Popularity just keeps on climbing
IT’S one of the Olympics newest sports and according to David Payne the Gold Coast is in a prime position to become a centre for the code.
Indoor rock climbing is booming with the sport elevated to gold medal status for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
The number of global thrillseekers taking up rock sports has hit an all-time high and according to the Association of British Climbing Walls (ABC), a million climbers visited indoor rock climbing gyms in 2017 and around 100,000 people are climbing regularly.
Those numbers show no signs of slowing, growing at a rate of 15-20 per cent annually, with the expectation of a rise in popularity after the sport’s Olympic Games debut in 2020.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in climbers during the past year in anticipation of the Olympics,” said Mr Payne, owner of Paramount Adventures at Burleigh.
“The climbing community is still small within Australia but there is definitely a positive growth spurt in South-East Queensland.”
He said the sport also offered an attractive alternative to mainstream training and fitness. “People are looking for creative ways to keep active and challenge themselves and rock climbing offers something a bit different to your regular gym membership,” he said.
“Fitness and self-improvement are high priorities these days and people are becoming more aware of the sport’s benefits as it’s a full-body workout improving strength, stability and mobility.”
Mr Payne said although rock climbing was no doubt physically challenging, the sport also taught mental strength by forcing climbers to push their boundaries.
“If you lose focus even for a second you could easily slip so it’s a great exercise in mindfulness,” he said.
He said people didn’t need to be hardcore climbers to take up the sport.
“We can train in our gym and we can train outdoors at Point Danger,” Mr Payne said.
“I think the best comparison for the sport is surfing which has a cultural side, its own type of lifestyle.
“People who take up climbing for their own reasons without the competitive aspect but now they can have the opportunity to take that competitive pathway.
“The Olympics could give it a big push and then it could be away on the Gold Coast.
“There has been a peak body, Climbing Australia, formed but there is so much potential and work to be done.
“For sports people to evolve to world standard you need that grassroots availability for the sport and a location like the Gold Coast would be suitable for a Centre of Excellence.”
He said the centre, which opened in 1994 and has grown to 12 employees, offered a range of adventure sports including surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking.
“Probably the biggest move for us is that we have secured a permit from the Gold Coast City Council to run abseiling and climbing at Point Danger,” Mr Payne said.
He said while there were plans to expand the existing Burleigh centre and increase the rock climbing centre, he was also exploring options to open a separate operation in the city’s north.
The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will see climbers compete in three disciplines – bouldering, speed and lead climbing.
Paramount Adventure Centre is open daily to groups and individuals and also offers outdoor climbing and abseiling, stand up paddling, kayaking and surfing lessons.