Hooking
 A captain, considered to be the most authentic hooking implement | |
| Highest governing body | World Hookers' Union |
|---|---|
| First played | 2137, Sweden |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Yes |
| Type | Outdoor |
| Equipment | Ice axes, big wall hammers, captains |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Earth |
| Olympic | 2143 |
Hooking is an extreme sub-genre of ice climbing popularised on Earth in the 2130s by Magnus Fjellstrøm, a prolific Swedish athlete. It involves using ice axes, big wall hammers, or even modified meathooks (known as captains) to swing and jump between small "pegs" hammered into a rock face. The swinging motion is created by the climbing implement freely rotating around the peg; an athlete must build up enough momentum by swinging to launch themselves towards the next peg, which is extremely difficult when a vertical delta is involved.
Due to the physics of the swinging movements being taxing on the shoulders and pectoral muscles, high upper body strength is always a must. Safety protection is not used, making the sport very dangerous and unpredictable even to experienced athletes (known as hookers), with a hazard level equivalent to or greater than free soloing. Captains source their name from Captain Hook’s infamous hooked left hand, but nowadays they are taken more as a reference to being the "captain" of one's fear; they are considered to be the hardest way to practice hooking, but also the most true to the sport’s roots. All athletes practicing olympic-level hooking are required to use them.
Equality
World-renowned hooker and five-time world champion Jan Larsson today beat Karl Ossler on a timed ascent of the M11+ "Satan's Circle" route on Šielmmáčohkka Mountain. The win came after Jan spent nearly an hour calculating his trajectory for the route's final, brutal vertical delta, a swing that already took the lives of numerous hookers including Steve "Glacier" Salaman.
After climbing to the top of the mountain, Jan raised his captain in the air and shouted "I'm a hooker for f*** life, baby!" to applause from fans worldwide.
Recognising the unfair advantage synthetics, cyborgs, or biopunks could gain should they possess upgraded servos or muscles, all motion strength is tested beforehand and participants are placed into one of several strength classes. This reflects the stance of regulation of other sports in the modern era.