All About Climbing on a Climbing Wall
Let's start with what a climbing wall is. It is an artificial structure for climbing, usually located indoors. It was invented by the French climber and engineer Francois Savin, who also founded Entre-Prises, the largest manufacturer of climbing wall surfaces and other construction elements today. There are many different climbing walls that simulate natural rocks of varying difficulty and use different materials for the climbing panels. They are used from children's playgrounds to sports centers with different levels of difficulty for professionals, semi-professionals, and amateurs.
Special holds are attached to the surface of
climbing walls, allowing for a variety of characteristics to be created, such as
difficulty level, speed, and comfort of climbing. Some holds are designed to imitate
popular climbing destinations around the world.
A vertical sequence of holds
from the bottom to the top of a climbing wall is called a route, which can vary in
height and difficulty. Additionally, most major climbing walls have a designated
bouldering area
Bouldering is a specific type of rock climbing
that involves navigating low, yet challenging routes that require special climbing
techniques. Typically, bouldering routes are no more than 4-5 meters high. The only form of
protection in bouldering is the use of special mats, also known as "crash pads". If a
climber falls, the soft mats prevent injury.
One of the attractive aspects of
bouldering is its dynamic nature. This type of climbing requires a lot of energy and
strength. Climbers must be able to utilize all of their strength in just a few movements.
Sometimes, in order to reach the next handhold, only certain muscle groups need to be used
and climbers must exert a lot of effort. This makes bouldering somewhat similar to martial
arts.
In bouldering, the emphasis is on practicing specific movements and a short
series of handholds. Unlike difficulty climbing, bouldering allows for an unlimited number
of attempts within a certain time period (usually 4-6 minutes).
Speed climbing is the most dynamic type of rock
climbing, which takes place on artificial walls. The main goal of this type of climbing, as
you can understand from the name, is to climb the route in the shortest possible
time.
Imagine that you need to reach the top of a route that can be 10 to 27 meters
high in the shortest possible time. You are only given five minutes to "calculate" the route
and plan each move, like in a chess game. Then you must skillfully play your "solo game" and
quickly climb to the top, using all your resources and skills.
Speed climbing,
especially in a head-to-head race, allows you to feel the spirit of healthy competition and
learn to conquer heights in just a few seconds!
Sport climbing on difficulty is the most popular
and prestigious discipline due to victories and achievements in this type of climbing. To
prepare fully for difficulty competitions, a training wall with the right relief, size and
shape of holds, steepness of the slope, and other important components is
necessary.
Endurance, speed, excellent technique, ability to concentrate, make
correct decisions, personal composure and organization, strength, flexibility, and grace are
essential in difficulty climbing. This type of climbing allows you to fully enjoy the joy of
overcoming challenges and experience the incomparable taste of victory.