Ciubancan Marcela
Extreme Sports
You can climb a mountain, but also a rock. Or a wall. Rockclimbing is with
Wallclimbing a new sport. The new sport is calling Sportclimbing. You don't hae to climb
to the top, but about the climbing itsel!. There are matches is climbing. The !asted or the
best climber wins. "
A Short History:
#n traditional mountain climbing and rock climbing, bolts are sometimes drien into
a section o! rock !ace that's di!!icult or impossible to climb because it's bare o! natural
hand holds.
$uring the %&'(s, climbers in )rance began the practice o! placing bolts all the wa*
up a di!!icult sur!ace, allowing a climber to scale it more easil* b* clipping lines to the bolts
instead o! rel*ing on traditional mountain climbing gear.
+ more and more sur!aces were bolted, it occurred to someone that climbing could
become a competitie sport, since climbers could be timed on their ascents oer a gien
route. ,-actl* when and where that happened isn't known.
Sportclimbing has been one o! the big international growth sports since %&&(.
Otherwise climbing has been one o! .ew /ealand's ke* 'adenture' actiities since last
centur*. +nd when ,d 0illar* climbed ,erest in %&12, it also became a wider source o!
national pride.
3ntil recent* climbing's been a !ringe recreation en4o*ed b* a !ortunate !ew. The
adent o! indoor climbing walls has changed that. #t's made climbing easil* accessible and
gien it a higher pro!ile. The result is that sportclimbing' 5 climbing under sa!e conditions 5
is e-ploding into a mainstream actiit*.
Sport climbing is a er* 'balanced' actiit*. #t mi-es strength with !le-ibilit*, power
with grace, mind control with 4o* o! achieement. #t has big appeal to *oung people. #t's not
gender or ph*si6ue5speci!ic. +n*bod* can participate at their own leel. Yet there's room
at the top end to e-cel.
Competitie sport climbing is now usuall* done on a climbing wall built especiall*
!or that purpose. There are two t*pes o! competition, speed and di!!icult*.
#n the speed eent, two climbers go up the wall side b* side on separate but identical
routes and the !irst to touch a bu77er at the top o! the wall is the winner. Competition
continues, tournament st*le, until onl* a single winner remains.
#n the di!!icult* eent, climbers hae a choice o! paths with ar*ing di!!icult*. + climb
is scored on a combination o! the height reached in a gien period o! time and the di!!icult*
o! the path chosen.
#n the 8 9ames, speed climbing is done on a :(5!oot, ertical wall. The di!!icult*
climb uses a ;(5!oot wall with a <(5!oot oerhang. =ouldering is a recent o!!shoot.
Originall*, climbers worked on boulders to practice a particular moe, and bouldering has
now become a discipline in itsel!. +s the name suggests, the sport inoles climbing a
single large rock with no ropes or other mechanical aids.
#s it here to sta*> #t looks like it. Oerseas, climbing walls, man* in dedicated rock
'g*ms', hae been going !or nearl* <( *ears and attendances are still growing. There is a
trend to incorporate climbing walls as part o! other attractions, in amusement parks, and in
*oung people's gathering places.
Yet another o!!shoot is ice climbing, which began in the earl* %&&(s and became a
world championship discipline in <((<. On the international leel, the climbing sports are
goerned b* the #nternational Council !or Competition Climbing, an a!!iliate o! The 3nion
#nternationale des +ssociations d'+lpinism. 3S+ Climbing is the national goerning bod*.
ROCKCLIMBING
Rockclimbing is a !orm o! Sportclimbing.
=* this *ou must climb steep rocks. Mostl*
rocks aren't slipper*. The* hae lumps and ribs,
holes and cracks. Sportclimbers hae called
ee* edges which *ou can hold ''grips''. +nd
eer* edges which *ou can stand on''steps''.
You don't wear mountainshoes but climbshoes.
Climbshoes are !le-ible and the* sit er* tight
round the !oot. On a number o! rocks are set
tens o! di!!erent routes. ,er* route hae got a
number and a name. 0ow higher the number ,
how more di!!ucult the route. The one that climbed the route at !irst, has made up the
name. The hooks that the !irst climber hang up are sta*ing. Other climbers can use them
to sae themseles. The hooks ma* not be used as ee* edges and grips. Thats one o!
the rules. You hae to be %: to get a climbingcourse. You will get a course in a !amous
climbingarea. You learn there how to climb on rocks. You also can do wallclimbing.
WALLCLIMBING
Wallclimbing is also a kind o! sportclimbing,
at this *ou must climb a wall. #n a sportshall or a
wall outside. #n The .etherlands there are more
than ;( climb walls. There are changeable and
non5changeable walls. #! *ou hae been climbing
!or man* *ears, then is a changeable wall more
e-citement. On a changeable wall *ou can made
di!!erent routes, !rom eas* till er* di!!erent. On !lat
walls are grips and rungs. The people who climb
are wearing climbshoes. +t a climbwall *ou are
allowed to climb under counselling. 0ow old *ou
most be, is per climbwall di!!erent.
TRAINING
To achiee holds in that *ou alwa*s push back *our limits. #! *ou 4ust begin with
climbing *ou eas* push back *our limits.When
*ou get in a higher leel this gets more
di!!ucult. On a sertant moment *ou achiee
now progress an* more. Training is more than
onl* be sportie in a climbinghall ore on the
rocks. Taining is purpose!ul and s*stematic
adapting *our bod* to a sportachieement.
This achieement can l* on the area o!?
@ strength
@ sta*ing power
@ litheness
@ speed
@ coArdination
These are !ie points. The* determine *our !orm.
INJURIES
Though there were less scienti!ic search to the in4uries b* sportclimbing, make the
results o! some in6uiries clear that?
@ +s the climber reaches a higher leel and climb higher routes, the* are !aster in4ured
@ +s the climber reaches a higher leel he does less at his basic condition.
@ What the reason is that the in4uries rise when the climber get to a higher grade is not
sure. That no training o! the basic condition promote in4uries is look er* clear. Certain o!
musclegroups get most neglect and are more ulnerable. + second case o! a bad basic
condition are that the !ingers get less support !rom the bod*5 and upperarm muscles at the
e-treme load. The increase o! in4uries has to do with the load o! di!!icult routes. Though
climbing is a basic !orm o! moing, the human isn't build !or bending on a !ew !ingers.
@ The most in4uries are !ound on !ingers and underarms, but the most are at the middle5
and ring !inger.
@ +lso are in4uries !ound at the elbow and on shoulders, *ou can think on ignore o! the
basic condition o! a higher nieau or oerload.
@ =ecause o! !alling? knees and ankle.
Important: When in4uries get treat !aster the recoer* will be !aster.
This is me
