Sport climbing

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 climbing or top roping.

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 70 m/200 ft), quickdraws, a few 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 most practical place for most people to learn the proper techniques for sport climbing and the required "lead belaying" is a rock climbing gym with qualified, trained instructors.

The emphasis that it places on strength and stamina led to a significant improvement in standards among the top climbers.

France

France was the birthplace and longtime champion of hard sport climbing in the 80's and 90's. (partially due to their rock not being suitable for traditional type routes ) In France, sport climbing and bouldering are huge and competitive climbing is big business. Blessed with limitless limestone and balmy weather there are a lot of sport routes to be climbed in France.

Major Sport climbing Areas: Ceuse (perhaps the best sport crag in the world) Buoux Verdon gorge: Long routes or hard routes that start at the top of a thousand foot tall wall Les Calanques

Some of the hardest routes in France: Akira, Charente, 9a+/b Realization, Ceuse, 9a+ Hugh, Eaux-Claires, 9a Robi in the Sky, Calanques, 9a

Germany

Many consider Germany to be the next country after France to embrace sport climbing.

Notable Climbers: Kurt Albert was in many ways the original free climber. Wolfgang Gullich, put up the world’s first 9a, Action Directe in the Frankenjura.

Major Sport climbing Areas:

Frankenjura, (aka Fränkische Schweiz), is a world famous climbing area with over 4,000 routes on various types of limestone formations.

Elbsandsteingebirge, (aka Sächsische Schweiz), is a major sandstone climbing area in East Germany.

Holzen Lürdissen Ith

Some of the hardest routes in Germany: Action Direct, Frankenjura, 9a Die Welle, Leonhardstein, 9a

Sport Climbing in the United Kingdom

Sport climbing began in the UK around 1984

Major sport climbing areas Raven Tor, Portland, Malham, Pen Trwyn, Kilnsey

Some early proponents of the sport climbing revolution in the UK were: Ron Fawcett, Jerry Moffat, Ben Moon. Heavily influenced by climbing in France and the German conception of Free Climbing.

Some of the hardest Modern sport climbing routes in the UK The Big Bang, Lower Pen Trwyn, 9a Mutation, Raven Tor, 9a Rainshadow, Malham, 9a Northern Light, Kilnsey, 9a

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.

Spain

In the 80s, Spain's limestone became well known as a winter climbing spot. 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:

Major Sport climbing Areas:

Mallorca

Rodellar

Riglos

Siurana

Baltzola

El Chorro in Malaga

La Pedriza in Madrid)

Some of the hardest routes in Spain: Chilam Balam 9b Orujo, Malaga, 9a+ Il Domani, Baltzola, 9a Las Ramblas Extension, Siurana 9a+

Sport Climbing in Australia

Major Sport climbing areas:

Nowra

The Blue Mountains,

The Grampians

Sport Climbing in the United States

Major Sport climbing areas: Smith Rocks, American Forks, Mt. Charleston, Rifle, Rumney, Red Rocks, Red River Gorge, New River Gorge.

Sport climbing is a relatively modern branch of the sport, becoming popular in the US during the 1980s, other places a little earlier or later.  :The original sport climbers in the US were Trad climbers that decided to adopt a european style of climbing. Basically deciding to provide plenty of fixed protection(Bolts) put in on rappel. The first routes tended to be vertical with small handholds. As time went by they got steeper and steeper which involve an increased emphasis on stamina.

Allan Watts was the first person in the US to adopt a top down style of climbing. His rappel bolted routes at Smith Rocks were soon internationally acclaimed as some of the best climbing in the US. In 1988 Frenchman J.B. Tribout established the first 5.14 in the US at Smith Rocks "To Bolt or Not to Be"

Other notable early developers were: Scott Franklin, Dale Goddard and Christian Griffith.

Some of the hardest Modern sport climbing routes in the US

Flex Luthor, Fortress of Solitude, 9a+

Kryptonite, Fortress of Solitude, 9a

Psychedelic, St George, 9a

The Fly, Rumney, 9a

Livin’ Astroglide, Rumney, 9a

Access & Conflicts

The United States has a strong history of traditional climbing, especially at certain crags, and considerable value is placed on maintaining routes as they were done by the first ascensionist. Therefore in the U.S. it would generally be considered unacceptable to install bolts to create a sport route on a route that was first done using traditional techniques. Bolts have been opposed in wilderness areas as mechanical intrusions. Bird watchers object to being distracted by brightly-colored slings left at rappel anchors, leading climbers to use webbing the same color as the rock.

Thailand

The Rock around Railay Beach The rock is all limestone and is part of the worlds largest coral reef, stretching from China down to Papua New Guinea. The routes are all bolted sport climbing routes. The French grading system is used. With over 700 routes ranging from beginner 5a's to classic multipitch 6a's right up to the extremes of 8c there's enough here to keep any climber busy for years.

Via: WIkipedia
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