Rock climbing in Pakistan gains popularity amongst youth
It is the oldest extreme sport and one of the most rewarding, thrilling and satisfying experiences one can indulge in. The sport of rock climbing started not as a sport but as a practical necessity in the mountainous areas of Europe.
In the late 19th Century, rock climbing became a distinct sport in its own right and gradually interest in it increased until it became a proper professional sport with its own equipment and grading systems to compare the relative difficulties
of climbs.
The sport has evolved a lot during the past hundred years and despite the seemingly simple task of climbing, it is a very diverse and exciting sport. The most commonly practiced form of this sport is free climbing. In free climbing, the climber uses only
his hands and feet to climb up a natural wall and the only equipment allowed is safety equipment, with the climb being fully dependant on the strength and agility of the climber.
Rock climbing comes within the category of extreme sports. There are very few sports that are actively promoted in Pakistan, the most popular sports being cricket, football, hockey, tennis, table tennis and athletics to some extent. However, extreme sports
are sorely missing from the general Pakistani sports arena.
In 1994, ‘Adventure Club Pakistan’ was founded with the goal of promoting rock climbing along with other activities related to trekking, mountaineering and camping trips. The club has always focused on rock climbing and has given numerous people the opportunity
to go rock climbing as well as to take part in trips to the Northern Areas of Pakistan for trekking and camping.
There are two notable organisations, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) and Adventure Foundation Pakistan (AFP) that have been the most instrumental in promoting rock climbing. ACP organised the first rock climbing competition in Pakistan in 1995 and since
then it has been conducting rock climbing activities every year.
The AFP offers basic and intensive courses on a regular basis. There are a few private clubs operating in various cities of Pakistan and they organise several activities such as trekking and camping every year, with a small portion of events involving rock
climbing.
Climbing events in Pakistan are usually held in the hilly areas in Margalla hills and on a wall in Shahdra that is overseen by the Adventure Club Pakistan. Other events (including training) are held in Passu, Upper Hunza Valley, lower Swat region and near
Quetta. Recently, the Ibex Club (located in Lakeview Park, Rawalpindi) has erected 3 artificial climbing walls of increasing difficulties within its premises and held a major rock climbing event this October, which put the limelight on rock climbing for a
short time before people turned back to watching cricket and football.
The cost for someone to rock climb is simply the cost of the climbing equipment. In free climbing, which is the form of climbing common in Pakistan, there is a minimal amount of equipment required.
First, the ‘leader’ of the climb begins climbing up the wall. To protect himself as he climbs he fixes cams into the wall after climbing a few feet. A cam is a hook that is embedded in the wall through which the climber loops his rope. It acts as an anchor
so if the climber slips and falls his fall will be stopped by the cam.
In free climbing, the cam acts as a pulley, with end of the rope attached to a harness the climber wears on his waist, and the other end is attached to the harness of a ‘belayer’, who is standing on the ground. If the climber slips or falls, the weight of
the belayer will stop the fall. As the leader climbs, the belayer feeds rope to him through his ‘belay device’ that is attached to his harness. In this way, the leader climbs to the top of the wall cam by cam, setting the route for climbers after him.
The Adventure Club Pakistan is organising a rock climbing competition for students and anyone else interested in participating on December 9th,10th and 11th at the Ibex Club. It was previously scheduled to be held on 4th
December on a natural wall in Shahdra, however that was cancelled due to unspecified reasons.
Slowly but surely, rock climbing is making a noticeable entry as a part of Pakistani sports thanks to the efforts of a few organisations and clubs, namely, the Ibex Club and Adventure Club Pakistan. More and more people are lining up to participate in this
exciting sport, especially young people in their teens or below.
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