“The gold medal of Alberto Gines at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has played an important role in the expansion of climbing, but the thing is that Spain is an ideal country for this sport because it has sun and rock. There are very difficult routes and the highest levels that attract world-class professionals. There are icons such as the Naranjo de Bulnes or the walls of the Pyrenees. Spain has many attractions“, tries to summarize Alberto Ayora (La Seu D’Urgell, Lérida, 1963), president of the Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (OBESITY), to the question of why there is a climbing boom currently in Spain.
Alberto Ayora / Editorial
The number of Mountain Sports and Climbing licenses in Spain has increased by 10% since Ginés’ Olympic gold. It is the fifth most licensed sport in the country after soccer, basketball, hunting and golf. “Although the most representative and what best explains this increase in interest and practitioners is the number of climbing walls that have emerged in recent years”Ayora reasons. In 2018 there were about 150, in 2021 it rose to 202 and in January of this year there were already 360…
Alberto Ayora, who in addition to being the president of the FEDME is Army Colonel in reserve status and responsible for expeditions of the High Mountain Military Group 2024 and 2025, from his position he adds other reasons that help to understand this boom within our borders: “Everything starts from a genetic component that we have from birth: climb and get on anywhere. Climbing gets you hooked quickly.” Furthermore, from a psychological point of view, “climbing is very complete, it makes you overcome your fears and your level of difficulty. And from the physical point of view it is very complete because you work upper body, lower body, elasticity, balance…”. And, as a cherry on top of what was previously said, everything is accompanied by “the increasing presence on television and in the media of climbing”.
Spanish names to take into account for Paris 2024
And the thing is, if Spain is a country for climbing, how could it not be a country for climbers. “At the competition level it is unquestionable because we have the first male Olympic medalist in history and many podiums at the international level both in Alberto Ginés -combo and difficulty- and in speed with Erik Noya (world runner-up in 2021), Leslie Romero (European Speed Cup champion in 2023) and Carla Martinez (runner-up in the European Sprint Cup in 2023). And there is a promising future with a lot of talent“, as Geila Maciàwho at 15 years old is aiming to become a world figure.
Will any of them win a medal this summer at Paris 2024? “Whenever you are in high competition there are options. The most important thing is to be well prepared. Then it also influences whether fortune smiles on you, whether the routes are appropriate to your characteristics, whether your rivals also become more nervous… There are many factors.“, confidently explains Alberto Ayora, who, in the specific case of the current Olympic gold medalist, Alberto Ginés, sees him “very good now. Has overcome the most difficult bumps and not everyone does that and in such a short time”.
Behind all these expectations there is a pyramidal work that goes from the mountain clubs to the elite. “The autonomous federations promote the technology centers, with talent detection programs that select high-level athletes. It is a work from the bottom up – from the mountain club to the top, at the international level -, which is why it is essential to have technical training centers. With the increase in the number of climbing walls, this detection is easier”says Ayora.
The quality of national competitions, another key
From there, “We continue the line with which we entered the FEDME (2021) of betting on quality conducting top level competitions, with high-level coaches and the use of many resources. This requires a significant economic effort, having more presence in the media, growing with powerful sponsors… Everything is also a consequence of having a sport that enters an Olympic program.”. In short, respond to demand – and its quality – with the relevant structure for the best possible development.
The president of the FEDME, the man of adoption, – although he was born in La Seu D’Urgell, he lived in Zaragoza since he was one year old – resides in Pony and from there he travels throughout Spain almost daily to meet this growing demand for his sport. This current occupation is one of the most complex ascents in which he has participated throughout his long relationship with the mountains and climbing, although if he has to stick with one it is the one he conquered a few decades ago on an expedition with ‘ On the Edge of the Impossible’ and the High Mountain Military Group: “He west pillar of Makalu. It is a reference wall, with very few ascents that requires a brutal commitment. An emblematic line. As you ascend you will find more difficulties, with altitudes close to 7,000 meters”.
In the same way that he and his team prepared and equipped the Makalu in the best possible way for that occasion, now he tries to do the same with climbing and mountain sports in our country: ‘equip’ Spain as best as possible so that the rise and growth of these disciplines reach the top.
*Colonel Alberto Ayora Hirsch has participated in numerous international expeditions in the Pyrenees, Atlas, Alps, New Zealand Alps, Andes, Pamir, Karakorum (GI and GII), Himalayas (Manaslu and Makalu), Greenland, Patagonia and in the Campos de Ice. His contribution to the collaborations that the High Mountain Military Group carries out with ONCE stands out, where he has guided personnel with various disabilities and handicaps to peaks such as Kilimanjaro, Elbrus in the Caucasus or Cotopaxi – the Ecuadorian Andes. . In addition, he is the author of the book ‘Risk Management in Mountains and Outdoor Activities’.
2024-03-26 11:13:30
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