Rock-Hopping: The World's Most Grip-ping New Sport Rolls Into Athens, GA

It started, as so many great ideas do, with a conversation between two local business owners and what sources describe as "an unreasonable amount of confidence." What emerged has since been hailed as a grip-ping development in extreme sports: Rock-Hopping, the first discipline to formally combine mountain biking and indoor rock climbing into a single, vertically challenging event.

The brainchild of APEX Climbing and Spa of Watkinsville, GA — proudly located at Wire Park, Athens' premier outdoor adventure destination — and Sunshine Cycles of Athens, GA, Rock-Hopping is exactly what it sounds like — and somehow more. Competitors mount a modified trail bike and navigate a climbing gym wall, landing their tires on holds as they work their way upward. The sport has legs. Two of them, and also two wheels.

The inaugural Rock-Hopping Invitational was held at APEX's boutique climbing facility — a cozy, community-scale gym that organizers noted was "intimate by design and perfect for the sport's inaugural close-quarters energy." Twenty-two competitors packed the small venue, rattling the walls in the best possible way. The event sold out in under 48 hours. Organizers called it a rock-solid success.

"We knew this was going to be special," said Phillip Blume, Head of Innovation at APEX Climbing and Spa, speaking from a folding chair beside the competition wall. "When you put cyclists and climbers in the same room and ask them to do each other's sport simultaneously, you get something that is, frankly, wheely impressive."

The sentiment was echoed by Jimmy Marbut, Lead Bike Fitter at Sunshine Cycles, who developed the proprietary "hold-grip" tires (patent pending) that make the sport feasible. "When Phillip first called me, I thought he was describing a dream he'd had," Marbut said with a measured nod. "But once I saw the wall, I knew we could make the tire work. No holds barred."

Rock-Hopping requires the balance of a seasoned trail rider and the grip-strength of an experienced climber. Riders must clip their bikes into a climbing harness — worn over their cycling shorts — and carry a chalk bag affixed to the handlebars (patent pending). The International Rock-Hopping Federation (IRHF), formally established six weeks ago in a downtown Athens coworking space, has already submitted a provisional application to the IOC. A spokesperson confirmed it was "received and not immediately discarded," which the IRHF called a promising first step.

The collaboration between APEX and Sunshine Cycles has been described by both parties as stun-ning. "Our cyclists come in for a tune-up. Their climbers come in for a harness fit," said Marbut. "This just takes that relationship vertical." He paused. "Literally."

As the sport continues to expand — a second event is tentatively scheduled for June — APEX has set aside wall space for Rock-Hopping training sessions this spring, open to members and day-pass holders alike. The sport has legs. And two wheels. And, increasingly, a following that is anything but small.