Speed Climbing Beta

The speed route is the only climb on earth that never changes. That means the beta — the exact sequence of moves — is shared, refined, and learnable. Master it once and it transfers to every certified speed wall in the world.

Explore the speed wall

The standardized wall is the same everywhere — 20 holds in fixed positions on a 15-metre, 5-degree overhang. The interactive map below is built from the real hold coordinates, with foot holds mapped in too. Pick a zone, then toggle between the beta options used there: highlighted holds are the hands and feet you use, yellow marks holds that vary between versions, and dimmed holds are skipped.

Hand used Foot used Varies Skipped

Tap a zone, then toggle the beta

Speed wall

The three phases of a run

This is the real route, built from official hold coordinates and broken into three phases. Pick a zone below, then toggle between the beta options used at that part of the wall to see exactly which hands and feet each one uses.

Start Middle Top

What "beta" means in speed

In climbing, "beta" is the information about how to do a climb — which holds to grab, in what order, with which hands and feet. In every other discipline, beta is route-specific and temporary. In speed climbing, the beta is permanent and universal, because the route has been standardized worldwide since 2007.

This is what makes speed climbing so coachable. There is a known, optimized way to move through the 20 hand holds and 11 foot holds — and the best climbers in the world have converged on remarkably similar sequences. Your job isn't to invent a route; it's to learn the proven sequence and make it automatic.

The standard sequence

At a high level, a clean run breaks into three phases:

The start

From the timing pad, the first explosive moves set the rhythm of the entire run. A powerful, committed start off the pad — without false-starting — builds the momentum you carry up the wall. The opening moves should feel like a single explosion, not a series of separate pulls.

The middle

The midsection is where most of the climbing happens and where efficiency compounds. The goal is continuous upward momentum — no pauses, no readjusting, no wasted reaches. Every hand finds its hold exactly where it expects to.

The finish

The top section is where fatigue meets the timing pad. A committed, accurate slap of the touchpad ends the run — reaching past or mistiming the finish is a classic way to lose a race you'd already won.

How to learn the beta

1. Find a wall. You need a regulation or training speed wall to learn the real sequence — locate one in our speed wall directory.
2. Learn it in sections. Break the route into segments and master each transition before linking them.
3. Film and review. Compare your runs to elite climbers and to your own past attempts.
4. Make it automatic. Pair beta work with structured speed climbing training to build the power the sequence demands.
5. Share and refine. Trade beta and feedback with other climbers in the community.