Sport climbing is a branch of climbing
in which the
climb is
bolted.
This means that the sport climber is perfectly
safe.
They do not need to worry about placing
any gear as there are already bolts on the rock.
With not having to worry about little things like death,
the sport climber can concentrate on climbing really
really hard things. Most
sports climbs are insanely overhanging pump
fests.
Originally in climbing the goal
was to find new and expressive routes up the rock
whilst not dying. Getting to
the top of even a moderate climb could be a worthwhile
achievement. With the advent of sport climbing
much of the cunning and psychological aspect
of the climb has been removed.
The payback is in climbing hard which becomes a mantra for
the sports climber.
The sports climber does not own a rack,
just a rope and a few quickdraws.
They may be able to climb 5.13, or f8c+
or English 6b, but put them in a rack
and on an exposed trad HVS and watch them go
to pieces faster than a thing that goes to pieces really fast.
Noether commented
I don't really agree that a hard sports climber will go to
pieces on a HVS. That's just something
that trad climbers say to make
themselves feel better about climbing at
such a low level :P
what can I say, as a trad climber I have to
make up for the fact that I climb shit gradres somehow *8)