Madrid climbers shatter relay speed record

When Cuerda Viva unveiled their new training facility on Calle de Andrés Mellado last month, few anticipated the Madrid-based climbing collective would make international headlines within weeks. Yet yesterday, at the International Sport Climbing Federation's inaugural Team Speed Championship in Ljubljana, the five-person ensemble from the neighbourhood's converted warehouse studio claimed gold—the first Spanish team to ever do so.

The victory marks a dramatic shift in how Spain approaches extreme climbing. For decades, the discipline belonged to solitary athletes testing themselves against rock faces in the Sierra de Guadarrama or the Mediterranean cliffs. Cuerda Viva's breakthrough suggests something different: that the camaraderie of a coordinated team can unlock performance previously thought impossible.

"We're not building stars," says the collective's founder and coach, whose gymnasium sits mere metres from the Parque de Berlín. "We're building a system." The team's combined time of 47.3 seconds across the 15-metre relay wall bested teams from France, Italy, and Switzerland—nations with decades of institutional climbing infrastructure.

The group trained exclusively in Madrid. Their home base, housed in a former industrial space with 800 square metres of climbing walls, cost the collective roughly €120,000 to construct. Today, membership runs €85 monthly for individual climbers, though sponsorship from outdoor equipment manufacturers has allowed the team athletes to train gratis. Their gym now hosts weekly training sessions that draw forty regulars from across the city's climbing community.

Madrid's outdoor climbing renaissance began modestly five years ago, with scattered groups meeting weekends at the Pedriza rock formations northwest of the capital. Today, climbing gyms operate across Salamanca, Retiro, and Usera neighbourhoods. The sport has attracted younger athletes seeking alternatives to traditional football-dominated infrastructure. Spain's climbing federation reports that Madrid accounts for nearly 18% of national competitive climbers—a fivefold increase since 2020.

The team's Ljubljana victory carries particular significance given Europe's recent pivot toward climate-conscious sports. Climbing requires minimal infrastructure compared to traditional field sports, and Madrid's mild winters enable year-round outdoor training. Cuerda Viva is already fielding inquiries from climbing communities in Barcelona and Valencia seeking to replicate their model.

For now, the collective remains focused on defending their title next year. Training sessions continue daily at the Chamberí warehouse, where chalk dust and ambition have become as integral to Madrid's sports identity as the roar of larger, more traditional pursuits.

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