Climbing
What is Speed Climbing? All you need to know
Climbing is historically a slow, contemplative sport. Speed climbing cuts away the fat and gets right to the meat of it.
From its origins in competitive climbing in Russia over 50 years ago, speed climbing is now an indoor rock climbing discipline that sees two climbers sprint, jump and Hail Mary for the top as they race side by side, bringing out fierce competition between the athletes. The fast-paced action is a thrill-a--second and it is no wonder that competitions draw participants and spectators from all over the world for its go-for-glory vibe.
As a spectator sport, it appeals to the mainstream because it’s simply easier to understand than sport climbing or bouldering. The fastest person wins – that’s it.
Go fast or go home
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01
Going for gold
Speed climbing also appeals to the next generation because it’s powerful and has an energetic electricity that's contagious to competitors and fans alike. It’s been called addictive. Some even call it – due to its simplicity -- the purest form of climbing. The sport's growing appeal has been recognised by the International Olympic Committee and it featured for the first time in Tokyo in 2021, when it was part of a combined event that saw athletes compete across speed, lead and bouldering to decide the gold medal in Sport Climbing.
In Paris in 2024, speed will be its own event and separated from the other two disciplines. A gold medal awaits the winner.
Climb speedsters at the ready
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As is the case with bouldering and lead, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) organises a World Cup competition for speed climbing. There is also an annual World Championship.
02
Speed climbing is so different to the other disciplines
As a contrast to sport climbing, which is a contemplative aerobic affair, with speed climbing there’s no time to breathe during a run up the wall. It’s a pure anaerobic event, where the body taps into raw power in the muscles. Like swimmers sprinting in a pool, who know that turning their heads for a breath will slow them down, so do speed climbers, who exert maximum effort and keep their heads pointed toward the top while executing flawless technique.
Speed climbing is about explosive dynamism, so gym work is essential
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Breathe only when you get to the top
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Competitors’ hips are kept as square as possible and there's very little side-to-side movement. Like a rocket propelling into space, they launch off the ground and carry momentum up the entire route. They make big leaps from one hold to another, hands in a flurry while their feet claw at the holds and smear on the wall.
03
Rules and regulations
There are strict rules to the sport. These are governed by the IFSC. There's only one standardised route essentially. This was designed by French climber Jacky Godoffe who in the early 2000s moulded the holds and set the path taken by climbers today.
The course is 15m high – a little over three storeys -- and contains 20 handholds and 11 footholds. The wall overhangs five degrees. The route has a rating of 5.10 and it takes an experienced climber about 30 seconds to reach the top. Experts do it in fewer than 10 seconds.
04
Technique
Since competitors do the same route again and again and year after year, the passage has become streamlined. Everyone avoids hold 16 -- it’s like an appendix; it’s there but few people know why. Some also avoid hold four, which requires launching through the air with precision so that when hold five is reached, momentum is carried through. The move is named after its inventor Reza Alipour and is known simply as 'The Reza'. This sequence has become widely adopted.
4.90
Indonesian climber Veddriq Leonardo currently holds the men's world 15m record at 4.90s. This was set in April 2023 in Seoul. Poland's Aleksandra Mirosław has the women’s record, which stands at 6.25s.
The standardised speed climbing hand hold
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Former world-record holder Reza Alipour at the 2018 World Championships
© Erich Spiess
05
Training for speed climbing
Speed climbers build power in their legs so they can explode from foothold to foothold. Pushing off and carrying momentum up the entire route is crucial. As is knowing the subtleties of each move so that it’s retained as instinct. Some speed climbers do as few as 10 laps a day in training, while others do 100 – all this is for muscle memory, to quicken reflexes and to optimise body position against the wall.
Repetition laps are all-important in producing fast times
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