Speed climbing

Speed climbing is a climbing discipline in which speed is the ultimate goal.[1] Speed climbing is done on rocks, walls and poles and is only recommended for highly skilled and experienced climbers.[2]

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Competition speed climbing, which takes place on an artificial and standardized climbing wall, is the main form of speed climbing. However, there are types of speed climbing that take place outdoors, such as climbing famous big wall climbing routes in the shortest times, notable examples being on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Competition speed climbing

Competition speed climbing as governed by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) takes place on 15-metre (49 ft) artificial walls. Competitors climb a 5-degree overhanging IFSC-certified wall, with an auto-belaying system from the top of the wall.[3]

Since 2007 the IFSC has created a standard wall for the world record. The standard has a simple rule and it involves climbers competing on the same route, side by side, and whoever reaches the top first wins.[4] The holds and order are always identical, and the difficulty rating is around F6b (approximately YDS 5.10c), which is a level most recreational climbers could complete. The IFSC also sanctions speed climbing competitions[5] and those events that entail world record attempts.[6] Speed climbing was one of the three climbing modalities included in the combined format at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, along with lead and bouldering. Beginning at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, speed climbing will be its own standalone competition, separate from the lead and bouldering combined event.[7]

Time is determined by mechanical-electric timing (the competitor leaves the starting pad and strikes a switch at the top of the route). When mechanical-electric timing is used, the climbing time is displayed with an accuracy of one-hundredth of a second. In the rules modifications in 2018, the possibility to use manual timing was removed, and the mechanical-electric timing should record with a precision of 1/1000 second. This precision is only used for ranking in case of a tie. Further, the timing system needs to announce a false start, which is considered a start earlier than 0.1 seconds after the starting beep.[8]

  • Two climbers compete against each other on the Speed Wall (Chamonix 2018)
    Two climbers compete against each other on the Speed Wall (Chamonix 2018)
  • Full view of the standardized Speed Wall
    Full view of the standardized Speed Wall
  • Start position. The climber stands on a pressure plate foot trigger, which is used for detecting false starts.
    Start position. The climber stands on a pressure plate foot trigger, which is used for detecting false starts.
  • Hitting a button at the top of the wall stops the timer. The climber is secured by an auto-belay device.
    Hitting a button at the top of the wall stops the timer. The climber is secured by an auto-belay device.
  • Large standardised speed climbing hold.
    Large standardised speed climbing hold.
  • Small standardised speed climbing hold.
    Small standardised speed climbing hold.

World champions

The defending men's and women's speed climbing world champions are Matteo Zurloni of Italy and Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi of Indonesia, respectively; they won their respective speed events at the 2023 IFSC Climbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland.[9] Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia and Natalia Kalucka of Poland were the overall men's and women's winners for the 2023 IFSC Climbing World Cup speed series.[10] [11]

World and Olympic records
Progression of IFSC speed climbing records to July 2022

Since Qixin Zhong of China ran the 15-meter standardized wall in 6.26 seconds in 2011, the world record has been broken 14 times, nine times since 2021, most recently 4.90 seconds by Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia in April 2023 at the Seoul World Cup. That represents a drop of 22 percent since 2011.

Similarly, the women's speed climbing record has been broken 18 times since 2013, seven times since 2021, dropping from 7.85 seconds to the 6.25 seconds set by Aleksandra Mirosław of Poland in April 2023, a 20-percent reduction.[12]

Men's World Record History
Date Time (s) Person Location Competition
April 28, 2023 4.90[13] Indonesia Veddriq Leonardo Seoul, South Korea World Cup
April 28, 2023 4.984[14] Indonesia Veddriq Leonardo Seoul, South Korea World Cup
July 8, 2022 5.009[15] Indonesia Kiromal Katibin Chamonix, France World Cup
June 30, 2022 5.04[16] Indonesia Kiromal Katibin Villars, Switzerland World Cup
June 30, 2022 5.09[17] Indonesia Kiromal Katibin Villars, Switzerland World Cup
May 27, 2022 5.10[18][19] Indonesia Kiromal Katibin Salt Lake City, US World Cup
May 6, 2022 5.17[20] Indonesia Kiromal Katibin Seoul, South Korea World Cup
May 28, 2021 5.20[21] Indonesia Veddriq Leonardo Salt Lake City, US World Cup
May 28, 2021 5.25[22] Indonesia Kiromal Katibin Salt Lake City, US World Cup
April 30, 2017 5.48[23] Iran Reza Alipour Nanjing, China World Cup
September 12, 2014 5.60[24] Ukraine Danyil Boldyrev Gijon, Spain World Championships
August 31, 2014 5.73[25] Czech Republic Libor Hroza Arco, Italy World Cup
August 30, 2014 5.76[26] Czech Republic Libor Hroza Arco, Italy World Cup
October 13, 2012 5.88[27] Russia Evgenii Vaitcekhovskii Xining, China World Cup
August 27, 2011 6.26[28] China Qixin Zhong Arco, Italy World Championships
Men's Olympic Record History
Date Time (s) Person Location Games
August 3, 2021 5.45[29] France Bassa Mawem Aomi Urban Sports Park, Tokyo, Japan Tokyo 2020
Women's World Record History
Date Time (s) Person Location Competition
September 15, 2023 6.24[30] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Rome, Italy IFSC European Olympic Qualifier
April 28, 2023 6.25[31]

[32]

 Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Seoul, South Korea World Cup
April 28, 2023 6.35[33]

[34]

 Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Seoul, South Korea World Cup
April 28, 2023 6.37[35] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Seoul, South Korea World Cup
April 28, 2023 6.46[36] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Seoul, South Korea World Cup
May 27, 2022 6.53[37][38] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Salt Lake City, US World Cup
May 6, 2022 6.64[39] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Seoul, South Korea World Cup
August 6, 2021 6.84[40] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Tokyo, Japan Olympic Games
November 21, 2020 6.96[41] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Moscow, Russia European Championships
October 19, 2019 6.99[42] Indonesia Aries Susanti Rahayu Xiamen, China World Cup
April 26, 2019 7.10[43] China YiLing Song Chongqing, China World Cup
April 22, 2018 7.32[44] France Anouck Jaubert Moscow, Russia World Cup
July 22, 2017 7.32[45] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Wroclaw, Poland World Games
April 30, 2017 7.38[46] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Nanjing, China World Cup
April 23, 2017 7.46[47] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Chongqing, China World Cup
July 11, 2015 7.53[48] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Chamonix, France World Cup
June 21, 2015 7.56[49] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Chongqing, China World Cup
May 17, 2015 7.74[50] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Central Saanich, Canada World Cup
October 19, 2013 7.85[51] Russia Iuliia Kaplina Wujiang, China World Cup
Women's Olympic Record History
Date Time (s) Person Location Games
August 6, 2021 6.84[52] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Tokyo, Japan Tokyo 2020
August 4, 2021 6.97[53] Poland Aleksandra Mirosław Tokyo, Japan Tokyo 2020

Non-competition speed climbing

Most non-competition speed climbing records lack the standards normally associated with objective records. Competition speed climber Hans Florine has written about non-competition speed climbing: "I will be the first to say that climbing is silly. To make rules about it is just piling ridiculous on top of silly."[54]

However, various climbers have set "speed records" on well-known and frequently climbed routes, such as Dan Osman climbing Lover's Leap via the Bear's Reach route (5.7, 120+ metre) in 4 min 25 sec.[55] The most notable of such records are listed below:

California

The Nose, El Capitan

Regular Northwest Route, Half Dome

  • 1:53:25 Jim Herson and Hans Florine 1999.
  • 5:25 Heidi Wertz and Wera Shulte-Pelcum 2004 (all female ascent).
  • 3:58 Hans Florine solo 1999 (Full day also included El Cap).

Snake Dike, Half Dome

Joshua Tree National Park

  • 280 Routes in a day Michael Reardon solo 2004.
  • 10 climbs 100 feet tall 45 minutes free solo, Dennis George
  • 600 feet car to summit with a steep approach of half mile Idyllwild, CA
  • 10,000 feet in 24 hours Joshua Tree, CA climb for breast cancer

Colorado

Bastille Crack

  • 00:05:33 Mic Fairchild solo 1998.

Third Flatiron

Nevada

Epinephrine

Cat In The Hat

New York

The Gunks

  • 50 Routes 13:30 Peter Darmi solo 2004.
  • 46 Routes 13:30 Eric Weigeshoff and Peter Darmi 2004. 3400' of climbing and descent.
  • 51 Routes 13:30 Eric Weigeshoff and Peter Darmi 2006 3400' of climbing and descent.

Wyoming

Grand Traverse

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Competition speed climbing.

References
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