Rock Climbing Facts: Highest & First artificial Climbing Wall, Leading Climbers

Today, rock climbing is considered to be quite a popular sport, so more and more people are paying attention to it. Some find it intimidating, while others use it for entertainment and combating fears. More about rock climbing facts will be discussed in this article.

What is rock climbing?

Before embarking on the study of rock climbing facts, you should familiarize yourself with the sport itself. People climb for different reasons. After all, it is useful not only for physical but also for psychological health. However, it is important to follow basic safety rules.

The essence of rock climbing is that you need to climb a rock that stands vertically. You can use both natural stone walls and artificial installations, which are found in almost all sports complexes. Climbing walls, which are made artificially, have several safety measures. They have a sponge pad on the floor that prevents injury if the rock climber falls.

With the help of this sport, you can develop strength and endurance. This sport is very useful. That is why they begin to deal with it from a young age. The indoor climbing wall is the best option for beginners who can develop endurance to test their strength in more extreme conditions.

Rock climbing is a great option for a whole group of people who want to have fun. However, sport climbing can be quite dangerous. This sport contributes to the maintenance of optimal weight and helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Climbing people have very strong arms. After all, they are used to climbing the wall. Today there are many different variants of this sport. In doing so, it provides many opportunities for climbers who can travel around the world in search of the optimal rock.

Climbing helps saturate the body with adrenaline and start active fat burning. Every year, people try to break the records they already have, so they never stop training. If you do not plan to break records, you can stop training on artificial walls.

History of roped climbing

Unfortunately, no one knows the exact history of rock climbing. This is because earlier people had to climb rocks to get food or hide from predators. However, several historical facts have survived to this day, which will be discussed later. For the first time, the concept of rock climbing was used in 1492. Often people wonder, who invented rock climbing?

In the 15th century, Antoine de Ville became the first person to climb the stone wall. However, he didn’t do it for fun. It was the order of the king, which consisted of the need to climb the Impenetrable Mountain. It is located in Grenoble, France. The first real case of rock climbing happened in 1869. The rock was conquered by John Muir.

He did it in Cathedral Park, which is located in Yosemite. Even now, this place is in great demand among climbers. John’s ascent was recorded and became an impetus for other people who wanted to conquer the mountains, however, were afraid of it. In 2007, the Sport Climbing International Federation was formed.

Yosemite Valley has the most difficult climbing point, which is not suitable for beginners or people with weak nervous systems. The longest ascent was by Tommy Caudwell and Kevin Jorgenson. They climbed the Wall of Dawn, which is considered one of the most difficult.

Nevada has the highest climbing wall in the entire world. It is regularly visited by crowds of tourists and climbers. Sherpa Pemba Dorje climbs Everest the fastest. In total, there were about 35 million climbers in the world. These data were published in 2015.

What are the benefits of rock climbing?

Quite often people wonder, what are the benefits of rock climbing? Doing this sport is quite beneficial for physical and psychological health. Climbing promotes the active burning of calories and helps to increase endurance. On average, for 1 hour of active lifting, you burn about 500-900 kcal.

It is safe to say that during the rise, a person stops thinking about everyday things that provoke stress. That is why it becomes possible to concentrate more on the connection between mind and body. Climbing is quite helpful for those who are prone to depression. After all, during classes, you can focus on thoughts, and achieve inner harmony.

Some people believe that this sport helps to overcome the fear of heights and falls. However, no research has been done on this.

It is believed that rock climbing can be a great alternative to cardio training. Therefore, it is not necessary to spend a lot of time on simulators. You can periodically visit artificial climbing walls. At the same time, you can strengthen the muscles of the arms and legs, and increase endurance.

What are the equipment requirements?

People often ask themselves, what is the most important thing in rock climbing? The quality of the equipment deserves special attention. If you decide to engage in this sport, you need to prepare a few important things. Be sure to prepare a quality pair of shoes.

Choose models that fit your leg tightly. The sole should have a dense rubber surface and stick a little. This ensures excellent grip on the rock surface. Such shoes are required not only for climbing natural stones.

Even if you’ll be training indoor rock climbing, proper footwear can help minimize damage to your feet, as well as prevent injuries and falls. It is important to choose high-quality strapping, on which you cannot save. Especially if you plan to do outdoor sports.

The harness is worn at the waist and ensures safety when lifting. You should also choose the right harness for insurance. It saves climbers if they miss a step or face an accident. Climbers also require a helmet, which should not be skimped on.

The helmet protects the head if stones or debris suddenly start to fall from above. If you plan to practice climbing in indoor rock climbing gyms, then a helmet or special climbing gear is not required. However, for outdoor climbing, it is extremely important to have reliable head protection.

If you plan to practice outdoors, you should purchase a climbing rope. When choosing the length, you should be guided by the height to which you plan to lift. There are several varieties of ropes designed for climbers. They can be dynamic or static.

The dynamic rope prevents adverse consequences if the rock climber accidentally falls. Differs in elasticity, and is capable of partially absorbing blows. Static rope is used for fastening. It is important to select good carabiners that fix protective equipment. They are metal clips that help connect the harness to the rope.

The equipment must also include a belay device. Its main task is to control the speed of ascent and descent when you are climbing. Other devices may also be required. The exact amount and set depending on what type of climbing you plan to do.

If you are just starting to learn the principles of rock climbing, you should find an experienced guide who teaches you how to rock climb safely, as well as help you choose the right climbing kit. It is quite difficult for you to do this on your own.

Basic climbing facts

Often people wonder, what are some fun facts about rock climbing? The main facts will be discussed in more detail below.

Death from faulty braces

In Italy, a boy, who was only 12 years old, died from a guy’s rope malfunction. He used a rubber band to keep the guy wire from swaying. The carabiner slipped out of the net and was only held on by the tape.

As soon as a heavy weight was placed on the carbine, the boy fell. Therefore, it is important to always check all equipment before speed climbing. After all, it is the protective equipment that guarantees your life.

Debut at the 2020 Olympics

The 2020 Olympic Games were to be held in Tokyo. However, due to the global pandemic, the competition was postponed to 2021. Considering that rock climbing was included in the list of competitions, 40 climbers from all over the world took part. At the same time, both men and women participated.

The scores were based on speed climbing, leadership, and bouldering. Some organizers considered the decision to include rock climbing in the program. However, some took this decision negatively. In their opinion, this destroys the art of rock climbing.

Considering that the International Olympic Committee puts young people first, they decided to include rock climbing in the program so that in the future young athletes can make the Olympic Games more exciting. On average, the age of climbers was 23 years. That is why it is a great sport for the Olympic Games.

Different types of rock climbing

Often people ask the question, what is rock climbing called? There are several types of climbing, including free climbing, mountaineering, ice, and combine climbing, as well as bouldering and aid climbing. Aid climbing is very useful and a necessary part of the job for many.

If the question is about bouldering, then there are 5 climbing grades for it, among which:

1. Scale V. This system is considered the most popular, and marks are given from 0 to 17.
2. System B. Distributed only in the USA and Canada. It differs in only three classes. Class B3 is considered the most difficult.
3. Fontainebleau system. It is used not only in France but throughout Europe.
4. British system. It is used to evaluate classical ascents.
5. The Dankyu system is common in Japan. The easy level is considered 7-Kyu, and the difficulty level is 1-Kyu. After that, 1-Dan class begins, etc.

If the rise is with ITO, then other grading systems are applied, namely:

1. The classical grading system starts from A0 and ends at A5. The location of the legs, the use of the entire body weight, etc. are taken into account.
2. Clean system. It implies the rejection of bolt equipment and hooks. After all, they can damage the rock itself.

Positive effect on cardio

In the late 90s of the last century, scientists managed to prove that rock climbing has a positive effect on the state of the heart and contributes to good respiratory preparation. For this, a study was conducted in which 14 rock climbers took part.

As it turned out, when a person starts climbing a rock, the heart begins to beat faster and consumes as much energy as it is spent when running at a speed of 8 miles per minute. Therefore, rock climbing is a great option for people who want to develop cardio and muscular endurance.

A large number of practices

For rock climbing, it is not necessary to go to the mountains to work out on the natural stone. You can always sign up for artificial walls, which are found in most modern sports centers. Today there are a lot of different circles where you can give children, or enroll adults.

Improving motor skills in children’s

When a person starts climbing, he or she learns more about the body. As you know, the arms and legs are more involved in the process. This is the best sport for children because the indoor climbing wall helps develop motor skills, coordination, and balance.

Children are more receptive to new things, so they learn much faster. Given that virtually all activities for children are considered group activities, children can develop social relationships with peers and adult coaches. You should not be afraid to send your child to such classes because everything is completely safe.

Dealing with fear of heights and falling

Some believe that rock climbing contributes to the fight against fears of heights and falls. That is why many people who have such phobias try to overcome themselves and sign up for training.

Even if it is not possible to completely overcome fear, it is possible to reduce the degree of fear susceptibility. The fear of heights is called acrophobia, and the fear of falling is called bassophobia. These fears are quite common, and every fifth inhabitant of the planet faces them. Therefore, rock climbing is optimal if you want to get rid of a phobia.

Varieties of ice for ice climbing

In total, two types of ice are distinguished: water and alpine. The second option is often found in mountainous areas. It is easier to overcome, so it is used when forming long routes. Water ice consists of bodies of water, such as a waterfall. Only experienced rock climbers can engage in it because quite a lot of equipment is required.

Ice climbing has several significant differences from classical rock climbing. After all, you have to prepare ropes, cats, and picks. Other equipment may also be required, which is not always relevant for other types of sport climbing. Today, all over the world, there are halls where there is artificial ice for rock climbing.

The possibility of increasing hands

Scientists have been studying the question of how rock climbing affects human physiology for a long time. According to research, the cross-sectional area of ​​the bones in the hands of rock climbers is slightly larger when compared to the average person. This suggests that such a sport contributes to an increase in hand size. That is why men prefer it.

High mortality rates

Scientists recently pulled up all the sport climbing records from 1951 to 2012. Unfortunately, there are no data for the period from 2006 to 2011. According to statistics, every year about 30 people die from rock climbing. At the same time, in most cases, deaths occur with climbers in the open air.

The highest climbing wall

There is a wall in Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park called El Capitan. It is considered the highest in the world and is designed for rock climbing. It is considered quite scary because it has very steep slopes, and is located almost at a right angle.

The height of the mountain is 900 meters. In 2017, Alex Honnold was able to conquer the wall, and he did it without equipment. Today he is considered the most famous rock climber in the world. On the way, he spent 3 hours and 56 minutes.

Improving mental health and helping in burning fat

British scientists were able to prove that rock climbing helps people fight depression. This is because a person increases self-esteem, and controls the body. During the ascent, a person experiences a sensation that is a bit like meditation. People with ADHD who practiced outdoor climbing experienced virtually no bad symptoms.

At the same time, rock climbing helps to get rid of anxiety and depressive tendencies. To rise up and not fall, a person must experience awareness. Therefore, a person begins to think only about the present moment, and does not try to cling to the past, or dream about the future.

If you’re trying to stay in shape and are constantly on a diet, you can include weekly rock climbing. Just 1-2 workouts a week is enough to quickly get in the right shape. After all, during exercise, the body begins to burn fat intensely. And you have the opportunity to gain muscle mass.

However, you don’t have to weigh yourself. As you know, muscles weigh a little more than fat. Therefore, it is not surprising that the weight increase and the volumes decrease. You can also normalize your diet to restore muscle and speed up the fat-burning process.

The tallest man-made wall in the world

In Nevada, there is a Basecamp climbing wall. Here is the highest artificial climbing wall. The height of the highest artificial climbing wall is about 51.5 m. The artificial climbing wall is adjacent to the parking lot and has several levels of elevation. Therefore, it is appropriate for both beginners and experienced rock climbers.

You can sign up for an IFSC-certified climb, which takes 15 m. You can also try your hand at a multi-level rock climb or a full climb. It is also possible to try two ledges.

Results

As you can see, rock climbing is a very useful sport. It helps not only to develop endurance, but also to get rid of excess weight, and develop muscle tissue. This is a great opportunity to overcome fears, as well as other psychological problems. The main thing is to have the equipment and follow the safety rules. Wonder how dangerous is rock climbing, read the article