Climbing Catalonia: Scaling new heights with indoor and outdoor bouldering

The number of indoor climbing gyms in Catalonia has multiplied by four in just ten years, making climbing a lifestyle phenomenon and another way of connecting with people. 

At the same time, the mountainous landscapes of Catalonia have become some of the most visited destinations for outdoor climbing.  

In this episode, Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the Catalan bouldering boom, and we also discuss whether it’s a sport that is accessible to all. 

We visit Sharma Climbing, the largest climbing gym in Spain, owned by American climber Chris Sharma, where climbers explain why they took up the sport. 

We also talk to Quim Hernández, the climbing manager of the Catalan Mountain Sports Federation about the growing popularity of climbing and how it is being received. 

The Catalan phrase of the week is “Fer una muntanya d’una gra de sorra” which means to blow something out of proportion, similar to the English expression “to make a mountain out of a molehill.”