Sport Climbing
A Begginer's Guide
Sport Climbing is climbing using fixed protection for safety. The climber wears a harness and is tied into a rope which is managed by a person below – called the belayer. As the climber goes up they clip their rope to bolts fixed into the wall to protect them in the case of a fall. The belayer has a belayer device that allows them to give out rope when they need it but hold the rope tight if the climber falls. The climber clips the rope into quickdraws which are themselves clipped to bolts with hangers that are drilled into the wall. The bolts are the key part of sport climbing that differentiates it from traditional climbing. It was once very controversial to drill a bolt into a cliff but is now much more commonplace. It’s a fairly safe form of climbing that’s all about technique. The aim is to climb from the bottom to the top using your own power only – hands, feet, knees, elbows, and all.
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