A New Sport is born
In the beginning, rock climbing was considered an off-branch of mountaineering. When mountaineers wanted to climb steeper, and more difficult terrain, they simply deemed it rock climbing. However, as the difficulties increased, so did the risks. Therefore, Traditional Climbing (aka Trad Climbing) was born. This means that rock climbers use removable devices, that they stick into the rock, and attach their rope to them in order to arrest falls. In early years, climbers used pitons, which were steel pins hammered into the rock, to attach their rope to. This method was used in the Victorian era (in the 1800's) as the sport began to develop.
Unfortunately, the pitons left behind crude holes, called pin-scars, that damaged the climb for others, and wrecked the beauty of the stone. To solve this problem some dare devils turned to free solo climbing in the late 1900's. Free solo climbing is when climbers ascend a cliff without the use of a rope for safety- a high risk activity that draws a lot of attention. For example, in 1886 Walter Parry Haskett Smith, a free climber, reached the top of Napes Needle, a 30ft spire in the United Kingdoms at an elevation of 2200ft. This ascent is widely considered the birth of climbing as a sport, and it rapidly drew other daredevils and climbers to it.
Soon, in the 1930's, Emilio Comici developed new technologies that greatly enhanced climbing, including the solid belay, the hanging bivouac, and the trail line. The solid belay is a device that the belayer (the person responsible for giving the climber rope as they climb) feeds the rope through that allows them to give rope to the climber, but, when used properly, the device stops the flow of the rope when the climber falls. Also, the hanging bivouac is a temporary platform that climbers can erect on a cliff face in order to take a break. These technologies allowed climbers to perform the sport in a safer way, and drew more attention and popularity to the sport.
Unfortunately, the pitons left behind crude holes, called pin-scars, that damaged the climb for others, and wrecked the beauty of the stone. To solve this problem some dare devils turned to free solo climbing in the late 1900's. Free solo climbing is when climbers ascend a cliff without the use of a rope for safety- a high risk activity that draws a lot of attention. For example, in 1886 Walter Parry Haskett Smith, a free climber, reached the top of Napes Needle, a 30ft spire in the United Kingdoms at an elevation of 2200ft. This ascent is widely considered the birth of climbing as a sport, and it rapidly drew other daredevils and climbers to it.
Soon, in the 1930's, Emilio Comici developed new technologies that greatly enhanced climbing, including the solid belay, the hanging bivouac, and the trail line. The solid belay is a device that the belayer (the person responsible for giving the climber rope as they climb) feeds the rope through that allows them to give rope to the climber, but, when used properly, the device stops the flow of the rope when the climber falls. Also, the hanging bivouac is a temporary platform that climbers can erect on a cliff face in order to take a break. These technologies allowed climbers to perform the sport in a safer way, and drew more attention and popularity to the sport.
Furthermore, in the 1970's more technologies were created that advanced the sport of climbing, making it safer and more attractive. For example, in 1972, Greg Lowe developed the first curved cam device, called the 'Cam Nut', which was a spring loaded device used to temporarily insert in cracks in a cliff to arrest a fall. Also in this time period, the popularity of climbing increased and climbers were being noticed for first ascents on cliffs in prominent areas around the world.
Starting in the 1980's, the permanent bolting of some routes began (this is when bolts are screwed permanently into the rock, rather than using cam devices). When climbers use these bolts it is called sport climbing, and is often where beginner climbers start, because they don't need to worry about inserting cam devices properly for safety.
Overall, technology played a very important role in the evolution of rock climbing into a sport. It provided safety as well as convenience. Also, magnificent first accents of hard routes drew attention to the sport, and drew more avid climbers.
Overall, technology played a very important role in the evolution of rock climbing into a sport. It provided safety as well as convenience. Also, magnificent first accents of hard routes drew attention to the sport, and drew more avid climbers.