University of Gloucestershire student Charlie Gibbard has spoken to Parklife Sport about his recent return to competitive rock climbing. “I used to do climbing as a kid; I did it with my sister. I used to go quite a lot. Then about a year and a half ago, I picked it up again, and it took me about eight months to get back to where I was when I was younger, and then I started competing.”
Gibbard often trains at the same place, 270 Climbing Gym, as the GB Youth Climbing Team. He spoke on their talents, saying, “They’re the youth team, so they’re like the prospects; they are going to be Team GB athletes, but they can’t yet because they’re too young. But the people who climb for the GB Youth Team could literally climb a wall at let’s say 45* with two fingers, they’re insane.”
He also had his say on Netflix’s recent free-climb show, Skyscraper Live, which saw free-solo legend Alex Honnold risk it all in a high-stakes, live ascent of one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers in Taipei, Taiwan, and the rise in popularity that came to the sport from that. “I noticed the biggest increase in people coming in when there was that free-solo climb on Netflix where they did the building. That made a lot of people come and try climbing, and a lot of people stuck with it, but that was when I noticed the biggest shift into the mainstream. I wouldn’t climb that building, but I would definitely climb a building with a bit more experience.”
Finally, Gibbard spoke about the community feel to the sport and how climbers frequently share their experiences with one another. “I speak to people from all round the world; I spoke to a few people from Argentina who come here to do the World Climbing Championship Qualifiers. There were people there who are just leagues above anybody I know. Everybody who climbs is very open about what they do; no one is trying to hide anything. Different climbs are built for different people who have different strengths; my best is upper-body, but that’s not the case for everyone.”
