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Speed Walls Right Here in Australia

Any climbing venue wanting to cater to climbers of all skill levels will need an indoor speed climbing wall, the newest form of competitive climbing. After becoming even more popular over the last decade, speed climbing is now an Olympic sport for the first time! Two competitors climb the exact same course side by side and whoever hits the timer at the top first wins. It’s 15 metres straight up with a mix of power and memory – or to be precise it is on a slight 5° incline!

The same holds are used the same way every time, and they need to be a very precise colour too. Auto belays are used to ensure safety at the higher speeds. With IFSC-certified walls, there is a timer connected from the floor plate to the button at the top to achieve very precise times, which is now a necessity as competitive speed climbing races are now run in less than 6 seconds.

Some ICP clients don’t need a full-time speed climbing wall but would still like the option to have one if required. This just means having a straight section (floor to ceiling) of wall somewhere within your rope climbing wall. Holds and routes can be used for any type of climbing and changed back to speed wall specifications when required.

Official Speed Wall Holds

IFSC Official speed climbing wall holds are manufactured exclusively by Volx, based in France. Started in 1996, the name Volx is from a little town in Luberon known for its sport climbing. We sell Volx Speed Holds – Buy them online here

Wall Safety Matting

For official speed climbing no heavy duty matting is required. All falls are controlled by the automatic belays therefore thick safety mats are not essential. If clients want to use the speed wall section for a variety of climbing types, then ICP custom 60mm climbing safety matting will work well with the space. Read more about our climbing wall safety matting.

IFSC Speed Climbing World Championships

Climbing World Cups resumed in 2021 after no climbing events took place in 2020. The last bi-annual Speed Climbing World Championships were held in Moscow, Russia in 2021 and were won by Ukrainian Danyil Boldyrev in a time of 5.73 seconds and the woman’s event was won by Polish climber Natalia Kałucka in a time of 7.18 seconds. The world record for speed climbing was set on the 6th of May 2022 at 5.17 seconds by Indonesian climber Kiromal Katibin. Watch his record-breaking climb: