Rock-climbing – a sport that has become more accessible

Rock-climbing has become increasingly popular over the last 2 decades. Since its debut as an Olympic sport in the 2020 games in Tokyo, we have seen a global surge in rock-climbing. Indoor rock-climbing now has more than 300,000 people participating in sport climbing gyms across Australia.

Rock-climbing is a diverse sport that can take on many different forms. Bouldering, lead climbing and mountaineering are just a few examples. Para-climbing is a type of top rope rock climbing tailored for people with physical disability or vision impairment. It will be appearing for the first time in the LA 2028 Paralympic Games. In this article, we chat with Assunta, who is a para rocker-climber for the Australian Para team. We also consider some of the psychological benefits of rock-climbing.

In conversation with Assunta

How did your rock-climbing journey begin? And how did it lead to you being one of 12 para rock-climbers on the Australian team?

I first received a newsletter from Adaptive Sports Australia, promoting a ‘come and try climbing’ day open to people with disabilities. I hadn’t done any sports since I lost my eyesight, because I thought sports wasn’t an option anymore.

I went and absolutely loved rock-climbing. I had a dual climber, who is sort of like an instructor climbing right beside you. They gave me instructions so I knew what handholds and footholds I
could use. 

The following day, I started going to my local climbing gym. There was another vision impaired climber who was already on the Australian team, so I had a bit of guidance from somebody else with experience. I then participated in the Victorian State competitions for people with disability. There weren’t many vision impaired females competing, so I scored a spot. A few months later, Sydney hosted the National competitions where the Australian team is selected, that’s how I scored a spot on the team.

Sports for people with disability is a really hard space to navigate – to know where to go, what competitions to enrol into, what membership you need to get. It was a bit of a challenging process for me to work that out, but doing so was the key for me in gaining a network.

What has your experience been working with a sighted guide – does it require a close relationship of trust?

A sighted guide, or caller, remains on the floor, usually belaying the vision impaired climber,  giving verbal instructions to the about where different handholds and footholds are located and what technique is required to reach those holds. Different climbers prefer different verbal cues to clearly communicate the location of different hand and footholds.

The communication between a vision impaired climber and their sighted guide needs to be really good. A sighted guide needs to be comfortable with giving quick and precise directions. It is literally its own language. It’s important to me that I feel comfortable with my guide—not only with their support, but the way they give me instructions.

My guide and I use the clock face to help me visualise where handholds and footholds are.
For example, my guide might describe a left foot hold as being at 7 o’clock, then explain how close it is to me.

What kind of training and guidance are you undertaking for the Australian team?

The Australian team holds 4 camps a year, paid at the athlete’s expense. It’s full days of either physical assessments, seminars or group activities, and actual climbing on the wall. But it’s very inclusive. We get doctors’ assessments, and there’s a lot of paperwork to sign, like medical waivers. There are also health and nutrition seminars and my favourite: muscle recovery, which includes things like sauna sessions and massage. It’s really good, even just to network with the team. The athletes are all from different states. Only a third of us are females.

There are 3 annual international disability competitions throughout the year. Climbers from all over the world are welcome to participate.

Classification in para rock-climbing

Para rock-climbers are separated by categories, in order to make competitions fairer for climbers with different types and levels of impairments. e. Each type of disability has 3 categories. Climbers are also further separated into male and female. For example, a female climber with vision impairment would be grouped into one of these 3 categories.

• B1 – this includes totally blind athletes, like me
• B2
• B3

Climbers in B2 and B3 often have enough sight to not require a sighted guide. Unfortunately, because there are so many categories at the Olympic level not everybody has the opportunity to compete.

How can people with vision impairment get involved in climbing?
Do most climbing gyms provide supports/accommodations?

Most climbing gyms don’t provide accommodations. The owner of the gym I go to has allowed me to be there 2 hours before it opens. It’s quiet so my sight guide and I don’t need to use an earpiece.

I’ve climbed at a multitude of gyms for different competitions. None of them have earpieces or any extra equipment. That’s just something we need to provide ourselves, even for the competitions. I do understand why they don’t provide earpieces. I mean, it’s an earpiece going in my ear. To be totally truthful, I wouldn’t be too keen in just grabbing an earpiece someone else had used. But climbing gyms should communicate a little bit more about what accommodations they do and don’t provide.

The psychological benefits of rock-climbing

Rock-climbing’s rapid growth in popularity is of little surprise when you consider the psychological benefits that it has to offer. Rock-climbing requires you to be mindful and present – to deal with what is right in front of you. In this way, it can be a vital form of stress relief for many people, with studies showcasing its effectiveness in treating depression. Rock-climbing also challenges you both physically and mentally. It requires climbers to engage critical thinking skills to assess and plan how they might complete a route. Pushing your boundaries and facing your fears can help to develop resilience and a sense of capability.

Rock-climbing can also provide people with a supportive, like-minded community. Climbing by nature requires that you work together with others. In order to ensure your own safety and that of the people climbing around you, you need to be able to communicate well. In particular, if you are climbing with a partner. Climbing also welcomes a variety of approaches – there is no one right way. Due to this, climbers are often open and eager to learn from others and to also share what they know.

Indoor rock-climbing also moves away from some of the environmental challenges caused by outdoor rock-climbing, such as soil erosion and vegetation damage, as well as disruption of the natural behaviour of wildlife. Assunta shared that, for her, it’s also safer to climb on flat and consistent indoor walls, rather than ragged and forever changing outdoor environments.