that the other climbers do not wait for the lead climber to reach the end of a pitch. They already start climbing beforehand. This practice increases the risk of the entire rope party falling to their deaths or serious injury should the protections placed between the lead climber and the followers fail. On the other hand it shortens the length of time necessary for completing a section, which in turn lowers the risk of getting caught in an avalanche, bad weather or getting hit by falling ice or rock. This practice is known as simul-climbing. Competition Lead climbing is a popular discipline in competition climbing together with bouldering and speed climbing. The setup usually mirrors the outdoor sport climbing variant. An artificial climbing wall is prepared with a complex route made up of geometry and climbing holds. Bolts with preattached quickdraws serve as protection. The competitors are expected to free climb, in other words they cannot use the protection to make progress or hang in the rope to rest. Performance is determined by the highest hold reached and whether or not that hold was "controlled", meaning the climber achieved a stable position on that hold, or "used", meaning the climber used the hold to make a controlled climbing movement in the interest of progressing along the route. Lead competitions usually consist of three rounds: qualifications, semifinals, and finals. As a discipline of sport climbing, it has debuted at the 2020 Summer Olympics. It has also been confirmed to be part of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. See also Rock climbing Climbing equipment Sport climbing Glossary of climbing terms Traditional climbing References Climbing techniques Types of climbing Sport climbing