It may seem a little bizarre, but there is in fact a contest for climbing ladders in the fastest time. It takes place across the world every year, and is simply known as the ladder climbing contest. There are many videos of it to be found on the internet, and the sheer speed of some of the people involved is really quite extraordinary. Here is some more information about this bizarre yes fascinating competition.

Who is Involved?

It actually started as a competition for firemen, sort of similar to their own version of the Olympics. It’s a popular sport in America, but has also taken hold of some firefighting institutes across Europe as well. It’s a great way for them to keep fit, stay active, and even raise money for charity or to fund further training by selling tickets and turning it into a fantastic event that members of the public can go watch.

What Takes Place?

There are actually several activities that can take place during these ladder climbing contests. Of course, one of the events is the ladder race itself, where firemen race with their ladders in hand to mock buildings. From there, the ladders are attached to hooks and the firemen must use them to climb to each level of the mock building in the fastest time. It really is attest of strength and stamina and helps them to keep fit while also providing a lot of entertainment.

There is also a fun and hilarious drag race that takes place at many of these events. The cars are high-powered and modified, and have a ladder attached to the back of them with several members of the team. The car races around the track while the team members assemble the ladder ready for use when they get to the part of the race where they climb a mock building. These drag races also include a race to assemble the water hoses and use them on mock buildings. All of this has to be done correctly and in the fastest time for them to win.

In New York, these drag races take place frequently and allow members of the public to come and watch. It’s also becoming more popular in countries like Russia, where training takes place throughout the year in order to prepare firefighters for the event.

The ladder climbing competitions are relatively unknown, but you can find some excellent video examples on YouTube of these incredibly people scaling buildings using ladders in a matter of seconds. It’s a sport that should spread further afield and throughout more countries. While it is considered an international sport, it is not nearly spread enough and it would be fantastic to see amazing ladder climbing skills like these in the UK. As a firefighter, stamina and fitness are key elements of the job, and seeing ladders being used to help their physical training this way is both exhilarating and incredibly exciting. These competitions are something you have to go watch.