Climbing as a sport, lifestyle, hobby

Anton Polyakov, master of sports in climbing. "Personal Guide" spoke with Anton about sports and people who practice it, favorite areas for climbing in the Urals, Russia and the world.

Tell me about yourself. Why are you climbing? What does this sport mean to you?

I've been in this sport for about 13 years. Started with small hikes, rocks appeared, enrolled in a section on the basis of USTU-UPI. Gradually began to train with the strongest guys in Russia, the world, specialized in climbing speed, because it turned out better and in the Manege climbed mainly speed. After 3 years he got into the youth team, after 6 in the main team, performed the Master of Sports, until 2016 he performed.

When he started the project of the rock center (Edge of the world) completely stopped climbing speed and perform at official starts.

 

Now I am engaged in climbing, the development of climbing on the rocks and in the halls, myself climbing the difficulty and bouldering on the rocks and in the hall, most of my life I devote to climbing. This activity has become a way of life, I dedicate others to this cool sport and activity.

 

Who is your authority in the world of climbers? Who'd you like to climb with?

Rock climbing is multifaceted - someone performs at competitions, someone breaks routes and develops an amateur direction, others set the highest bar in rock passes. There are very cool coaches that you admire and try to use their work, etc. I have a lot of friends and people I don’t know who I want to look up to.

Perhaps now I am most admired by people who devote themselves and their skills to creating routes on the rocks, and their passage. This is selflessly done for a huge number of climbers around the world, for future generations.

 

What qualities should a climber have?

Climbing is part of mountaineering, although it has already passed a long way of development as an independent direction. But the qualities that are necessary in mountaineering remain to this day.

It is important to trust each other, because often in the hands of your partner is your life. Mutual responsibility and attentiveness are very important in mountain sports, only after that we can talk about sports qualities.

Climbing is primarily working with your body, good interaction of the brain and muscle movements, coordination. This is the basis of technology, and only then strength.

 

Which regions of Russia are interesting for climbers? Where have you been?

From the point of view of climbing on the rocks, the southern regions are very interesting - the Crimea, the Krasnodar Territory, the southern republics. Advantage in a longer season for climbing.

In the Urals, thanks to enthusiasts, companies have created about a thousand routes near ekaterinburgSverdlovskaya, Chelyabinsk region. Many bouldering trails and difficulties in the Leningrad region, Krasnoyarsk The Far East is developing.

There is an online resource AllClimb, where most of the rocky areas of Russia are collected.

 

The most interesting climbing areas in the world - where do you want to go?

In the world there are perhaps more than one hundred thousand slopes on the rocks. Someone closer to bouldering and he will choose Fontainebleau for himself. France, Indian Hampi or even South Africa.

In difficulty, popular areas are scattered throughout Europe, Spain, Italy, active development is underway. Turkey, of course Mecca climbing in Thailand. I want to climb everywhere!

 

How do you plan travel routes and prepare for them?

I climb rocks in the summer in the Urals, in spring, autumn in the Crimea, in winter abroad. Mostly, the place is selected by climate and budget. There are roads everywhere at the right level.

As a rule, I prepare in the hall, I climb more volume - i.e. I prepare for long tracks with a large number of interceptions.

 

How is a travel team formed?

When I go with a group, I try to bring people who are motivated to develop. If you go climbing on your own, you usually get together with friends, climb well with a partner who has a similar level, so progress is faster. But you can freely climb with different people, the main thing is good insurance, and there are different categories of tracks.

 

What are the vowel/unspoken rules in your community?

As I said before, it is a mutual responsibility to help each other. Respect for others, regardless of their level of climbing, age or background, you can meet completely different people on the rocks.
The main thing is that they respect each other and the work of those who create the conditions for them.

On the rocks it is customary not to take someone else's equipment, you can often see hanging delays on the track - this means someone is working on this project. You can use them, insure them, but not take them away, even if they hang for several months.

It is not customary to brag about their passages, boast about it left and right, there is always someone who climbs better, and they are usually modest people who will congratulate you on the first 7a.

 

What categories of tracks does your team climb? You?

Our coaches are strong in sports, in my opinion, those who work with adults should set an example, climb well themselves.

Children's coaches still have a priority in the ability to work with children, to educate them with diligence, independence, followed by climbing indicators. Our coaches, track directors are highly qualified climbers, masters of sports. All of them keep in shape and climb 8.

 

How organized your life near the rocks (for example, in the Urals, Crimea, Turkey) life, relations with local residents.

As a rule, it is possible to go to the rocks for 2-3 weeks, during this time you try to immerse yourself in climbing as much as possible, because to reach a good level you need to get used to the rocks, climb. On vacation days we try to visit cultural places, see nature, swim.

Recently, more and more often we rent a car for easy logistics, so you can live in a hotel, a house not near the rocks, for winter it is more comfortable. It can also be used in remote areas.

 

Do you manage to visit tourist places during trips, on excursions?

We try to brighten up the days of rest with cultural and natural objects or just ride in beautiful places.

 

What travel plans?

Of the nearest - March Crimea, then rather in May, has not yet decided in which direction. In the Urals, it is necessary to complete the punching of a new sector in Aramashevo, which began last year.

Photo: from the personal archive of Anton Polyakov