This article is about a type of rock climbing. For the Olympic and IFSC sport of lead climbing, see Competition climbing.
Part of a series on
Climbing
Adam Ondra on the hardest sport climbing route in history, Silence 9c (5.15d), in Flatanger, Norway
Lists
Climbers
Piolet d'Or winners
IFSC victories
Equipment
Knots
Historical events
Grade milestones
Eight-thousanders
Terminology
Types of rock climbing
Aid
Big wall
Multi-pitch
Bouldering
Highball
Competition
Speed
Free
Sport
Traditional
Solo
Free solo
Deep-water solo
Rope solo
Top roping
Types of mountaineering
Alpine
Mixed
Via ferrata
Himalayan
Alpine style
Expedition style
Ice
Dry-tooling
Scrambling
Hillwalking
Other types
Buildering
Canyoning
Crane
Grass
Commercial
Parkour
Pole
Rock hopping
Rooftopping
Roof hacking
Slide
Tree
Key actions
Abseiling
Belaying
Leading
Redpointing
Jumaring
Simul climbing
Climbing techniques
Traversing
Key terms
First ascent
FFA
FFFA
Grade
Route
Beta
Guide
Pitch
v
t
e
| belowstyle = background:#ddddff;
}}
Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber clips into pre-drilled permanent bolts for their protection while ascending a route.[1] Sport climbing differs from the riskier traditional climbing where the lead climber has to insert temporary protection equipment while ascending.[2]
Sport climbing dates from the early 1980s when leading French rock climbers wanted to climb routes that offered no cracks or fissures in which to insert the temporary protection equipment used in traditional climbing. While bolting natural rock faces was controversial—and remains a focus of debate in climbing ethics—sport climbing grew rapidly in popularity; all subsequent grade milestones in rock climbing came from sport climbing.
The safer discipline of sport climbing also led to the rapid growth in competition climbing, which made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics. While competition climbing consists of three distinct rock climbing disciplines of lead climbing (the bolted sport climbing element), bouldering (no bolts needed), and speed climbing (also not bolted, but instead top roped), it is sometimes confusingly referred to as "sport climbing".
^"Sport climbing". Cambridge Dictionary. 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023. the style of climbing (= moving on rocks, up mountains, or up special walls as a sport) in which climbers use devices that have already been fixed to the rock, rather than using devices that they bring with them and remove after the climb
^Bate, Chris; Arthur, Charles; et al. (8 May 2006). "A Glossary of Climbing terms: from Abseil to Zawn". UK Climbing. Retrieved 29 April 2018. Sport Climbing. Climbing on routes that use bolts. Traditional "Trad" Climbing 1. Climbing where the leader places protection as they go up.
Sportclimbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber clips into pre-drilled permanent bolts for their...
Bourget SportClimbing Venue in Le Bourget in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of Paris. Along with the aquatic centre in Saint Denis, the climbing venue will...
walls and climbing gyms) The sport of climbing has evolved by climbers making first ascents of new types of climbing routes, using new climbing techniques...
speed climbing, competitors climb a standardised route using a top rope, in the shortest time possible. The International Federation of SportClimbing (IFSC)...
competition climbing would be a medal sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics. The inclusion was proposed by the International Federation of SportClimbing (IFSC)...
Speed climbing is a climbing discipline in which speed is the ultimate goal. Speed climbing is done on rocks, walls and poles and is only recommended...
Traditional climbing (or trad climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places the protection equipment while ascending...
Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing (including aid climbing, lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing), mountaineering, and...
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations or indoor climbing walls. The goal is to reach the summit...
Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber can only use climbing equipment for climbing protection, but not as an aid to help in their...
proposed by the International Federation of SportClimbing (IFSC) in 2015. In September 2015, competition climbing was included in a shortlist along with baseball...
main competition climbing events and their results for 2024. This includes the World Cup, World Championships, International Climbing Series, and Continental...
of SportClimbing (IFSC) is the international governing body for the sport of competition climbing, which consists of the disciplines lead climbing, bouldering...
rock climbing, a first free ascent (FFA) is the first redpoint, onsight or flash of a single-pitch, multi-pitch (or big wall), or boulder climbing route...
rope). Lead climbing can be performed as free climbing in a traditional climbing or a sportclimbing format — leading a traditional climb is a much riskier...
sportclimbing, bouldering and competition climbing. Bosi is only the second British sport climber in history to redpoint a 9b (5.15b) graded sport climbing...
discipline, including bouldering, traditional climbing, sportclimbing, multi-pitch climbing and big wall climbing. She was the first-ever female to solve an...
principally known as a sport climber, he has repeated some of the world's hardest traditional climbing routes. Siegrist began climbing at an early age with...
IFSC Climbing World Cup is the 36th edition of the international sportclimbing competition series organised by the International Federation of Sport Climbing...
Belgian professional rock climber specializing in sportclimbing, bouldering and competition climbing. Lorenzi is one of the very few climbers to have...
Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climbers (or free soloists) climb solo (or alone) without ropes or other protective...
climbers in the history of rock climbing. Huber came to prominence in the early 1990s as the world's strongest sport climber after the passing of Wolfgang...
Federation of SportClimbing (IFSC). This event determines the male and female world champions in the three disciplines of competition climbing: competition...
Global Information