World Cup? I watch Climbing World Cups
I met a group of old friends about a week ago, and they brought up the World Cup. First I was lost, what World Cup? Apparently, FIFA World Cup was about to happen, and I was completely not in the loop. But you know what? I don't care about soccer anymore. I watch and follow Climbing World Cups which is called World Climbing Series since this year. My partner and I make fun of this new name, WC1.
I boulder
A friend of mine introduced me climbing when I was living in France. Back then, I had no idea what climbing was as a sport, and that French people love climbing. I tried a bit of top rope climbing and bouldering a few more times. But I was not very into the sport.
After I finished my study and came back to Seoul, Korea, for the first in my life, I wanted to have a regular sport to keep my body in shape. I never went to a gym because it looked so boring. I still stand by this sentiment of mine for the typical gym. It looks really boring. I wanted a sport, and what I found was indoor bouldering.
For those who don't know about bouldering. Bouldering is a type of rock climbing. When people hear about rock climbing, they imagine a person on a giant wall with a rope. But bouldering is much more approachable because you don't necessarily climb outside or need ropes. It started as a sport where you climb a huge boulder (rock) in nature without ropes. Long story short, you can find indoor bouldering gyms in cities here and there. These indoor bouldering routes, or problems which boulderers call, are quite pretty to watch. They consist of colorful and big plastic holds. Each route, I believe, does not go higher than 5 meters. So it is relatively, I said relatively, safe to fall without ropes. You will have crashpads on below you on the floor for the minimal safety.
Fortunately, I live in a neighborhood where there are many bouldering gyms. Koreans love new cool things and new trends. And they are fast to act. It seemed that bouldering got attention by youngsters for being cool. It is a good material for short social media videos for sure. Anyway, lucky for me, I had 3 nice bouldering gyms within 30 mins from my place on foot. You don't want to go to the same gym over and over because bouldering routes are short and you don't want to repeat the same problems.
I got hooked by bouldering pretty quickly. I have been doing it consistently two times a week for three years now. I've become pretty good at it. It suits my short and light body. I can sum up my love for this sport with a photo (I am sorry, it could be disgusting). You grind your hands onto plastic holds over and over, and they take your skins off.
In 2024, I was staying in Montreal, Canada for four months for work. I went bouldering almost every other day. It was a good treat for me because Montreal is known for having vibrant bouldering scene. I met a group of friends to climb with. I even participated in a community competition, and I had so much fun and a good memory.
World Climbing Series
It was natural for me to follow climbing competitions. Previously called climbing World Cups, World Climbing Series is the biggest event for climbers. Every year, there are multiple events around the world for bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing disciplines. There is also biannual one, World climbing championships. Seoul hosted a championships in 2025, and I could not miss it. Compared to other sports, climbing is still a young sport. I liked that it was not overly crowded, and I could see top athletes so close in front of my eyes, showing their full performance. By the way, World Climbing Series is free to watch on YouTube!
Prague
The World Climbing Series has already started this year. The last one was held in Prague. It was epic one because I got to see one of the legends, one of my favorites climbers, Adam Ondra competing again for the lead discipline. He kinda stopped competing a few years ago. He is already considered an old man from previous generation in the circuit. Adam being a Czech, and also because it's been years for Prague to host the lead discipline, he showed his face for this competition. For fans like me, it was so good to see Adam again for a competition. I believe that climbing fans enjoyed this lovely shot where Adam Ondra and Jacob Schubert, two legends, talking about the final lead route after they've done their jobs.
Innsbruck
I know FIFA World Cup is ongoing. But to me, it doesn't matter. It is not important to me. Another World Climbing Series has started in Innsbruck, Austria. This one is a big one, especially for the lead. I am going to watch all the semi-finals and finals with my partner starting this Thursday to Sunday.
Brno in 2027
The next championships will be held in Brno, Czech Republic. I have a brother in law living in Brno. I've been to this city multiple times. I love Brno. Adam Ondra is from Brno. I think it's a sign. I will find a way to go watch the Brno championships next year.
Closing
If you are like me who can't understand why people watch soccer. Give climbing a try. It's free to watch on YouTube. You may find it fun to watch.
(Me on a lead wall)
Restroom↩