participants would climb a mountain or rock face one at a time as quickly as possible, and their time would be noted - as technology progressed, indoor competitions became a race with multiple people climbing at the same time; the winner being the first to ascend their particular wall.

rock climbing as recreation and competition is very popular in rio de janeiro - the picturesque beauty and rugged terrain make rio a rock climbing enthusiast destination - in fact, rio is host to one of the largest urban climbing areas in the world, comprising of sugarloaf mountain, morro da babilônia, and morro da urca.