Would you dare to get vertical in Dubai?

Have you ever seen competitive speed wall climbers in action? At the sound of the buzzer, they scramble up the manmade, 10- or 15-metre walls with an agility that amounts to serious fitness goals - and it's all over in mere seconds. They make it look so easy, leaping from one handhold to the other, but if you've ever tried to even 'slow climb' one of these walls (there are now quite a few around the city!), you'll quickly discover what screaming muscles sound like.
Ukrainian Ivan Shyshkovskyy is an instructor at Dorell Sports, which boasts the city's highest climbing wall at 15 metres. A former speed climbing world champion himself, his passion for the high-octane sport saw him take it up as a profession for 10 years, before giving it up to become a coach. "Competitive wall climbing is a young sport and it becomes pretty hard to compete after you turn 30," notes the 37-year-old. "Of course, you don't stop climbing altogether, but to remain among the top five in the world is very hard after a certain age."
Yet, you'd never guess the muscled athlete's age, watching him scale the wall that's been built into the exterior of the Dubai World Trade Centre Hotel Apartments - especially when he gets to the sheer overhangs that have him suspended over practically nothing, once he gets to the top. Ivan has been climbing since he was 16 - fairly late, by international standards. "All professional climbers today start climbing almost from the time they learn to walk, when they are 4-5 years old," he says.
Why would anyone willfully put themselves through such a gruelling, white-knuckled exercise? For Ivan, who was involved with many other sports before he discovered climbing, the appeal lies in the mind-body workout it offers - and the ensuing thrill. "It's not just your body that's at work, but your brain too. You have to get over your fear of heights, figure out how to manouever different routes. And yes, every time - especially when I'm out on the real rocks, which are pretty scary at 150 metres high - I wonder why I'm doing this. But I get home and I cannot wait to do it again!"
When it comes to speed climbing, Ivan - who can clamber up the Dorell Sports wall in about 10 seconds - says it's all about muscle memory. "When you do it for 20 years, it tends to come more naturally to you. The moves required are very familiar to me now, and I know how to position my body to make it easier."
The highest mountain wall he's climbed to date is a 300-metre one in Crimea and it's a real mind game to keep your head clear and think of nothing else but the climb at hand. "You have to stay super focused on your breathing, steps and techniques." Though he's never had any close calls of his own, he's not unaware of unfortunate incidents that have occurred in the past. "It's perfectly safe when you're careful and play by the rules. If anything goes wrong, more often than not, it's because of human error - or if you're crazy enough to go without a rope or harness!" That last bit is actually a recognised form of rock climbing called bouldering; naturally, it comes with an equally recognised element of escalated risk - but it too has finds plenty of takers among adrenaline junkies.
With climbing now officially declared an Olympic sport, Ivan believes the UAE has plenty of potential champions who could bring the country international sporting recognition if it invested in the establishment of a national climbing federation. While interest in the sport continues to grow with many more facilities cropping up rapidly around the UAE, the lack of an official federation means enthusiasts can only indulge in it as a fun pastime for now.
For anyone looking to give it a shot, Ivan's primary advice surprisingly has nothing to do with physical fitness - but with consistency. "Don't be lazy," he says. "I see a lot of people start out excitedly and show up regularly every other day for a few weeks. Then they start getting lazy. Push yourself to keep showing up." The upshot is that, as with any other kind of sport, climbing can change the way you approach life itself. "As a climber, I tackle life the same way I tackle a wall: there are challenges, and different ways to navigate those challenges." You learn to push yourself to reach your goal - a trait that inevitably translates to real life as well.
If nothing else, the sport can prove to be a major source of stress relief. "If you're ever 'not in the mood', try climbing," he suggests. No doubt, the exhilarating feeling as you abseil down is unlike any other. "It improves your mood immediately. Works every time!"
karen@khaleejtimes.com