Currently, rock climbing in Shanghai has developed its own steady consumer base, and the price of 40 to 50 yuan per session is relatively reasonable.
Stepping into the climbing center located at the Shanghai Stadium, two towering climbing walls immediately catch the eye. Many people take turns challenging the walls, relying solely on their hands, feet, and body balance to climb upward. Some quickly reach the very top of the wall, while others lose grip halfway and fail, descending to the ground along the pre-fastened safety ropes...
Equipment can be fully equipped for a few hundred yuan
At first glance, this is by no means an easy sport to conquer. However, according to Mao Zuoliang, the general manager of the climbing gym, many people are now addicted to it. “There are many visitors here on weekends all day and weekday evenings, regardless of gender or age. According to statistics from last year, we had nearly 30,000 visitors over the course of the year.” Mao Zuoliang himself is the deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Mountaineering Association. In his view, this sport derived from mountaineering is very suitable for the exercise needs of urban dwellers. “Mountaineering has a longer history than rock climbing, but even when choosing the easiest routes to climb peaks several thousand meters high, mountaineers still encounter cliffs and steep walls, which require the use of rock climbing skills. Nowadays, it’s not very realistic for urbanites to travel long distances to climb a remote mountain, and rock climbing just happens to meet some people’s needs.”
Compared to other outdoor sports, the barrier to entry for rock climbing is not high. “It might take one or two years of training to become a rock climbing expert, but ordinary enthusiasts can all participate—there’s no issue of whether you can get started or not. Moreover, our facilities are divided by difficulty levels, and there’s a dedicated practice area for beginners in the gym—even kids around ten years old can play.” Following Mao Zuoliang’s guidance, the reporter saw a fair-haired foreign boy practicing climbing in the beginner area. The wall, which is just over three meters high, requires no protective gear—anyone who can run and jump can give it a try.
The equipment for rock climbing is relatively simple. Mao Zuoliang explained, “Professional climbing shoes, ropes, harnesses, carabiners (including quickdraws and locking carabiners), and magnesium carbonate powder—the full set of gear can be had for as little as a few hundred yuan, while a more advanced setup costs around 2,000 yuan.”
A perfect combination of self-challenge and fitness
As Mao Zuoliang was speaking, a sprightly middle-aged man walked into the climbing gym. It was clear to any observer, from his sturdy physique and the harness he wore, that he too was a rock climbing enthusiast.
His name is Zhang G, 54 years old, with seven or eight years of climbing experience. Living in Zhabei, he comes to the climbing gym three or four times a week. His current climbing difficulty level has reached 5.12B (climbing difficulty levels start from 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, and so on). In the climbing community, Old Zhang is considered quite skilled. Why is he so passionate about rock climbing? “Originally, I was into mountaineering. Over ten years ago, I even climbed snowy mountains with my dog. Later, after a friend had an accident while mountaineering, I felt upset and stopped climbing. Now I’ve taken up rock climbing. It’s challenging but safe—you can come anytime you feel like it.” Indeed, although rock climbing may seem intimidating, its safety factor is very high. Typically, one person climbs while another provides protection from below. Thanks to the special mechanics of the safety rope, each protector only bears one-seventh of the climber’s weight. During the conversation, the reporter accidentally stepped on a rope, which made the gym’s coach tense up. According to them, anyone who climbs respects the rope immensely, as it is the climber’s lifeline.
They say rock climbing is a sport of self-challenge, and Old Zhang also admitted bluntly that he’s addicted to it. “Some routes have certain difficulty ratings. You might fail to succeed after trying many times, but once you do, the feeling is happier than earning a lot of money.” In Old Zhang’s words, rock climbing is like “exercise heroin.” “Besides the fun of climbing itself, you can also make many like-minded friends.” Of course, rock climbing is also very good for the body—it can strengthen arm and leg muscles, improve overall body coordination, and is a great choice for those looking to lose weight. It’s said that a climbing gym once had an overweight enthusiast weighing over 200 jin (about 100 kg), who lost 30 jin in just over two months of climbing.
Gender ratio is 6:4, relatively balanced
In fact, Old Zhang’s age is not even the oldest among climbers. Mao Zuoliang introduced that there have been climbers in their 70s who came to climb and had a great time, while the youngest climbers are only four years old. Not only is it suitable for all ages, but the gender ratio in rock climbing is also quite balanced. “Many think rock climbing is difficult, but actually there are quite a lot of women who climb. Among amateurs, the male-to-female ratio is about 6:4, while among professionals it’s about 3:1. Nowadays, many white-collar workers and students love this sport.”
Just as Mao Zuoliang said, during the reporter’s few hours at the climbing gym, groups of girl students would occasionally come in—it was clear they weren’t first-timers. So, for beginners, what technical aspects and key points should be noted in rock climbing? Sun Jianli, a climbing coach who graduated from the Sports and Leisure Department of Shanghai University of Sport, gave a detailed introduction. “Both your hands and feet need to choose suitable holds—or rock holds. Once you grab them, shift your center of gravity downward, spread your knees outward, bring your hips inward, and keep your arms straight. One thing to especially note is not to put all your body weight on your arms, as this will cause quick fatigue and make it hard to climb upward for long. The balance of your whole body and the coordination with your feet are key.” Regarding physical preparation for rock climbing, Sun Jianli suggested, “You can do more sit-ups to increase core strength and flexibility. For hand and arm training, you can use dumbbells and grip strengtheners. If you really don’t have the conditions, just squeezing a bottle of mineral water repeatedly can also help.”
15 years cultivating over ten thousand enthusiasts
Nowadays, as Shanghai’s most well-equipped climbing gym, the Shanghai Stadium Climbing Center receives tens of thousands of visitors every year and is doing brisk business—but this has also come after years of difficult exploration and development. Mao Zuoliang recalled: “In fact, rock climbing has existed in Shanghai since the 1980s. The earliest climbing gym appeared on Chongming Island, created for a national competition back then—that would have been 1997.” Although the climbing gym has been around for 15 years, it took many more years before people in Shanghai really started participating in the sport. “I remember our climbing gym was built during the SARS outbreak in 2003. Business was very poor at first—sometimes we wouldn’t see a single person all day. But as players spread the word, the sport gradually gained acceptance among white-collar workers, students, and outdoor enthusiasts. By 2009, we had over 7,000 visitors in a year, and now business is even better.”
The Shanghai Stadium Climbing Center can currently accommodate one or two hundred people in a day, and there are as many as eight large-scale climbing gyms in Shanghai, plus those built by universities—bringing the total number even higher. In addition to having certain hardware conditions, competitions are also constantly emerging. Each climbing gym and club organizes its own events. The “Rock Lizard Club” has thousands of members and holds five competitions a year, each held at different climbing gyms in Shanghai. As for high-level international competitions, China currently hosts four or five each year. And in the top three cities for domestic climbing development—Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou—the momentum is getting stronger year by year. “Last week, we hosted the Shanghai University Rock Climbing Elite Challenge. Seeing more and more young people enjoying the sport shows that the future of rock climbing in China is very promising.” Mao Zuoliang didn’t hide his joy. “Roughly estimated, Shanghai has over 10,000 rock climbing enthusiasts, which is relatively rapid development in China.”
According to Xu Youshuo, the runner-up in the speed climbing category of the university rock climbing challenge, many universities in Shanghai have also started offering this sport. “I’m from the School of Automotive Engineering. I got into the sport because there was a related club at school. I thought it was fresh, so I signed up. Then I couldn’t stop—I’ve been doing it for about three years and have reached a very high level. Currently, Donghua University, Tongji University, and Shanghai University of Sport in Shanghai have the best-developed rock climbing programs. They have their own school teams, professional instructors, and climbing facilities. Our school still can’t compare.”
Hardware facilities are clearly insufficient
Of course, it’s still unrealistic to predict that China’s rock climbing popularity and competitive level will soon reach world-leading standards. Compared to developed European countries and Asian nations like Japan and South Korea, China still has a considerable gap.
“There’s a gap in facilities, as well as in popularity and professionalism. London now has over 100 climbing gyms, Tokyo has 60 to 70, and our big Shanghai has only about ten—it’s not comparable. Without hardware facilities, it’s impossible to significantly increase the number of climbers. Moreover, in developed Western countries, rock climbing has become a lifestyle. From our climbing gym’s perspective, a considerable proportion of our members are expatriates living in Shanghai.” Mao Zuoliang analyzed that the lack of hardware facilities also affects the development of the coaching team. “Rock climbing requires professional instructors. In the past, coaches came from sports and leisure departments of physical education colleges, such as Shanghai University of Sport. But because there are limited climbing gyms, those who graduate and want to engage in professional training often struggle to find suitable jobs and have to turn to other work—which is not good for the popularization of rock climbing in China.”
● Rock Climbing Prices
Currently, the prices at local climbing gyms in Shanghai range from 40 to 50 yuan, with no time limit.
As for climbing facilities, the cost of climbing wall material is about 1,500 to 2,200 yuan per square meter. A wall with two routes costs around 240,000 yuan. The holds on the wall vary in price from a few yuan, to over ten yuan, to over a hundred yuan depending on size. Ropes typically cost 25 to 45 yuan per meter, with common lengths being 30, 50, and 60 meters. Generally, the shorter the rope, the higher the price per meter.
● Types of Rock Climbing
By competition type, rock climbing can be divided into: difficulty climbing (where the climber’s performance is judged based on the difficulty of the route), speed climbing (similar to the rhythm and bounce of a 100-meter dash in track and field, where climbers race a set route and are ranked by time), and bouldering (where the route includes finish holds and scoring holds—grabbing a scoring hold and performing a valid move scores points, and holding the finish hold with both hands for three seconds scores. Competitions usually have 4 to 6 routes, each lasting 5 minutes. Rankings are determined first by the number of finish holds, then by the number of scoring holds if finish holds are equal, and finally by the number of attempts).