THE NORTH FACE®

SPORT CLIMBING NUMBERS

With the evolution of climbing, sport climbing emerged as a sport-oriented discipline. It is said to have originated in the former Soviet Union around 1950, and the first international competition took place in 1989—its history is still young. One significant characteristic of sport climbing is that the targets of the climb are not found in nature, but they are artificial walls. Using holds placed on the walls to grab or step on, climbers use their bare hands to climb. There are three disciplines: “Speed,” in which two athletes climb one-on-one and compete for the faster time; “Bouldering,” in which climbers compete the number of completed routes; and “Lead,” where the competition is in who can climb the highest. Incidentally, many Japanese athletes excel at bouldering.

On “Combined”: the combined format of the three disciplines

Currently, most international competitions are held according to the disciplines, but there is a scoring method that combines two or all three disciplines. As of September 2021, recent major competitions have been utilizing this “Combined” method, in which the rankings of the three disciplines are multiplied—the idea being that the smaller the product, the higher the rank. For example, if a competitor is ranked 5th in all three disciplines, the score would be 5×5×5=125 points. If another is ranked 1st in one discipline and 11th in the remaining two, it would be 1×11×11= 121 points, giving the latter a higher placement. If instead the scores are added, the former would be 5+5+5=15, and the latter would be 1+11+11=23, meaning the former would rank higher than the latter, and rankings will be reversed. In other words, the multiplication method is more advantageous for a competitor who has one outstanding discipline that he or she can aim to win, than for a competitor to have evenly balanced results across three. The rules for sport climbing are set by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). Let's now take a look at some numbers that are essential to enjoying the game.

  • SPEED
  • 20 holds & 11 footholds

    [The number of the holds] In bouldering and lead climbing, there are routesetters or specialists who design routes or problems for competitions; for speed, however, there is an IFSC-standardized route with 20 holds and 11 footholds. This route was designed by French climber Jacky Godoffe.

  • within 4 seconds

    [Both hands and one foot must be on the starting holds within the first four seconds after the starter’s call] In a discipline in which the match is determined within almost six seconds, the starting dash is of utmost importance. Within the first four seconds of the starter’s command to be “at your marks,” the climbers need to have both hands and one foot on the starting holds. A false start will result in disqualification. If in the qualifiers, where athletes have two attempts, the second attempt ends in a false start, then the record from the first attempt will also be canceled.

  • 15m

    [The height of the wall—equivalent to a 5-story building] The international standard for the speed climbing wall is 15 meters high. It should also measure 6 meters wide and be tilted forward at a 95-degree angle. 15 meters is almost equivalent to a five-story building in Japan and it can be intimidating. The wall is set with two lanes with the same conditions, and two climbers ascend at once in six to eight seconds, almost without taking a breath.

  • 5.20 seconds

    [Men’s world record] As the name suggests, this discipline simply competes for the best time climbing the wall. The current men’s world record is 5.20 seconds, set in the Speed Climbing World Cup in May 2021 by Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia at the age of 24. Tomoa Narasaki holds the Japanese record with a time of 5.72 seconds. The women’s world record is held by Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland, with 6.84 seconds. The Japanese record is 7.55 seconds by Mihou Nonaka. (As of August 24, 2021)

  • 16th hold

    [The hold that everyone avoids] Because there is a fixed route in speed, the athletes have figured out the optimal route. All of the top climbers who follow this route always skip the 16th hold from the bottom. Tomoa Narasaki even skips the first holds at the start and ascends in a straight line, an original route referred to as “Tomoa Skip,” a method said to reduce time by 0.3 to 0.5 seconds.

  • LEAD
  • 1985

    [The year of the first major competition] Out of the three disciplines, lead climbing has the longest history. The first competition ever was held in 1985. It is said to have taken place in Sportroccia, on the cliffs of Italy. The first international competition took place in France in 1989. After that, it gained popularity mainly in Europe, but in the 1990s, international competitions began to be held in countries such as Japan and the United States.

  • 12m

    [The height of the wall] Lead climbing wall is defined as “an artificial wall that is at least 12 meters high.” On this stretch, holds are set to yield up to 60 problems and climbers compete how high they can climb, or the “altitude reached.” Once the climber attaches the rope to the uppermost part of the climb, the ascent is complete. Once the climber falls, his or her single attempt is over, and the height (or hold number) achieved is recorded. The endurance to climb the longest distance of the three events and the strategy to climb efficiently are tested.

  • 6 minutes

    [The time limit] The time allowed for a single route is six minutes. Through the IFSC rule revision in 2017, the semifinals and finals were shortened from eight minutes to six, and the time for all qualifying rounds was standardized to six minutes. The key to victory lies in pacing and determining when to rest those pumped arms and weakening legs within the time limit.

  • 1 try

    [The number of tries] In a single route, a competitor has only one chance to ascend. In contrast to bouldering, in which one can try as many times within the time limit, you only have one shot—making it all the more thrilling. Before the climb, the climber can check the route in person or by a video demonstration. In the semifinals and finals, all competitors who have advanced have an observation period, to familiarize themselves with the route.

  • 2m

    [The distance between the secured bolts] In lead climbing, the climbers clip the rope on quickdraws (made of two carabiners connected by a special sling) or secured bolts that have been set along the route. Each quickdraw is placed about two meters apart. If a climber skips even one of the clips, he or she will be disqualified, as it may lead to an accident such as falling to the ground.

  • BOULDERING
  • 4 to 8

    [The average number of handholds in a problem should be between four to eight] The maximum number of holds in a route is 12, and in the qualifiers, semifinals, and finals, the average number must be between four to eight. In lead, a climber can start with any hold, but in bouldering, the first hold is specified. The start, goal, and zone holds are marked by colored tape for the climbers.

  • 2 minutes

    [Observation period] Immediately before the start of the competition, all climbers have a two-minute observation period at the same time for all routes to strategize their climb. It may seem disadvantageous to climb later in the competition, as their memory may fade, but it is said that top climbers do not forget once they have observed their routes. It is also a unique sight to see the competitors discuss the route amongst themselves, regardless of being rivals in the competition.

  • 4 minutes

    [Time limit per challenge] A climber is given four minutes per route. However, in the qualifiers and semifinals, they have five minutes. In bouldering, a climber can keep trying as many times within the time limit, even if he or she falls—which renders bolder techniques during the matches. When a climb is completed in one try, it is called “a flash.” The completed number of climbs, number of zones, and number of attempts are totaled to rank the climbers.

  • 5m

    [The height of the wall] The height of the wall must be no higher than 5 meters. There are several routes on this wall, made of up to 12 holds, which the climbers compete to attain the most climbs within the limited time. When the climber grasps the final hold at the top of the route with both hands and assumes a stable posture, the ascent is complete.

  • 4 boulders

    [The number of problems] The games are composed of three rounds—qualifiers, semifinals, and finals. There are five routes set for the qualifiers, and for the semifinals and finals, there are four routes. Holds called “zones” are set at each start and goal, and zone points are significant in determining the ranking after the number of completed ascents. If the number of ascents and zone points are the same, the ranking is determined by the number of attempts.

SEE ALSO