Rock climbing is a relatively new sport that has seen tremendous growth in the last few years. It’s no wonder people are asking – is rock climbing an Olympic sport? Well, here at RemixOutdoors we’re ready to settle that question once and for all!
Is Rock Climbing an Olympic Sport?
Yes! Rock climbing premiered at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. The event consisted of a combination of 3 disciplines: Bouldering, Lead Climbing, and Speed Climbing.
This format was previously tested at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics before making its debut in Tokyo. However, the format of the event has received criticism with critics pointing out that bouldering, Lead Climbing, and Speed Climbing are very different events and should not be combined.
Many pro climbers voiced concerns and recommended the event should be broken down into three separate events since elite climbers usually focus on only one discipline. However, even with the controversies surrounding the debut of rock climbing at the Tokyo Olympics, the future of Olympic rock climbing is bright!
Olympic Rock Climbing: Overview
Technically speaking, the term rock climbing can refer to many types of climbing. Here’s a quick overview of the most 3 types of rock climbing featured at the Olympic event.
Bouldering
Bouldering is a type of rock climbing that does not require safety harnesses or ropes. Routes are fairly short and climbers are usually no more than 10-15 ft off the ground. Instead of climbing large cliffs or even mountains, bouldering focuses on small rock outcrops or “boulders” (hence the name).
Since bouldering routes are fairly short, they may only utilize a few holds. However, the most difficult bouldering routes can be very physically demanding, requiring top-notch grip strength and incredible athleticism.
Instead of using ropes and harnesses, climbers may place a pad at bottom of the route in case of a fall and to land on when they’ve reached the top of the route. In the early days, climbers used old mattresses or cushions. However, bouldering-specific pads are now available from most top climbing brands.
Because bouldering doesn’t require any special safety gear (except possibly a bouldering pad) it has a very low barrier to entry. This makes it very beginner friendly. It’s the easiest type of climbing to get into – and some say – it’s the hardest to master.
Lead Climbing
Unlike Bouldering, Lead climbing uses a rope and harness. The climber attaches the rope to the anchor points along the route. As they ascend the wall, a belayer below slowly lets out slack and is ready to hold the rope tight if the climber falls.
There are two main types of lead climbing; Sport Climbing and Traditional climbing (or “trad” climbing).
In sport climbing, climbers hook the rope into preinstalled anchors that are either drilled or screwed into the surface of the wall or rock. As climbers ascend the route they attached the rope to each anchor point with a carabiner and remove them when finished. This is the type of lead climbing featured at the Olympics.
Trad climbing is similar to sport climbing. However, instead, using anchors that have been screwed or drilled into the wall (or rock) climbers place their own safety devices (anchors) along the wall as they ascend. These anchors are specially designed to grab or wedge into crevices in the rock and have a carbine attached to hook into. Climbers remove the anchors after completing the ascent.
Since Trad climbing anchors hook into natural contours and crevices of the rock, you won’t be able to try it at your local gym or at the Olympics (at least for now!).
In both types of lead climbing, the anchor points are usually located several feet (or more) apart. So, if a climber falls before reaching the next anchor point, they may fall a few feet before being caught by the rope. When done correctly, lead climbing can be just as safe as top roping, or even bouldering. However, it requires a high level of discipline and expertise.
Speed Climbing
Unlike bouldering and lead climbing, speed climbing places an emphasis on speed and dexterity. The goal of speed climbing is to complete the 49ft (15 meters) route in as little time as possible. The current word record speed climb stands at 5.00 seconds!
Speed climbing routes are standardized worldwide by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). This ensures that all climbers can train and compete on an equivalent course.
Since climbers practically fly up the route, speed climbing utilizes an auto belay device that quickly takes up slack faster than any human belayer could.
Olympic Rock Climbing: Route Grading Scale
Bouldering Grading Scale
There are several grading scales for bouldering, but by far the most common scale is the “V” scale. The V scale starts at V0 and extends indefinitely with the hardest route on the record being graded V17! However, the hardest route you’re likely to meet at your local gym would be around V10.
Generally speaking, routes graded from V0-V3 are considered beginner level, routes graded from V4-V6 are considered intermediate, and V7 and above are getting into the expert category.
Outdoor bouldering uses the same grading scale as indoor bouldering. However, indoor gyms generally set their routes “softer” than an equivalent outdoor route. For example, a V7 at a gym would probably only be considered in the V5 range by an experienced outdoor boulderer.
Lead Climbing Grading Scale
Most rock climbing routes, including top roping and lead climbing routes, are graded using the Yosemite Decimal System (or YDS for short). This grading is especially prevalent in the U.S. but can be found all around the world.
Each YDS grading is made of three parts. Let’s take the grade 5.11c as an example.
In this case, the “5” refers to the Class of the ascent. Classes actually start at 1, which would be a flat hike and progresses to “5” which is a vertical climb. Obviously, all the climbs you’ll find out there will fall into the “5” category.
The “.11” refers to the difficulty of the climb and goes from “2” to “15”. The higher the number, the more difficult the climb. For example, a route graded as 5.1 would be perfect for beginners, while a route graded as 5.15 would be pro-level.
The letter following the grade (in this case a “c”) is used to further specify the difficulty of the route and can be a, b, c, or d. For example, a 5.11b would be slightly more difficult than are example route, which is a 5.11c.
Speed Climbing Grading Scale
There is no official difficulty grading scale for the standard speed climbing route. However, it is estimated to be around 5.10a or intermediate. Considering how quickly speed climbers ascend the route this difficulty is mostly irrelevant. Since they have trained on the route over and over, each move is memorized.
The difficulty in speed climbing lies in executing each move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Future of Olympic Rock Climbing
Even with the controversies surrounding the debut of rock climbing at the Tokyo Olympics, the future of Olympic rock climbing is bright! As rock climbing grows in popularity many fans hope to see bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing featured as separate events. However, only time will tell!
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