Surprisingly, the sport climbing route is about 5.10 for a gym grade. Route can be pretty tough, those athletes are pretty dialed. Alot of gyms in the front range have the 10m version of it with an auto belay, can be a fun cardio climbing exercise.nunns wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:10 pmIt would make sense to have a format like gymnastics, with an all-around winner and individual event winners.Been_Jammin wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:16 pm I like the all around. Why not see who is the best combined... it also forces climbers out of their normal style/niche.
But, I hope future games add individual events for the three disciplines also.
There is also somewhat of a precedent for a format like that in track (the decathlon + IE's), and in swimming (the individual medleys + the separate stroke events).
I'm with 12'ers; the speed climbing should be a little more challenging. As it is now it's almost like climbing a ladder.
Sean Nunn
olympic sport climbing rather competitive
Forum rules
- This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
- Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
- Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
- Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
- davisrice4
- Posts: 126
- Joined: 4/25/2014
- 14ers: 58 11
- 13ers: 100 14 3
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
- justiner
- Posts: 4415
- Joined: 8/28/2010
- 14ers: 58 8
- 13ers: 138
- Trip Reports (40)
- Contact:
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
I think it’s worth mentioning that until recently, USA Climbing was still holding bake sales to help fund themselves.
Sport climbing as a thing is centered in Europe. There’s about a 1,000x more quality routes there than in the States and by and large the hardest routes are harder.
Speed Climbing is absolutely huge in some parts of the World, but not the US. Bouldering, I feel we hold our own but the absolute focus on perfection that a country like Japan has is lacking as a culture here.
The combined format is super dumb. Here’s an idea- add psicobloc- it makes speed climbing interesting, you get to see people go up a hardish sport route without a rope and we already got all these diving pools to use! And it’s fun to watch.
Sport climbing as a thing is centered in Europe. There’s about a 1,000x more quality routes there than in the States and by and large the hardest routes are harder.
Speed Climbing is absolutely huge in some parts of the World, but not the US. Bouldering, I feel we hold our own but the absolute focus on perfection that a country like Japan has is lacking as a culture here.
The combined format is super dumb. Here’s an idea- add psicobloc- it makes speed climbing interesting, you get to see people go up a hardish sport route without a rope and we already got all these diving pools to use! And it’s fun to watch.
-
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 12/27/2010
- 14ers: 9
- 13ers: 22
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
speed looks boring because the athletes are so good, this is one of those sports that needs an "average athletic person" shown as a comparison for people who aren't deep into it to realize just how fast it is... the interval between first and last in qualifiers was just over 2 seconds, which is an eternity when the fastest was 5.4 seconds, I'd bet that the people complaining that it looks too easy couldn't put down a 30 second lap...
I'm pretty surprised the US is doing as well as it is until essentially this year we were lucky to get a podium or two in a year at the World Cup...as said above it's tough to compete with well-funded teams with team doctors and multiple coaches when you are funding the whole thing with bake sales...
I'm pretty surprised the US is doing as well as it is until essentially this year we were lucky to get a podium or two in a year at the World Cup...as said above it's tough to compete with well-funded teams with team doctors and multiple coaches when you are funding the whole thing with bake sales...
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
I will never understand climbing as a competitive sport, though I also don't really enjoy sport climbing or bouldering.
Olympic climbing sounds about as far away from the reasons I got into climbing as you can get.
Olympic climbing sounds about as far away from the reasons I got into climbing as you can get.
You can touch the void, just don't fall into it.
I fly a starship across the universe divide....and when I reach the other side...I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can. Perhaps I may become a Mountain Man again.
I fly a starship across the universe divide....and when I reach the other side...I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can. Perhaps I may become a Mountain Man again.
-
- Posts: 777
- Joined: 11/19/2017
- 14ers: 3
- 13ers: 1
- Trip Reports (2)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
i feel exactly the same way about Olympic racewalking.
at the very least, it should be renamed Olympic sashaying.
"The decay and disintegration of this culture is astonishingly amusing if you're emotionally detached from it." - George Carlin
- 12ersRule
- Posts: 2268
- Joined: 6/18/2007
- 14ers: 58
- 13ers: 157
- Trip Reports (4)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
It pisses me off that they walk faster than I run. Way faster, actually.timisimaginary wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:24 pmi feel exactly the same way about Olympic racewalking.
at the very least, it should be renamed Olympic sashaying.
-
- Posts: 2736
- Joined: 11/21/2007
- Trip Reports (2)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
I've seen a few segments of the Olympic climbing. Bouldering was meh, speed climbing silly stupid (not that I could do it anywhere near as fast, time me with a sand-filled hourglass...) but I enjoyed watching the lead climbing. I like sport climbing in limited doses. Just me.
-Tom
-Tom
- FireOnTheMountain
- Posts: 1181
- Joined: 2/28/2011
- 14ers: 53 1 23
- 13ers: 269 29
- Trip Reports (23)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
Tom, dawg. I'm all for the crusty trad dad climbing ways, but man, sport is how ya get real strong dude!
Nothing ups your technique and strength like not being scared shitless over super thin gear all the damn time. There's def time and place for that, but clipping bolts is how you train properly for those type of routes and outings, imo at least but this is quite a tangent I've gone out on.
I think the "lead" climbing as they call it is enjoyable to watch and again not to keep riding 12ers coattails, but he's totally right. You can't fully grasp how hard the movement in bouldering is especially when the stupid camera person focuses on their upper half the entire time.
Everyday is a G r A t E f U L Day here in the ID...?
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
Sounds like you've a lot in common with that camera person.FireOnTheMountain wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:25 pm ...especially when the stupid camera person focuses on their upper half the entire time.
"The road to alpine climbing is pocked and poorly marked, ending at an unexpectedly closed gate 5 miles from the trailhead." - MP user Beckerich
- FireOnTheMountain
- Posts: 1181
- Joined: 2/28/2011
- 14ers: 53 1 23
- 13ers: 269 29
- Trip Reports (23)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
Hm, I'd say I'm more in the look at your own shoes as an engineer boat.
Everyday is a G r A t E f U L Day here in the ID...?
-
- Posts: 2736
- Joined: 11/21/2007
- Trip Reports (2)
Re: olympic sport climbing rather competitive
Oh I fully agree that sport is for sure the way to go to get stronger, i.e. build finger strength, etc. I like it, it's actually pretty relaxing to me, no real worries about routefinding or worrying about gear pulling, etc. Clip & go! But I think it has a pretty narrow focus, maybe a bit too much on strength? It's pretty much 100% face climbing, while much of alpine & peak climbing has cracks, lots of them. And not much in the way of gear placement practice, duh, obviously. Which is fine, it's also part of the appeal, but I recall climbing once with a guy who'd focused for some time on sport to build strength. He was really good, way better than me, onsighting .12+'s, etc. But on a trad route he became literally frozen in place on .10's, just couldn't get past not having a shiny bolt 5 feet away. That anecdote aside, for me the biggest issue is/was boredom. I've belatedly figured out that what winds my climbing clock is the mental challenge, e.g. going to some remote place to figure out not only the access but the route itself. It's a mental puzzle, at least for me. I'd rather go to some obscure nubbin and puzzle out a <5.7 cracky thrashfest on rotten rock than chase progressively higher numbers on sport routes. I did that for a few years long ago but just lost interest. Hard to get jazzed about the 10,000th ascent of the 12 bolt masterpiece Chrome Plated Psycho Killer . I for sure like sport, but not as a steady diet. Just me.FireOnTheMountain wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:25 pmTom, dawg. I'm all for the crusty trad dad climbing ways, but man, sport is how ya get real strong dude!
Nothing ups your technique and strength like not being scared shitless over super thin gear all the damn time. There's def time and place for that, but clipping bolts is how you train properly for those type of routes and outings, imo at least but this is quite a tangent I've gone out on.
I think the "lead" climbing as they call it is enjoyable to watch and again not to keep riding 12ers coattails, but he's totally right. You can't fully grasp how hard the movement in bouldering is especially when the stupid camera person focuses on their upper half the entire time.
-Tom