film Tour, which shows only climbing and adventure movies, including the Reel Rock series.