After decades of efforts by its tight-knit community, the sport is gradually making its way out of the ‘niche’ category
We live in a country where rock climbing is often confused with mountaineering or hiking. The rock climbing community in India has been working hard for decades to educate the masses about the sport and to welcome them to it too. The concept of climbing is not alien to humans—our ancestors have been at it for millions of years. The sport further builds on this inherent physical ability by marrying it with technique. “The three main disciplines of rock climbing are bouldering, sport climbing and traditional (trad) climbing. They’re all connected and they help me get stronger, so I try and pursue them seasonally,” says Prerna Dangi, 30-year-old professional climber and guide. Each of these can be practised in indoor gyms as well as outdoors.
Not an alien sport
Rock climbing is not a novelty in India. The 1960s witnessed the first generation of Indian climbers, most of whom were a part of the various mountaineering clubs in the country. “These folks were mountaineering-inclined, and technical rock climbing as a pursuit for its own objectives evolved much later,” documents 48-year-old Sohan, founder of Bangalore Climbing Initiatives (BCI), in his blog post titled ‘A short history of climbing around Bangalore’.
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The rock climbing community in India has been working hard for decades to educate the masses about the sport and to welcome them to it too. Image: Bangalore Climbing Initiatives.
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The sport further builds on this inherent physical ability by marrying it with technique. Image: Gayatri Juvekar.
In the two decades that followed, climbers in cities like New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hampi and Mumbai began establishing routes, holding workshops and developing the culture around the sport. “Back then, climbing required some amount of privilege, because the crags were far away and you needed time and money to sustain this passion,” says 42-year-old outdoor entrepreneur Tenzing Jamyang.
In the 90s, indoor climbing walls started coming up in the country. “By the early 2000s, the energy that used to exist for outdoor climbing was being exhausted at these walls,” recalls Sohan. It took quite a lot of time and effort for the attention to shift back to the outdoors. Founded by Sohan in 2014, BCI has spent the last ten years establishing, documenting, and publishing 600 climbing routes in and around Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Jamyang started Delhi Climbs in 2020 in an effort to revive the outdoor climbing scene in Dhauj in Haryana.
Climbing gyms enter the picture
The resistance against rock climbing in India can be traced to the safety concerns and accessibility surrounding the sport. While older climbing walls offered an alternative, they lacked the appeal and infrastructure to attract members outside the climbing community. The last few years have seen impressive, state-of-the-art indoor climbing facilities entering the space to modernise and popularise it. “Climbing gyms offer a more curated and organised experience. It’s very straightforward for a beginner to try out new routes without feeling intimidated by elite athletes,” explains Pranav Jain, 34, director of Climb City in Noida.
The idea, however, has never been to replace outdoor climbing with indoor climbing. To that effect, many gyms like Boulderbox in New Delhi, regularly conduct guided climbing trips to introduce its members to the great outdoors. “Boulderbox has been a major contributor in turning many recreational climbers into dedicated climbers by creating a free space where people can learn on their own by watching others,” says Dangi.
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In the two decades that followed, climbers in cities like New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hampi and Mumbai began establishing routes, holding workshops and developing the culture around the sport. Image: Kiran Kullar.
Climbing festivals: A community-wide celebration
In the last decade, annual climbing festivals like Suru Fest, ROMP, Climb Like a Woman (CLAW) and Grit Fest have sprung up in different corners of the country. As most Indian climbers tend to practise the sport in their city of residence, these events offer an excuse to travel, climb and bond with other climbers. “In 2014, when I started climbing in Bangalore, I would often find that I was the only woman in the group. That’s how the idea of CLAW emerged. We wanted to encourage women who were climbing in New Delhi, Pune and so on, and bring them together,” says Gowri Varanashi, 31, who teaches climbing and conducts outdoor nature connection programmes. Started in 2018 as a means to level the playing field and introduce more women to the sport, the organisers of CLAW continue to experiment with new formats and destinations with every edition.
These festivals are also a means to impart knowledge and help athletes level up. ROMP, a climbing festival in Bengaluru organised by BCI, has grown from being a short informal gathering in 2016 to a four-day event in 2023. “The main objectives of ROMP are to teach beginners, promote competition climbing and to develop a rescue community,” says organising member and climber, 32-year-old Amrit Jose Appaden.
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Despite the fact that Sport Climbing has been an Olympic sport since 2020, Indian pro-climbers struggle to find the necessary backing to compete at an international level. Image: Gayatri Juvekar.
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Started in 2018 as a means to introduce more women to the sport, the organisers of Climb Like a Woman continue to experiment with new formats and destinations with every edition. Image: Praveen Jayakaran.
Bridging the gap
Compared to the culture in the West, climbing is still at a nascent stage in India. While the boom of climbing gyms and festivals is helping build a lifestyle around the sport, recreational climbers rarely consider taking it up professionally. This is because despite the fact that Sport Climbing has been an Olympic sport since 2020, Indian pro-climbers struggle to find the necessary backing to compete at an international level. “There is no support from the government or the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. You have to look for sponsorship yourself or fund your journey on your own,” says Vicky Bhalerao, 28, national champion and boulder head at Climb City.
We’re at a point in time where the progression of the sport depends on the resources and generosity of its community. “At our gym, national athletes can train for free,” says Bhalerao. Private organisations like the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation are also extending their monetary support and guidance to competitive climbers. The hope is that as the community grows, so will the interest in backing it.
Lead image: Kiran Kallur
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