Rock climbing

[12] Famous routes have been created on almost every climbable rock type, and particularly so on granite, which is noted for its grip and large cracks (e.g. El Capitan, Joshua Tree or Squamish), on limestone, which is known for its detailed holds and cracks (e.g Malham Cove, Céüse, and the Verdon Gorge), and on sandstone, which can have sculpted features (e.g. Indian Creek, Saxon Switzerland, Rocklands, and Fontainebleau).

[13] However, climbing areas have been identified on over 43 climbable rock types including on gritstone (e.g. Stanage Edge), on slate (e.g. Dinorwic quarry), on dolorite (e.g. Fair Head), on iron rock (e.g. Hueco Tanks), on gneiss (e.g. Magic Wood [fr]), on dolomite (e.g. Tri Cime), on monzonite (e.g., The Buttermilks), and on quartzite (e.g. Mount Arapiles).

[15][16] Climbers then acquired the techniques to ascend near-vertical 'crack climbs' by 'laybacking', 'bridging', and 'jamming';[5] famous examples include Super Crack, The Phoenix and Grand Illusion (all in the US).

[18] Eventually, they migrated to routes that were also severely and continually overhanging and which required 'dynos' (or jumps) to reach holds;[5] famous examples include Action Directe (Germany), Realization/Biographie (France), La Rambla (Spain), Jumbo Love (the US), La Dura Dura (Spain) and Silence (Norway).

[5] For example, the famous neighbouring El Capitan routes of The Nose and Freerider both require big wall climbing techniques as they are over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) high.

[38] A further refinement of "style" is a free climb by a climber who had never seen the route beforehand, and had never been told about its challenges and how to overcome them (called the beta).

Sport climbing adds ropes, harnesses, belay devices, and quickdraws to clip into pre-drilled bolts.

Traditional climbing adds the need to carry a "rack" of temporary passive and active protection devices.

[91] Several techniques were particularly notable for their impact on the sport — and on particular types of climbing routes — and are key for any aspiring rock climber to master.

[92][93][94] Rock-climbing technique is built on having an effective body position and balance to maximize the conservation of energy and thus climb efficiently.

[92][96] Linked to 'back-stepping' is the use of the free leg as a counter-balance to avoid the climber swinging away from the rock, and to support other movements, which is called 'flagging'.

[94][95] Early rock climbers began to distinguish themselves from general mountaineering scrambling techniques by executing a 'layback' (see image) which involves using the legs and arms in opposing forces to ascend cracks in corners or dihedrals.

[92][94] Laybacking and bridging enabled rock climbers to ascend dramatic new types of specialist climbing routes that typically combined the corners and cracks needed for these techniques to work.

[92] Famous early examples include Joe Brown's Cenotaph Corner in 1952 in Dinas Cromlech in Wales.

[95][100] This involves placing — or "jamming" — the climber's body parts into cracks in the rock which they then pull on to gain upward momentum.

[95][100] 'Smearing' involves using the rubber grip of the climbing shoes to gain purchase on a featureless rock face with no edges or holds to step on.

[92][94] One of the most notable exponents of the 'smearing' technique is Welch climber Johnny Dawes who used smearing it to create some of the hardest traditional slab climbs in the world such as the Indian Face and The Quarryman.

[93] Hooking is also used in competition climbing to gain a stable resting position, allowing the lactic acid to be shaken from the arms before carrying on.

The first ascensionist can suggest a grade, but it will be amended to reflect the consensus view of subsequent ascents, and recorded in online databased or physical guidebooks.

[131] Pioneers such as Wolfgang Güllich, Jerry Moffatt, Alexander Huber, Fred Nicole, Chris Sharma, Adam Ondra, and Tommy Caldwell set records in several of these disciplines.

[132] In 1993, Hill made the first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan, one of the most sought-after big wall climbing prizes that had resisted all prior attempts.

[8][132] By the 21st century, Josune Bereziartu, Angela Eiter and Ashima Shiraishi, had closed the gap to the highest sport and boulder climbing grades achieved by men to within one-two notches;[116][133] Beth Rodden fully closed the gap for traditional climbing grades by freeing Meltdown, and Janja Garnbret became the most successful competition climber in history.

[39] In 1911, Austrian climber Paul Preuss started what became known as the Mauerhakenstreit (or "piton dispute"), by advocating for a transition to "free climbing" via a series of essays and articles in the German Alpine Journal where he defined "artificial aid" and proposed 6 rules of free climbing including the important rule 4: "The piton is an emergency aid and not the basis of a system of mountaineering".

Rock climbers' extensive use of chalk has come under scrutiny, both for concerns around its mining,[150] and its potential toxicity and unsightly bright white color.

[153] Many developments in rock-climbing equipment such as the introduction of advanced rubber-soled shoes or the use of climbing chalk were met with concerns that they gave unfair aid to the climber.

The most recent equipment debate concerned the use of knee pads which enable the climber to use the 'knee-bar' technique to take rests on the climb.

[154] In 2021, Czech climber Adam Ondra wrote that the effect of knee pads is no different from the introduction of rubber shoes or climbing chalk and that the changes in the grade are unfortunate from a historical perspective but they are inevitable.

[162] Aside from the obvious physical risks of a fall in rock climbing,[163] climbers are known to experience tendon (particularly on the fingers and arms), and joint (particularly on the knees and shoulders) injuries.

[167] Climbers have spoken about the prevalence of eating disorders,[168] particularly in competition climbing as athletes seek to optimize their strength-to-weight ratio.

[170][171] In 2024, the IFSC introduced its first explicit policy guidelines to try and combat the issue of eating disorders in competition climbing.