Sport climbing
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Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of
Sport climbing dates from the early 1980s when leading French rock climbers wanted to climb routes that offered no cracks or fissures in which to insert the temporary protection equipment used in traditional climbing. While bolting natural rock faces was controversial—and remains a focus of debate in climbing ethics—sport climbing grew rapidly in popularity; all subsequent grade milestones in rock climbing came from sport climbing.
The safer discipline of sport climbing also led to the rapid growth in
Description
Sport climbing is a form of
Sport climbing differs from traditional climbing, which requires the lead climber to insert temporary climbing protection equipment as they ascend, making sport climbing safer.[2] Sport climbing differs from free solo climbing where no climbing protection is used whatsoever.[3]
Confusingly, the sport of competition climbing, which consists of three distinct rock climbing disciplines: lead climbing (the bolted sport climbing element), bouldering (no bolts needed), and speed climbing (also not bolted), is sometimes referred to as "sport climbing".[3][4][5]
First free ascent
Sport climbing developed the
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Verdon_Pichenibule.jpg/220px-Verdon_Pichenibule.jpg)
By the early 1980s, the leading rock climbers were beginning to reach the limits of existing traditional climbing protection devices. They looked to climb blanker-looking rock faces that did not have the usual cracks and fissures that are needed in which to place traditional climbing protection.[4][8] In France, leading climbers such as Patrick Berhault and Patrick Edlinger began to pre-drill permanent bolts into the pocket-marked limestone walls of Buoux and Verdon Gorge for their protection.[8] These became known as "sport climbing routes" (i.e. there was none of the associated risks of traditional climbing, it was a purely sporting endeavor), with early examples such as Pichenibule 7b+ (5.12c) in 1980.[8][9] Around the same time at Smith Rock State Park in the United States, American climber Alan Watts also started to place pre-drilled bolts into routes, creating the first American sport climbs of Watts Tot 5.12b (7b), and Chain Reaction 5.12c (7b+) in 1983.[8][10]
Sport climbing was rapidly adopted in Europe, and particularly in France and Germany by the then emerging professional rock climbers such as German climber
Competition sport climbing
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Climbing_World_Championships_2018_Lead_Final_Pilz_03.jpg/220px-Climbing_World_Championships_2018_Lead_Final_Pilz_03.jpg)
The significantly safer aspect of sport climbing over traditional climbing led to rapid development in
Ethics
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Moritz_Welt_Joe_Blau_8c%2B_Oliana_Spain.png/220px-Moritz_Welt_Joe_Blau_8c%2B_Oliana_Spain.png)
Debates remain about the ethics of attaching permanent metal bolts on natural outdoor rock, which is also related to the broader
In the United Kingdom, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) maintains a register of outdoor climbing areas that are suitable for bolting, and those which are to remain bolt free; in addition, the BMC offers guidance on bolting-related ethical climbing issues such as retro-bolting.[14][15]
Equipment
Quickdraws
Sport climbing requires far less
Bolts
The pre-drilled bolts will degrade over time—particularly in coastal areas due to salt—and eventually, all sport climbs need to be re-fitted after several years.[17] The highest quality titanium bolts are too expensive to use regularly, and the next highest quality stainless steel bolts have an expected lifespan of circa 20–25 years (the cheaper plated stainless steel bolts have a shorter span); and in 2015, the American Alpine Club established an "anchor replacement fund" to help replace the bolts on America's estimated 60,000 sport climbing routes.[18]
Grading
Dominant systems
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Ainhize_Belar_eskalatzen.jpg/180px-Ainhize_Belar_eskalatzen.jpg)
As sport climbing removes the danger of a route by using bolts, sport routes are graded solely for their technical difficulty (i.e how hard are the physical movements to ascend the route), and unlike traditional climbing routes, do not require an additional grade to reflect risk.[19][20] The most dominant systems for grading sport climbing routes are the French system (e.g. ... 6b, 6c, 7a, 7b, 7c, ...), which is also called French sport grading, and the American system (e.g. ... 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, 5.11a, ...).[19][20] The UIAA system (e.g. ... VII, VIII, IX, X, ...) is popular in Germany and central Europe.[19] The Australian (or Ewbank) system (e.g. ... , 23, 24, 25, 26, ...) is also used.[19][20][21]
Integration with boulder grades
Even though the grading of sport-routes is simpler than traditional routes, there is the issue of how to compare a short route with one very hard move, with a longer route with a sustained sequence of slightly easier moves. Most of the above grading systems are based on the "overall" difficulty of the route, and thus both routes could have the same sport grade.[19][22] As a result of this, it has become common for the advanced sport climbing routes (e.g. Realization, La Dura Dura, and La Rambla) to describe the hardest moves by their bouldering grade, which is either the French "Font" system (e.g. ..., 7B, 7C, 8A, 8B, ...) or the American "V-scale" system (e.g. ..., V9, V10, V11, V12, ...).[22] French sport-grades can be confused with French "Font" boulder grades, the only difference being 'capitalization'.[22]
As an example of how sport and boulder grades are used on sport climbing routes, this is Adam Ondra describing his 2017 redpoint of Silence, the first-ever sport climb with a sport-grade of 9c (French), which is the same as 5.15d (American) or XII+ (UIAA):
The climb is about 45m long, the first 20m are about 8b [French sport] climbing with a couple of really really good knee-bars. Then comes the crux boulder problem, 10 moves of 8C [French boulder]. And when I say 8C boulder problem, I really mean it. ... I reckon just linking 8C [French boulder] into 8B [French boulder] into 7C [French boulder] is a 9b+ [French] sport climb, I'm pretty sure about that.
— Adam Ondra in an interview with PlanetMountain (2017).[23]
Notable climbs and climbers
Since the development of sport climbing in the early 1980s, all of the subsequent grade milestones (i.e. the next levels of hardest technical difficulty) in rock climbing have been set by sport climbers. German climber Wolfgang Güllich raised sport climbing grades from 8b (5.13d) in 1984 with Kanal im Rücken to 9a (5.14d) in 1991 with Action Directe.[25] American climber Chris Sharma dominated sport climbing development in the decade after his ground-breaking ascent of Realization/Biographie at 9a+ (5.15a) in 2001 and Jumbo Love at 9b (5.15b) in 2008.[25] Czech climber Adam Ondra took the mantle of the world's strongest sport climber from Sharma by freeing Change in 2012 and La Dura Dura in 2013, both at 9b+ (5.15c).[24] In 2017, Ondra freed Silence, the first-ever sport climb at 9c (5.15d).
Female sport climbing was dominated in the 1980s by American climber
Some of the strongest-ever sport climbers were also some of the strongest-ever competition climbers, such as Adam Ondra, Lynn Hill, and Angela Eiter. However, some of the other strongest-ever sport climbers either largely ignored competition climbing, or retired early from it to focus on non-competition sport climbing, such as Wolfgang Gullich,[26] Chris Sharma,[27] and Josune Bereziartu.[28]
In film
- Statement of Youth, a 2019 documentary film about the birth of sport climbing in Britain in the 1980s featuring Jerry Moffatt and Ben Moon.[29][30]
- Reel Rock 7, the 2012 edition of the Reel Rock series with Chris Sharma and Adam Ondra's famous collaboration on La Dura Dura 9b+ (5.15c).[31][32]
- Dosage Volume I, the 2002 edition of Dosage Series with Chris Sharma's historic first free ascent of Realization/Biographie 9a+ (5.15a).[31]
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
References
- Cambridge Dictionary. 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
the style of climbing (= moving on rocks, up mountains, or up special walls as a sport) in which climbers use devices that have already been fixed to the rock, rather than using devices that they bring with them and remove after the climb
- ^ a b Bate, Chris; Arthur, Charles; et al. (8 May 2006). "A Glossary of Climbing terms: from Abseil to Zawn". UK Climbing. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
Sport Climbing. Climbing on routes that use bolts. Traditional "Trad" Climbing 1. Climbing where the leader places protection as they go up.
- ^ a b c "What Is Sport Climbing? – Everything You Need To Know". Climber. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1594852701. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1493056262.
- ^ a b c Pardy, Aaron (5 November 2022). "Redpoint, Pinkpoint, and Headpoint – What Do They Mean?". Gripped Magazine. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ Haas, Laz (21 July 2022). "How to Hangdog Sport Climbing". Climbing. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1594855023.
- ^ Bisharat, Andrew (30 July 2015). "Exploring the Birthplace of Sport Climbing in Europe's Grandest Canyon". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ a b c Hobley, Nicholas (26 November 2009). "Alan Watts climbing interview". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ Osius, Alison (23 November 2021). "Purists in the 1980s Thought Comps Wouldn't Last. Snowbird Changed Everything". Climbing. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ a b "A History of Climbing Competitions Since 1985". Gripped Magazine. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Smith, Craig (22 July 2022). "American Sport Climbing's Contentious Beginnings". Climbing. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Tony (8 September 2022). "Fixed Gear Guidance on North West Crags and Quarries". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ Bordeau, Steve (18 July 2023). "Should We Really Retro-bolt That Dangerous Classic?". Climbing. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ a b Potter, Stephen (23 August 2022). "A Beginner's Guide to Lead Climbing in Sport Climbing". Climbing. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ Achey, Jeff (23 December 2014). "Built to Last? The Hidden Dangers Of Climbing Bolts". Climbing. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ Carpenter, Shelby (4 November 2015). "What Happens When Climbing Bolts Go Bad?". Outside. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Grade Conversions: Alpine Grading System". Rockfax Publishing. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "International Grade Comparison Chart". American Alpine Journal. 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- S2CID 53358088.
- ^ a b c Bruijn, Bonnie (23 March 2023). "Understanding Rock Climbing Grades". Gripped Magazine. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ Hobley, Nicholas (26 June 2017). "Adam Ondra climbing towards the world's first 9c". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ a b Cahall, Fitz (13 November 2013). "Adventurers of the Year: Climber Adam Ondra". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Oviglia, Maurizio (23 December 2012). "The evolution of free climbing". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ISBN 978-1493034772. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ISBN 978-1493034772. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ "Josune Bereziartu, interview after Noia 8c+ at Andonno". PlanetMountain.com. 31 October 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ Burns, Cameron (27 May 2020). "13 Great Climbing Films You Might Not Be Familiar With". Climbing. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
Statement of Youth: The Birth of British Sport Climbing
- ^ "The Birth of British Sport Climbing in Statement of Youth". PlanetMountain. May 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ a b Bisharat, Andrew (6 September 2022). "The 20 Best Climbing Films of All Time". Outside. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ Brown, Nick (8 April 2020). "Lockdown – Sport Climbing films to get you through isolation". UKClimbing. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-1493056262.
- Chelton, Neil (June 2019). Sport Climbing Basics: Single and Multi-Pitch Bolted Routes. VDiffClimbing. ISBN 978-1796923278.
- Fitch, Nate; Funderburke, Ron (July 2016). Climbing: From Toproping to Sport Climbing (illustrated ed.). ISBN 978-1493016396.
- Hill, Pete (2010). SPORT CLIMBING: Techniques for climbing bolted routes (2nd ed.). ISBN 9781852845285.
- Bisharat, Andrew (6 October 2009). Sport Climbing: From Toprope to Redpoint. ISBN 978-1594852701.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)
- Sport Climbing 101: The Complete Beginner’s Guide, 99boulders (2021)
- The Hardest Sport Climbs in the World, HardClimbs (2023)
- America’s 100 Best Sport Climbing Routes, Climbing (2023)
- Watch Adam Ondra Make History and Flash 5.15 sport climb, Gripped Magazine (July 2021)
- An exploration of the world's most impossible sport climbs and the new standards that they set, Gripped Magazine (May 2020)