au CLIMBING FES Experience the popular sport of climbing with ease

KDDI is hosting the "au CLIMBING FES" event at Futakotamagawa Rise Galleria in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, from January 19 to 22. This event allows anyone, from beginners to advanced climbers, to easily experience sport climbing. Sports climbing is a sport where participants climb artificial walls equipped with holds, competing in categories such as speed, difficulty, and reaching specific points. It consists of three disciplines: "Bouldering," "Lead," and "Speed."

The kickoff event on the first day featured a visit from Tomoya Narasaki (2016 Men's Bouldering World Ranking 1st), a member of "TEAM au" who became the first Japanese winner at the 2016 IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) Climbing World Championships in Paris.

au (KDDI) signed a contract in August 2016 to become the official sponsor of the sport climbing category under the Japan Mountaineering Association. They signed contracts with four sport climbing athletes—Keiyo Noguchi, Moe Nonaka, Kai Fujii, and Tomoa Narasaki—forming "TEAM au".

"Winning the Paris competition gave me confidence because becoming world champion was my goal," said Narasaki. Joined by guests Masato (a martial artist) and Asahina Aya (a talent), they engaged in a discussion. Masato stated, "I'm interested in sport climbing but have never tried it," while Asahina commented, "I have experience on vertical walls, but this is my first time on an overhanging course."

When encouraged to try the course set up behind them, both seemed uneasy, saying things like, "I don't know where to grab the holds," and "I can't picture myself climbing this."

Asahina attempted the intermediate course. With advice from Narasaki like "Focus on where you place your feet," she climbed almost to the top but unfortunately failed. A female staff member who tried it beforehand couldn't climb it at all.

Masato also started with the intermediate course, but with his well-trained physique, he reached the top with ease. The next challenge, the "World Championship Wall," was a faithful recreation of the course featured in the Paris finals. Masato grabbed the first hold but couldn't execute the next move on the overhanging wall. Narazaki advised, "Use the momentum from swinging your legs wide to jump to the next hold." Masato responded, "Huh? Jump?!" and tried, but unfortunately fell.

Narasaki then demonstrated by climbing the intermediate course using only his hands, even flipping upside down after reaching the top. Regarding the world-class wall, he remarked, "It's my first try since the competition," yet he climbed it in no time.

Both looked stunned, saying he was "superhuman." When encouraged to try again, Masato gave a wry smile and said, "I'll pass." Asahina commented, "I'd never seen that move before. I think it's good for beauty too, so I want to keep doing it." Masato added, "I thought it might be good to incorporate into my training." Narazaki said, "I'm glad I got to challenge the World Wall again today. I hope more people will learn about and become interested in the sport."

The event venue also featured a beginner's course accessible to elementary school students and above, where participants could take photos on the podium with the "World Championship Wall" as a backdrop.