Lead Climbing
Rope-protected climbing on a 15 m+ overhanging wall — one attempt to reach the highest hold within six minutes.
👥1 per team🌤both
What is Lead Climbing?
Lead climbing is rope-protected climbing in which the leader clips their rope into quickdraws as they ascend. Competition lead uses an overhanging wall of 15 m or more; each competitor has one attempt ("onsight") within six minutes to reach the highest hold. Falls stop scoring at the last-clipped or held hold. It is contested at the Olympics since Tokyo 2020.
Quick facts
Category
Adventure & Extreme Sports
Type
Individual
Players
1 per team
Where played
both
Country of origin
🇫🇷 France
Estimated origin
1985, first UIAA sport-climbing world cup; Olympic since Tokyo 2020
Olympic
Yes
Popularity
global
Sources & provenance
Last verified 2026-08-24.verified