Canberrans are taking their dates to the climbing gym as the sport surges in popularity thanks to the Olympic effect.
Climbing gyms say demand for bouldering has exploded since the sport was included in the Tokyo Games.
Manager of bouldering gym BlocHaus Bec Courtney said climbing has become more mainstream now it's in the Olympics.
"From the time that I've been climbing at BlocHaus to now working here, I've definitely seen the increase in popularity," they said.
"We're definitely seeing more people come through the gym, trying it out for a work function or coming along and climbing with friends who have been climbing for years."
Duncan Brown, who was the coaching director of the Australian climbing team and now runs Mountain Strong climbing gym, said the boom in climbing coincided with the inclusion of the sport in the Olympics.
"The scene has exploded over the last five years," he said.
"Canberra has the highest participation rate in sports climbing in Australia, due to Canberra being a certain demographic that's active and outdoorsy."
ACT has about 5800 regular climbers in the territory, according to the Australian Sports Commission.
What is climbing?
At the Olympics, there's three strands of climbing; bouldering, speed climbing, and lead.
In bouldering, athletes climb an invented route without ropes. They get more points for solving the climb, which is like a puzzle, in the fewest attempts possible.
Athletes are connected to ropes in lead climbing, as they scale a unique 15-metre wall to reach the highest holds. These climbs have a time limit of six minutes.
Speed climbing is the simplest test; athletes race up a set course in the fastest possible time. The current world record for men is 4.75 seconds, and 6.06 seconds for women. Both records were set at the Paris Olympics.
According to the Australian Olympic Committee, there are more than 300,000 Australians climbing at indoor gyms around the country.
The number of competitive climbers registered with Sport Climbing Australia tripled in the past seven years, according to the committee.
In 2024 there were about 1200 competition climbing members in the country, with the sport "steadily growing" at competitive and amateur levels.
Date night at the bouldering gym
Climbing gyms have also become a popular first date spot for Gen Z, Brown said, with younger adults wanting somewhere that's comfortable and well-lit.
Brown said that while climbing is an individual sport, there's lots of room for a chat.
"[The climbing gym] is a very social, laid-back environment and it's low pressure, like you're in a big, open space, rather than in a seedy bar or nightclub," he said.
"You can be with a diverse range of abilities of climbers and they can all be sitting together having a chat and climbing in the same space."
People aged between 15 and 34 years old make up 69 per cent of climbers, according to the Australian Sports Commission.
Courtney sees a lot of people they reckon are on a first date at the gym. Many will meet on the dating apps and come climbing for a first date, they said.
"I'm sure that people have also met each other at the gym, just like seeing someone on the wall and being like, 'oh, they look really cute or I like the way that they climb' and then, you know, figuring out how to approach them and going from there," they said.
The future of climbing
With two Australians reaching the semi-finals in sports climbing this Olympics, climbers are expecting a surge in interest amongst the general public.
Campbell Harrison competed in the lead semi-finals overnight, while Oceania Mackenzie will be climbing in the lead semi-finals Thursday evening.
Mackenzie has a good chance of a podium finish, according to Brown, as she's currently ranked fourth.
He said he's expecting a wave of support for the athlete if she makes it through the semis.
"When an Aussie is in the finals and an Aussie is on a podium, we really get behind that as a nation," he said.
"If that was to happen, then I think the visibility of the sport would increase exponentially overnight, because Australians love a success story.
"The future of climbing is very bright."
