Lipika Ghosh’s unassuming demeanour belies her adventurous spirit. Besides being India’s only woman proprietor of a sports equipment store, she is an avid artificial rock climber. For her, the process of hanging on to a rope while trying to reach the top is reward enough to scale new heights. “It is tenuous but enjoyable,” she laughs.

Rock climbing dates back to the Sixties when people in Europe found it difficult to venture out from the cities to climb natural mountains and rocks. The physical restriction, however, did not deter enthusiasts from pursuing their hobby. Artificial walls began to be built with synthetic materials and different designs, shapes and angles were incorporated in these structures to provide varied levels of difficulties in climbing.

The name ‘sport climbing’ was coined for the activity of artificial rock climbing in Bardonnechia in Italy in 1985 where the first rock climbing competition was held. In India, interest in the sport developed around the same time. Giridoot, a mountaineering association based in Chandannagore on the outskirts of Calcutta, got in touch with international mountaineering organisations such as the British Mountaineering Council and the Swiss UIAA (Union International Des Association D’Alpinsme) to build an artificial wall for rock climbing in India.

“We conceived the idea of building an artificial wall in India to facilitate a new sport that would rope in youngsters,” says Kalyan Chakrabarti, founder of Giridoot. Financial constraints and bureaucratic bungling delayed the project by more than a decade, and “the first artificial wall was constructed in 1994 in New Delhi,” he says. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation and Tata Steel collaborated to construct an edifice that would help promote sport climbing as a popular pastime in India.

They succeeded in their mission as the sport soon saw a surge in popularity. Participants are required to follow a specific route to reach a destination. The wall has several ‘holds’ that climbers can cling on to as they manoeuvre along the charted path. “The game involves a calculated risk that can only be dealt with judicious scientific application,” says Chakrabarti. The climbing walls need to be built as per the specifications laid down by international mountaineering associations.

Whereas risks are very high in natural rock climbing, in artificial rock climbing they are comparatively low, points out Sukumar Chakraborty, general secretary of the Chandannagore Mountaineering Association.

To minimise danger, participants carry karabiners or ring-sized hooks that are used to attach the climbing rope for each level of height gained during a competition.

If by chance a participant fails to grip a ‘hold’ on the wall, he is held by the rope that remains attached to the ‘hold’ of the last level of height attained.

Physical fitness is a key element in this game since an individual needs to have sufficient strength to sustain the whole weight of his body on his palms while climbing.

“Flexibility is a must since every part of the body is involved in an ascent,” says Mohammed Akbar, a sport climber from Bengal who has participated in competitions held in India.

The growing popularity of the sport is evident. Giridoot claims that today there are nearly 10,000 sport climbers in India compared to a handful, a decade ago.

The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttar Kashi in Uttaranchal conducts a course for 70 people every year. Regular weekend classes free of cost are also conducted by Giridoot in Chandannagore.

National level competitors feel that a little help from the government would go a long way towards promoting the sport. Doubtless, there are still hurdles to cross for aspiring sport climbers in India but for those regularly used to scaling steep heights, overcoming obstacles should not prove to be a tall order.

need to have

• Persistence
• Discipline
• The ability to take calculated risks
• An aptitude for science
• Excellent physical fitness and stamina.