Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep

topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to
small boulders. Climbing is done for locomotion, sporting recreation, for competition, and is also
done in trades that rely on ascension, such as rescue and military operations. Climbing is done
indoors and outdoors, on natural surfaces (e.g. rock climbing and ice climbing), and on artificial
surfaces (e.g. climbing 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, at ever-increasing grades of difficulty, with ever-improving pieces
of climbing equipment. Mountain guides were an important element in developing the popularity of
the sport in the natural environment. Early pioneers included Walter Bonatti, Riccardo
Cassin, Hermann Buhl, and Gaston Rébuffat, who were followed by and Reinhold
Messner and Doug Scott, and laterly by Mick Fowler and Marko Prezelj, and Ueli Steck. Since the
1980s, the development of the safer format of bolted sport climbing, the wider availability of artificial
climbing walls and climbing gyms, and the development of competition climbing, increased the
popularity of rock climbing as a sport, and led to the emergence of professional rock climbers, such
as Wolfgang Güllich, Alexander Huber, Chris Sharma, Adam Ondra, Lynn Hill, Catherine Destivelle,
and Janja Garnbret.
Climbing became an Olympic sport for the first time in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo (see Sport
climbing at the 2020 Summer Olympics) in that format that included competition lead
climbing, competition bouldering, and competition speed climbing disciplines; competition ice
climbing is not yet an Olympic sport.[1]

Rock-based[edit]
Rock climbing can trace its origins to the late 19th-century, and has since developed into several
main sub-disciplines. Single-pitch and multi-pitch (and big wall) climbing, can be performed in
varying styles (including aid, sport, traditional, free solo, and top-roping), while the standalone
discipline of bouldering (or boulder climbing) is by definition performed in a free solo format.[2][3]

 Single pitch climbing means ascending climbs that are a single rope-length (up to 50-
metres) while multi-pitch climbing (and big wall climbing) means ascending routes that
are many rope-lengths (even up to 1,000-metres). These two rock climbing sub-
disciplines can be conducted in one of several ways:[2][3]

 Aid climbing is a form of rock climbing that uses artificial aids such
as aiders, pitons, and other mechanical devices to assist in ascending a route.
Much of rock climbing began as aid climbing, and even by the 1970s, many big
wall routes required aid (e.g. The Nose and the Salathé Wall).[4]

 Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that uses no artificial aids (which is
known as free climbing), but does rely on permanent fixed bolts (or pitons), for
use as protection while climbing (but not as aid); was started in the 1980s in
France and now makes up the world's hardest climbs (e.g. Silence).[5][6]

 Traditional climbing is a form of rock climbing that uses no artificial aids (and is
thus also free climbing) but unlike sport climbing, the climbers place removable
protection such as SCLDs and nuts while ascending that are removed by the
second climber; has many famous routes (e.g. Indian Face, Cobra Crack).[7]

 Free soloing is a form of rock climbing that uses no artificial aids (and is thus
also free climbing) and where the climber uses no protection (neither sport nor
 traditional); thus any fall while free soloing could be fatal; deep-water soloing is a
form of free soloing where a fall will result in landing into safe water. The 2017
free solo of Freerider became the Oscar-winning film, Free Solo.[8]

 Top rope climbing is a form of rock climbing that uses no artificial aids but as the
sole form of protection, uses a pre-fixed rope secured to the top of the route (i.e.
is used on single-pitches), and thus should the climber fall, they simply hang off
the rope with no risk of any injury; it is not regarded as free climbing but is a
popular and safe way to introduce people to free climbing (and common
on climbing walls).[9]

 Bouldering: means ascending boulders or small outcrops with no

artificial aids (free climbing) and due to the lower height, with no
protection (making bouldering a form of free soloing); very tall
boulders where a fall could be serious (i.e. up to 10-metres) are
known as highball bouldering. Many milestones in bouldering
(e.g. Midnight Lightning, Dreamtime and Burden of Dreams) were
created by practitioners of bouldering and free climbing.
Competition-based[edit]
Competition climbing (sometimes confusingly called "sport climbing"), is a
regulated sport of competitive rock climbing that originated in the 1980s, and
which is usually done as indoor climbing on artificial climbing walls.
The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is the official governing
body for competition rock-climbing worldwide and is recognized by
the IOC and GAISF and is a member of the International World Games
Association (IWGA). The UIAA is the official governing body for competition ice
climbing worldwide. Competition climbing has three major disciplines:[10][11][12]

 Competition lead climbing is a form of competitive lead

climbing performed on an artificial bolted sport climbing route.
 Competition bouldering is a form of
competitive bouldering performed on a selection of artificial
bouldering routes.
 Competition speed climbing is a form of competitive speed
climbing performed on a standardized artificial wall with a top rope.

Mountain-based[edit]
 Alpine climbing: Ascending large routes that require rock, ice, and
mixed climbing skills but with minimal equipment and no outside
support.[13]
 Ice climbing: Ascending ice or hard snow using equipment such
as ice axes and crampons, and includes competition ice climbing.[14]
 Mixed climbing: Ascending routes using ice climbing equipment
where there is both rock and ice (called dry-tooling if there is no
ice).[14]
 Mountaineering: Ascending mountains, which can involve some
rock or ice climbing, but unlike alpine climbing can
involve support and fixed ropes.
  Via ferrata: Ascending mountain routes using previously installed
fixed steel cables, metal rungs, and ladders for protection and aid.
 Scrambling: Climbing rocky faces and ridges, which can include
basic rock climbing, but is considered part of hillwalking.
 Solo climbing: Ascending routes alone; can involve ropes (roped
solo climbing) and artificial aid; where no protection or aid is used, it
is free soloing.

Other recreational-based[edit]
 Buildering: Ascending the exterior skeletons of buildings, typically
without protective equipment (e.g. as free solo climbing by Alain
Robert).
 Canyoneering: Climbing along canyons for sport or recreation.
 Crane climbing: An illicit act of climbing up mechanical cranes,
which is a form of buildering.
 Grass climbing: An older form of climbing when climbing steep but
grassy mountainsides, often requiring ropes, was undertaken.
 Mallakhamba: A traditional Indian sport that combines climbing a
pole or rope with the performance of aerial yoga and gymnastics.
 Parkour: A sport based around smooth movement, including
climbing, around urban landscapes.
 Pole climbing: Climbing poles and masts without equipment.
 Rope climbing: Climbing a short, thick rope for speed; not to be
confused with roped climbing, as used in rock or ice climbing.
 Stair climbing: ascending elevation via stairs.
 Tree climbing: Recreationally ascending trees using ropes and
other protective equipment.

Commercial-based[edit]
 Rope access: Industrial climbing, usually abseiling, as an alternative
to scaffolding for short works on exposed structures.
 A tower climber is a professional who climbs broadcasting
or telecommunication towers or masts for maintenance or repair.

International organizations and governing

bodies[edit]
 The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) serves as the
official governing body for competition climbing worldwide. It is
recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and
the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF)
and oversees and regulates competitive climbing events in the
disciplines of lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing.

 The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) is

a long-standing body for mountaineering and climbing equipment,
and which also oversees competition ice climbing, where it