Rope climbing is a sport in which competitors attempt to climb up a suspended vertical rope using only their hands. Rope climbing is practiced regularly at the
World Police and Fire Games. Also, enthusiasts in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
resurrected the sport in 1993, and hold local and national competitions.
History and description of the event
This was an Olympic gymnastic event at one time, but was removed from that venue after the 1932 games. In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, competitive climbing on both 20 ft and 25 ft, natural fiber ropes was sanctioned by both the
AAU and the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
until the early 1960s, when these organizations dropped the events. As a result, intercollegiate competition in the U.S. disappeared at this time. In
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
held in the U.S., competitors climbed a 25 ft (7.62m) rope, but when post-1896 games were held in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, an 8 m (26.3 ft) rope was used. In almost all contests, athletes climbed for speed, starting from a seated position on the floor and using only the hands and arms. Kicking the legs in a kind of "stride" was normally permitted. However, at the
1896 Olympic games, competitors were ranked by both time and style (holding an L-position) on a rope so long (15 meters) that some climbers did not reach the top and were therefore excluded. In all succeeding Olympics through the 1932 games, competitors were judged strictly by the time of ascent on a shorter rope.
At the top of the climb, there was a circular
tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...
with lampblack on its underside, which the climber touched. Several timers with stop watches timed the climb, and an acceptable official time was then agreed upon. Before the event expired in America, an electronic means of timing the climb was developed, but this was an insufficient reason to continue an activity conducted at gymnastic meets that many artistic gymnasts thought should have been relegated to the track and field arena. The world record for the 20 foot climb was 2.8 seconds, first achieved by the American Don Perry in the 1950s.
World records
*The Official Guinness World Record for Rope Climb requires a set standard of a 5-meter rope with a 60-second time limit using hands only from a seated position; the upward 5m climbs are counted cumulatively. The World Record of 27.8m/5.5 upward climbs (91 ft 2 in) was set by Marcus Bondi on 31/1/10 in the TV studio of "Australia Smashes Guinness World Records" verified by Official Guinness supervision.
*Rope climbing on 50 meter rope – 165.68 seconds world record set in Johannesburg, South Africa by Thomas Butler Van Tonder from Johannesburg, South Africa
*Rope climbing on 14 meter rope – 13.13 seconds world record set in Nové Město nad Metují, Czech Republic (2021) by Martin Vacek from Sokol Libčice nad Vltavou, Czech Republic
*Rope climbing on 8 meter rope – 4.87 seconds world record in Olomouc, Czech Republic (2009) by Aleš Novák from Sokol Šternberk, Czech Republic
See also
*
Aerial silk
*
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
*
Rope climbing at the Olympics
References
External links
{{Commons category, Rope climbing
History and description of the sport
Individual sports
Gymnastics
Articles containing video clips