The beabá of sport climbing – 02/08/2024 – It’s Right There

Created ten years ago, in March 2014, Abee (Brazilian Sports Climbing Association) was born from the perception that the sport was growing all over the world, having been incorporated into the Olympic range at the Tokyo games in 2020, and that in Brazil only There were entities linked to nature mountaineering. Climbing the walls was not yet considered a serious sport in the eyes of root climbers.

Little by little, however, the national sporting world began to realize that, if one thing is one thing and another thing is, well, just another thing, there was a huge potential for activity protected from the elements and which, as a bonus, is accessible to all types of people. And it is this profile that continues the series on sport climbing, which started last week, link here.

“Sports climbing can be practiced by people of all ages”, says the president of Abee, Raphael Nishimura. “It demands work that involves the entire body, but also the mind”, he adds, saying that, today, the entity brings together around 200 athletes, most of them competitors.

“We are building an open-air training center in Curitiba, which will not only allow athletes to train, but also show the public that walks around the place a little of what the sport is”, says Nishimura, who dreams of participating in the Brazilian selection of the sport for the 2028 games, in Los Angeles (USA).

But before getting that far, it’s worth knowing some of the terms and rules used in the sport, which are still unfamiliar to the Brazilian public. To this end, we have put together a small basic glossary of what’s what to help the reader do well when picking up the popcorn and watching the competitions of the closest games, those in Paris, for which the Brazilian team, unfortunately, has not yet managed to qualify.

Of the modalities

In sport climbing, there are three modalities that qualify the sport of climbing walls, all practiced in controlled spaces, and not on real slopes in nature:

Guided – ascent via routes, that is, routes that the athlete must follow, with the climber using a rope (top rope), attached to the body by a metal figure 8, at protective points as he climbs. In competitions, the routes must be at least 12 meters high, allowing the athlete to create routes of at least 15 meters. This means that the movement is not made in a single straight line, but accounts for the deviations necessary to reach each support point. For your safety, the climber must be accompanied by a belayer, and have a manual handbrake to stop the rope in case of a fall. The maximum climbing time, counted from the climber’s total exit from the ground, is 6 minutes and the score is calculated by the degree of difficulty of the support points used on the route.

Boulder – shorter climbs, with a maximum height of 4.5 meters, carried out without ropes. With a maximum of 12 holds, the average number of hand holds, that is, those in which the climber actually supports himself during the ascent, must be between 4 and 8. The score considers the smallest number of boulders (name of the holds) successfully completed to the top, that is, without having to resort to the crash padsor safety mattresses, placed at the base of the walls to stop any falls.

Speed – the routes are climbed with a rope affixed to the top of the wall (top rope) and safety lock. In this modality, what counts is the time it takes the athlete to reach the top. The walls must be 15 meters high and have a negative slope of 5 degrees, that is, they must be inclined towards the ground instead of upwards, leaving the competitors facing slightly backwards.

Of the equipment

Car seat (also called harness, baudrier or harness) – structure of bands attached to the lower part of the climber’s body to secure the ropes and magnesium bag

Magnesium – in general, a small bag hangs from the climber’s waist, to carry the magnesium in powder or liquid form, necessary to dry the sweat that, during the climb, can make it difficult to hold on to a grip

Helmet – in theory, an important safety equipment; In practice, however, rarely anyone uses it in recreational indoor climbing, although it is required in competitions.

Sneaker – With a rubber sole to give greater grip when gripping, it is leaner and more flexible on the foot than a normal sneaker.

Sources: Brazilian Sports Climbing Association and Thais Cavicchioli Dias

LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access five free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.