Sport climbing

From Freepedia

Sport climbing is a style of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, especially bolts, for protection. The term is used in opposition to traditional or adventure climbing.

The activity emphasizes the gymnastic and athletic aspects of climbing and can be undertaken with relatively little equipment (provided that someone else has equipped the route with bolts). Typically, personal equipment required for sport climbing includes a dynamic rope (up to 60m/200ft), quickdraws, dyneema or spectra runners, and a variety of standard and locking carabiners.

To "lead" a sport climb is to climb a route with a rope tied to the climbing harness with the loose end handled by the belayer. As each bolt is reached along the route, a quickdraw is clipped to the bolt, and the rope clipped to the hanging end of the quickdraw. This bolt is now 'protecting' the climber from falling. At the top of each sport route, there is usually some kind of anchor that can consist of a variety of equipment, but will generally provide at least two points of attachment for the final pieces of protection. Once the final anchor is equipped and the rope clipped to it, the sport climb can be top-roped, or "cleaned" of all equipment for the next climber to lead. The best place to learn the proper techniques for sport climbing and the required "lead belaying" is a rock climbing gym with qualified, trained instructors.

In some climbing areas, notably in the United Kingdom, sport climbing is frowned upon, because many climbers believe that the permanent placing of bolts in mountainous and sea-cliff areas detracts from the wilderness experience, damages the rock, or devalues the achievements of the first ascensionist who climbed the route by placing their own protection. In the UK sport climbing takes place only on indoor climbing walls and on a few limestone and slate cliffs that are unsuited to traditional climbing.

This is not necessarily the case for the rest of Europe, however. In Spain, for example, which arguably features some of the finest climbing in Europe, sport climbing has become very popular and there are many popular locations (such as El Chorro in Malaga or La Pedriza in Madrid) that feature many hundreds of sport climbs of all difficulties.

Sport climbing is a relatively modern branch of the sport, becoming popular in the 1980s. The emphasis that it places on strength and stamina led to a significant improvement in standards among the top climbers. The increase in strength and skill that climbers gained from sport climbing has been applied to traditional climbing allowing an increase in grades up to E10/9a/5.15.