The mountaineering institutes in India started rock climbing mainly to “train for mountaineering”. The sport started gaining popularity in the 1980s and the impetus largely came from visiting climbers and from Indians who got opportunities to climb overseas. Moreover, a number of Indian climbers have done courses in places such as ENSA, the national alpine skiing school in Chamonix, France, and this has led to the development of many climbing areas, and, subsequently, to higher climbing standards in the country. With more and more Indians taking to the sport, and even performing well at international levels, rock climbing has a promising future in India. Rock climbing certainly has much going for it. There is a great sense of discovery and exploration while climbing in India. Climbing areas are often close to interesting historical or cultural sites, while the potential to discover new areas and routes is huge. In addition, there is a whole range of climbs possible in the 200m-1000m range, from the ‘big walls’ of the Himalayas (the Gangotri gorge) to the volcanic rock formations of Mount Abu (Rajasthan) and the magnificent granite formations of Hampi (Karnataka). And unlike the popular climbing areas in Europe and North America, which have queues of climbers waiting to attempt classic climbs, and where the holds are permanently caked with chalk, Indian climbing routes, even on public holidays, are rarely ever crowded. One can enjoy the solitude on the rocks.