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Technologies used in Sport Climbing at 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Posted: August 6, 2024

Sport Climbing is making only its second Olympic appearance this week at the 2024 Olympics. This relatively new sport consists of three disciplines: boulder; lead; and speed, each discipline requiring a number of technologies to make it possible and, perhaps more importantly, safe.

In this article, Beth Campbell takes a look at a few of the technologies that make Sport Climbing possible and the patents that help to protect them.

Speed

Competition speed climbing, where climbers secured to a rope compete to scale a 15m wall in the fastest possible time, would not be possible without modern auto belay devices. A belay device is a mechanical device used to give and take slack from a climber’s rope during climbing: an important piece of safety equipment that prevents climbers falling great heights, or to the ground, if they slip from the wall during a climb. Traditional belay devices, i.e., not automatic, are controlled by a human belaying partner secured to the climber’s rope on the ground. However, with traditional belay devices, the speed at which climber can scale a wall is greatly limited by the reaction times of the belaying partner. Certainly, it would not be possible for climbers to achieve the sub 5 second ascent times seen today with traditional devices.

The auto belay, a device attached to the top of a climbing wall that removes the need for a human belaying partner, was first invented in 1990s. Since then, the auto belay has undergone a number of upgrades and improvements, in part, to reduce safety concerns. Today, auto belay devices can relatively safely take in slack from a climber’s rope at a rate of 15 m in 3.2 seconds, making sub 5 second ascents a reality.

One of the most popular and well-known auto belay devices currently on the EU and US markets is the TRUBLUE iQ® auto belay, which uses magnetic braking technology (see EP 3183039 B1) to break the fall of a climber. The popularity of the TRUBLUE iQ® device stems from its secondary braking system (the subject of WO 2021055748 A2), which allows a climber to remain on the wall after letting go of the holds. Essentially, the TRUBLUE iQ® device is better able to imitate a human belaying partner than earlier auto belays, which would necessarily lower the climber to the ground upon slipping from the holds.

Lead

Despite advances in auto belay devices, using a traditional belay device with a human belaying partner is still seen as the safest and best alternative. For that reason, traditional belay devices are still used in competitive lead climbing. In lead climbing, climbers secured to a rope climb as high as they can on a wall over 15 m high within a time limit of six minutes. Lead climbers only get to see the route, i.e., the holds, on the wall briefly a short time before the event and so have to figure out the best, most energy efficient way to climb the wall with little preparation. This is in contrast to speed climbing where the route is standardised.

Some of the most popular traditional belay devices in use today are the GRIGRI® and GRIGRI +® manufactured by the French company Petzl. The GRIGRI®, first marketed in 1991, is a belay device with a cam-assisted blocking mechanism which works by pinching the climbing rope when it begins to move too quickly through the belay device: for example, in the event of a fall. This assisted mechanism increases the safety and reduces the likelihood of the climber suffering a bad fall. The GRIGRI® technology has been protected since the very beginnings by IP rights (patents and design patents).

Catherine Chenal N’Kaoua, Group Intellectual Property Manager at Petzl, explained: “Petzl has a long tradition since the 70s of registering IP rights, which serve a dual purpose: to encourage creativity in order to get and stay ahead of the competition, and to motivate and recognize the value of the efforts and work of its teams.”

The IPR on GRIGRI® has helped Petzl to retain its leading market position in the area of assisted blocking belay devices.

Boulder

While not involving as much equipment as speed and lead, technology is still important for enabling the boulder discipline, which involves trying to successfully climb a number of shorter climbing routes, without a rope, to gather as may points as possible.

For example, more so than speed or lead, bouldering involves challenging climbers to hold onto ever slippier and smaller holds. Different climbing shoes, employing different designs and technology, may be suitable for use with different types of holds and styles of boulder problem. To keep pace with advances in hold design and route setting, climbing shoe technology is continuously advancing, with companies filing patent and design applications to protect their technology and market position (see EP 4275534 A2 directed to a climbing shoe and filed as recently as 2023 by the climbing brand Scarpa).

The future of Sport Climbing

The popularity of Sport Climbing is only set to grow further, with Sport Climbing becoming a permanent addition to the Olympic programme in LA 2028.

Forresters looks forward to seeing how the technologies underlying the sport continue to advance and improve as the popularity of the sport grows.