Sports Day 2026: Diador tried bouldering

This year’s Sports Day brought a surprise – on Saturday 12 September we swapped the sports field for the Block Dock bouldering gym in Petržalka, and fifteen of us tried climbing on an artificial wall.

A new activity, new challenges

Bouldering is rope-free climbing on low walls with thick crash mats underneath. You need no equipment or experience – just climbing shoes and the will to try something new, which makes it ideal even for complete beginners. Besides physical strength, bouldering also trains concentration – every route is a small puzzle, and before each move you have to think about where to put your hand or foot and how to shift your weight.

Theory first, then the wall

At the start, our instructor took us through the basics – how to move on the wall, how to climb down and land safely, and why you climb with your legs, not just your arms. Then we took turns on our first routes – some carefully, some eagerly, but all of us with a smile.

Hangs, grips and strength

The programme also included exercises on bars and wooden ladders – hangs, grip work and strengthening of fingers, forearms and core. Anyone who thought a few seconds of hanging was nothing quickly found out otherwise. 😉

Sport and diabetes

Bouldering means short, intense effort with breaks – so it is important to check glucose before, during and after climbing and to have fast-acting sugar at hand. That was also what the day was about: sharing experience right there on the mats between attempts.