Climbing covers a range of recreational, adventurous or sporting activities involving using one's hands and feet to move up the surface of a steep object. Evolving from the pursuit of mountaineering, rock climbing is the scaling of steep rocky surfaces, usually using ropes and other climbing equipment for protection. This is then categorised as either free climbing, i.e., bouldering, free soloing, or rock climbing, (where ropes are used strictly for safety), and aid climbing, where you climb the equipment instead of the rock. In the modern era, indoor climbing allows rock climbing to be practised on artificial walls in a controlled environment, with professional competitions being held at a world cup level. At the other extreme, traditional climbing and ice climbing emphasise self reliance and meeting nature on its own terms.

People have been climbing mountains recreationally since the early 1700s. The use of a rope in mountain climbing started in the mid-1800s in Europe. At this time the rule was the leader (one who climbs first on the rope) - usually a professional guide - must not fall. This was a fairly straightforward rule as the ropes and techniques of the day meant that a lead fall would most likely be fatal. By the early 1900s climbers in Saxony were using ropes in a somewhat more efficient manner - threading them through occasional iron safety rings embedded in the rock - in their attempts to protect dangerous leads.

History of rock climbing