Paraclimbing is Sport Climbing for athletes with disabilities. Athletes are placed into a Sport
Class Sport
Class based on their disability, to allow those with a disability of a similar nature to compete
within the same category.
The IFSC has been hosting Paraclimbing competitions since 2006, when the first international event
saw athletes from four National Federations compete in Ekaterinburg, Russia. The movement has grown
in recent years, with a regular circuit being added to the IFSC calendar from 2010 and IFSC
Paraclimbing World Championships taking place from July 2011. It has become tradition that the IFSC
Paraclimbing World Championships run alongside the IFSC Climbing World Championships, promoting
athletes with a disability on the same stage as other athletes. Proud of the rapid growth of the
Paraclimbing community, and of the increasing standard of competitions, the IFSC remains dedicated
to developing and strengthening the competitions and support available to athletes.
In 2017, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granted the IFSC the status of “Recognised
International Federation”.
In October 2018, a plan was elaborated for developing the sport further. The plan was unanimously approved at the 2019 IFSC General Assembly in Tokyo, Japan, officially declaring the start of a new era for Paraclimbing and its vibrant, committed, and enthusiastic community.
2020 A set of Paraclimbing Routesetting Guidelines were created and published by the IFSC Paraclimbing Committee. Due to COVID-19 many Paraclimbing activities such as the Paraclimbing Classifier Course and first Classification under the lead of IPC experts were postponed, but the rework of the Classification rules and system according to the IPC Model Rules is ongoing.
2019
The Paraclimbing World Championships in Briançon, France, set new records, with 158 athletes (111 men
and 47 women) representing 24 different countries participating in the event.
The IFSC General Assembly unanimously approved a Paraclimbing
development
plan in March 2019, with one step of the plan being to form a new Paraclimbing
Committee .
A first Paraclimbing Routesetting Seminar was held in Sittard, the Netherlands, in November 2019.
2018 The Paraclimbing World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, had a new record participant number, with 126 athletes participating from 19 different countries.
2013 - 2017 Paraclimbing world cups, Paraclimbing Masters, and Paraclimbing World Championships were held, with the latter taking place every even year and including up to 72 athletes from 20 different countries. The Paraclimbing Commission (disbanded in 2019) made various modifications to the Paraclimbing Rule and Event Format. The Classification system was expanded up to 10 theoretical categories for men and women to ensure a fair competition. In 2017, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granted the IFSC the status of “Recognised International Federation”.
2012 The Paraclimbing World Championships in Paris, France, saw 61 athletes from 20 different countries competing - almost doubling the number of athletes and country representation from the previous year.
2011 The first IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships took place in Arco, Italy, with 35 athletes representing 11 different countries.
2006 The first international Paraclimbing event was held in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
COVID-19 mitigation efforts like face-masks became the
“new normal” at climbing gyms around the world. (Photo courtesy of The Spot)
CBJ published that Gyms and Trends article in February, 2020. Approximately one month later, operations in the climbing industry in North America—and throughout the world— began to change drastically. A new factor emerged that became widespread and impactful at a scale never seen before in the modern gym climbing era. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic hit with full force, and its major effects are still challenging the climbing industry nearly one year later.
That first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic stateside in March 2020 proved to be as destructive as it was unpredictable. Gym attendance everywhere plummeted as people became increasingly cognizant (and in some cases increasingly fearful) of the Coronavirus’ transmissibility. Related to the gym industry, the Tokyo Olympics—where climbing was set to make its highly-publicized debut—were postponed. The annual Climbing Wall Association (CWA) Summit was cancelled and CWA, as the industry’s trade association, shifted to providing ongoing pandemic-related resources and support, including a roadmap for reopening.
To that point, the pandemic unified the industry, in a way, as gyms showed transparency in exchanging information on CWA community calls and surveys, sharing protocols and data, offering lessons learned and further problem solving together. In the United States, practically every climbing gym in every state was deemed a “non-essential business” and forced to temporarily close at some point in the spring or summer of 2020 as the Coronavirus continued to spread around the country. Gyms eventually reopened with significant mitigation measures (such as reservation time-slots, required face-masks, lowered capacities, and enforced social distancing…all of which contributed to a “new normal” for the climbing gym experience).
Such collectivism by gyms was hardly a long-term silver lining, however; many gyms were forced to temporarily close again in the fall of 2020 as another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic surged; some of those gyms even chose to remain open, going against mandatory municipal orders and risking serious legal penalties—all in an attempt to stay financially afloat.
The temporary closure of so many gyms amid stay-at-home orders did result in a boom for the homewall tier of the climbing industry. As early as April, CBJ announced that the “Era of Home Climbing Walls” had arrived. Indeed, 67 percent of homewall owners responding to an October survey answered that they built their homewall in response to the pandemic. And since it is unlikely that many new homewallers will choose to quickly disassemble their walls in a post-pandemic world, this widespread interest in homewalls―as well as the uptick in at-home fitness offerings provided by gyms―will likely remain a key part of the industry going forward.
Nationality: Nepali
Born: 1983
Nims Purja blasted through the world’s 14 highest mountains in little
more than six months in 2019 – which certainly gives him some pretty high credentials in the world
of mountaineering.
The former Gurkha and soldier of the Special Boat Service (SBS) climbed Everest, Lhotse and Makalu
within two days and 30 minutes and smashed the previous 14 summits record of seven years, 11 months
and 14 days. In 2021 he was part of a team that completed the first summit of K2 in winter,
something that was often referred to as 'the last great mountaineering challenge.'
Nationality: Italian
Born: 1944
Born September 17, 1944 is an Italian mountaineer, adventurer, explorer,
and author from the
autonomous Italian province of South Tyrol.
He made the first trek of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, with Peter Habeler, and was the
first climber to climb all fourteen peaks above 8,000 meters above sea level. He was also the first
person to cross Antarctica and Greenland without a sled or dog sled. Furthermore, he had crossed the
Gobi desert alone. Messner also published more than 80 books about his experiences as a mountaineer
and adventurer.
Nationality: American
Born: 1962
Famous for finding George Mallory’s body on Mount Everest in 1999, Anker has achieved several alpine
firsts including Meru, Vinson Massif, Ulvettana and El Capitan and has climbed summits from Alaska
to Antarctica.
He led The North Face climbing team for 26 years, survived an avalanche in 1999 and overcame a heart
attack while climbing Lunag Ri in 2016. That year, he also won Climbing Magazine’s Golden Pitons
Lifetime Achievement.
Nature was very kind to give the region of Cusco the most beautiful sceneries in the world, including Vinicunca. This incredible mountain is also known as “Siete Colores”, “Cerro Colorado” and in English as “Rainbow Mountain”.
The imposing mountain Vinicunca presents this tonality due to the erosion of sedimentary stones, the same ones that are formed without any intervention of the man, are compared with a terrestrial rainbow. It is located within the Vilcanota mountain range; Vinicunca is located between 4,710 and 5,200 meters above sea level.
Mount Everest (also: Mount Chomolungma ) is the highest mountain on Earth above sea level , up to the present time is 8848.86 meters , it has decreased in height by 2.4 cm after the earthquake . land in Nepal on April 25, 2015 and has moved 3 cm to the southwest. The border between Nepal and China ( Tibet ) runs through Mount Everest.
The current official elevation is 8,848.86 m (29,032 ft), recognized by China and Nepal, as established by a 1955 Indian survey and confirmed by a 1975 Chinese survey Country.
Ama Dablam is a mountain in the eastern Himalayan range of Province No. 1, Nepal. The main peak is 6,812 metres (22,349 ft), the lower western peak is 6,170 metres (20,243 ft). Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (ama) protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional double-pendant containing pictures of the gods, worn by Sherpa women.
For several days, Ama Dablam dominates the eastern sky for anyone trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp. For its soaring ridges and steep faces Ama Dablam is sometimes referred as the "Matterhorn of the Himalayas."
Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, is the third highest mountain in the world. It rises with an elevation of 8,586 m (28,169 ft) in a section of the Himalayas called Kangchenjunga Himal delimited in the west by the Tamur River, in the north by the Lhonak Chu and Jongsang La, and in the east by the Teesta River.It lies between India and Nepal, with three of the five peaks, namely Main, Central and South, directly on the border, and the peaks West and Kangbachen in Nepal's Taplejung District.
Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world, but calculations based on various readings and measurements made by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1849 came to the conclusion that Mount Everest, known as Peak XV at the time, was the highest. Allowing for further verification of all calculations, it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world.
Kangchenjunga was first climbed on 25 May 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band, who were part of the 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition. They stopped short of the summit in accordance with the promise given to the Chogyal that the top of the mountain would remain inviolate.
Fansipan Mountain is located in the southwest of Sapa town, Sa Pa district, Lao Cai province. With a length of 280 km from Phong Tho to Hoa Binh and the foothill's horizontal width of about 75km in the widest, it consists of 3 massifs: Bach Moc Luong Tu, Fansipan and Pu Luong. Whole massive roof is exciting attraction in Sapa for tourists, which hides much strange impression. Yet the most exotic and mysterious one is Fansipan Mountain..
Fansipan Mountain is the highest mountain in Vietnam and Indochina peninsula. With the altitude of 3,143m above sea level, the mountain is located in the center of Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range. The flora is relatively diverse in Fansipan. The mountain is to be approved as one of the very few ecotourist spots in Vietnam. There are 1,680 plant species divided into 679 families of 7 groups, many of which belong to rare and precious group. Below the foothills is home to the rice, jackfruit... with relatively dense density, creating beautiful sights, namely Coc Leu (Coc Gao), Coc San (Coc Mit)... Up to the altitude of 700m is tropical belt with dense primitive forests and tangled vines. Above 700m concentrates the gymnosperms, for instance, Pomu (Fujian cypress in English). There are many trees owning the height of around 50-60m with several hundred years old. Pomu has been dubbed as the gold mines of Lao Cai province. On the journey to discover Fansipan in Sapa tours, tourists will be immersed in the wonderful scenery.
Mount Fuji located on the island ofHonshuis the highest mountain in Japan with an altitude of 3,776.24 above sea level, the 2nd highest peak on an island in Asia and 7th in the world. It is an inactive stratovolcano with its last eruption in 1707-1708. Mount Fuji is locatedabout 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and can be seen from the capital on a clear day. The mountain has a distinctive symmetrical cone structure and is covered with snow for about 5 months each year, is a symbol of the country and is often depicted in artworks and is visited by many tourists around the world. visit when coming to Japan.
Mount Fuji is one of Japan's "Three Sacred Mountains " (三霊山, San reizan, "three sacred mountains") along with Mount Haku and Mount Tate . Mount Fuji is a special scenic spot and a historical site of Japan. The mountain is added to the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO on June 22, 2013 due to cultural values. According to UNESCO, it has inspired artists and poets and has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries before and now.
Mount Thor, officially gazetted as Thor Peak , is a mountain with an elevation of 1,675 metres (5,495 ft) located in Auyuittuq National Park, on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. The mountain is located 46 km (29 mi) northeast of Pangnirtung and features Earth's greatest vertical drop of 1,250 m (4,101 ft), with the cliff overhanging at an average angle of 15 degrees from vertical. Despite its remoteness, this feature makes the mountain a popular rock climbing site. Camping is allowed, with several designated campsites located throughout the length of Akshayuk Pass. For climbers looking to scale Mount Thor, there is an established campsite a few kilometres north of its base, complete with windbreaks and emergency shelters.
The mountain was named for Thor, the Norse thunder god.
This Alpine peak spans the border between Switzerland and Italy. At 4,478 metres it’s smaller than the famed Mont Blanc (4,810 metres), but its striking pyramidal shape – not to mention its spot overlooking the cosy Swiss ski town of Zermatt – makes it the poster child for the Alps.
Matterhorn was first scaled in 1865, with Brit Edward Whymper credited as the initial person to reach the summit. His triumph was bitter sweet, though, since four climbers in Whymper’s seven-strong team plunged to their deaths during their descent.
Today, upwards of 2,000 hardy folks ascend the peak each year. If you’re determined to be one of them, the Hörnli ridge route is the most popular and is best attempted in summer. Don’t underestimate the challenge, listen to your guide and make sure you’re kitted out, crampons and all. Otherwise, take a funicular ride from Zermatt to Rothorn for jaw-dropping views without the climb.
Banff National Park has plenty of peaks, but Castle Mountain is the most unique. And it’s easy to see how it got its name. The mountain resembles a turreted fortress, perched ominously above the spruce and fir trees in the Canadian Rockies.
Head to Castle Junction, where the Banff-Windermere Highway and the Trans-Canada Highway meet in the park. Here you’ll get glorious views of the mountain, especially beautiful in the early morning light.
Then, the 6.4-kilometre Castle Mountain Lookout trail (trailhead near Castle Junction) will take you up to a scenic viewpoint on the peak where you can look out across the park. Tackle it in spring, summer or autumn to avoid slippery winter conditions.
New Zealand is renowned for its stunning scenery, and its highest mountain doesn’t disappoint. The vast bluff in the Southern Alps rises to more than 3,700 metres, reflecting in the glacial lakes at its feet.
The name Mount Cook was given to the peak by European settlers. But native peoples had always known it as Aoraki, after a young figure from Maori legend. Now it goes by both names.
Content yourself with hiking or biking one of the ten Alpine trails that leave from nearby Mount Cook Village, offering views of the mountain. Or, if you’ve got the experience, tackle a climb. Head here in summer (December–February), and book a local guide who knows the route. Caroline Hut is a popular spot in which to make your base and set out from.