Why Has Everyone SUDDENLY Started Rock Climbing Indoors?

Rock climbing has boomed over the last decade.

Indoor rock climbing visits have grown by almost 60% in the past four years, and the number of indoor climbing walls has increased dramatically.

Although rock climbing has historically been perceived as a fringe, alternative sport, it's now hitting the mainstream. It's officially cool.

But, will climbing be ruined by its own popularity - or will we continue to use it's power to reconnect us to natural movement, self-improvement, progress and community.

I set out to explore the rise of indoor climbing, determined to find out how new climbers are getting into climbing, how climbing has changed, and why we're all so hooked.

00:00 Indoor Climbing Boom
00:40 Rise Of Climbing Statistics
01:00 Is Climbing Mainstream?
01:50 When I Started Climbing
2:50 Olympics, Hollywood and Free Solo
04:50 New Climber First Time Climbing
09:20 Indoor Versus Outdoor Climbing
10:30 Communities
13:10 First Climbing Session
14:20 Identity and Lifestyle Choice
17:38 Consumerism
19:35 Climbing Gym Development
21:38 The Climbing Hangar 50% Off Entry
22:00 Why I Think Climbing Boomed

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[wmbatina]

I'm one of the new wave of climbers. I can't really comment if this whole thing is good or not, it has been good for me. It is probablt the first sport that I actually enjoy in my 33 years of life, and it has done wonders for my physical and mental condition. And indoor climbing makes it possible to do any time when I have 2 hours to spare. So while the old school climbing purists might be upset about all of this, it has been a positive thing in my life.

[jimbotweedie]

I think a lot of the increase in popularity is to do with the lower barrier of access. Thirty years ago, most climbing needed ropes, equipment and knowledge, and crucially a friend who had all these things. The increase in bouldering facilities means that anyone can just rock up and enjoy themselves.

[NathanBetts]

ClimberCore is hot right now. Genuinely though, I think people are just discovering how - once made accessible - climbing is just as foundational as walking, running, swimming etc to our human bodies.

[amberblackford]

To Ged’s point about who is a climber: I started climbing as a 35 year old mother of four, 4 years ago. From the very first time I tried I knew I wanted to do it the rest of my life. So I think you’re a climber if you feel like you are. (And to those 10 year climbers saying they’re not really climbers: no one’s definition matters as much as your own. If you love climbing and you do it, you’re a climber!) We all engage with the sport to varying degrees, but one of my favorite things about the current culture in gyms is how welcoming and open it is. Everyone belongs and has a right to be there. Thanks Hannah this is a great video!

[ScurvyDave]

Been climbing 18 years now, started outdoors. I climb indoors maybe 4 times a week - less when the rock is dry or ice is in. I love how inclusive climbing gyms are, and with growing popularity I can always find a gym to climb at when I am travelling for work (often). Climbing is a fantastic way to get some movement in while socializing with friends. I am definitely a social gym climber and don't take it very seriously. Outdoors I adore long moderate trad multis.

I do see two negative things going on with the explosion of climbing:

1. With so many gyms and people climbing, there isn't the same tight knit climbing community. Back in the day most people at the gym knew each other and if someone new started climbing people would go out of their way talk to them, and make sure they were included in the space. Now there are so many people coming and going with different cliques all over the gym everyone kind of just keeps to themselves or their own friend group. Sure, it is still a very social space but that wholesome tight knit community vibe was killed years ago. I have been a member at 9 gyms over the years across Canada, this observation is not specific to one area or gym.

Same thing at the crag, nobody knows each other anymore. All random people from one of the 26 gyms within a 2 hour drive. If you include university walls and other non-commercial spaces there are closer to 40 gyms in the area - straight up insanity. When I started climbing there were 5 gyms in the same area. There is no community now, and I really miss the days of rolling up to the crag and seeing familiar faces. My local crag is now an overcrowded zoo that I actively avoid on weekends. Unfortunately we can't just create more rock.

2. This shift has been disastrous for access and outdoor ethics. We have limited rock where I currently live and a crazy number of gyms (~40) - we have seen endless closures from the hoards flocking to outdoor spaces. I usually try to mentor a few new climbers each season and my friend group volunteers with gym-to-crag programs at our local university. Mindsets around outdoor climbing have dramatically changed in the last few years. A lot of newer climbers expect climbing outside to be safe and feel entitled that a climb should match their skillsets. We don't need to add bolts to climbs or turn good trad lines into sport climbs in the name of inclusivity. Outdoor climbs should have character, they should not be a gym copy-paste.

Don't get me wrong, I love climbing some well bolted sport. I also love the satisfaction and mental engagement of climbing past some bad gear, or the feeling of clipping a juicy bolt after a long runout. These things matter and should not be eliminated. Outdoor climbing is not the gym.

I started trad climbing to open up more route options and grow as a climber. Run out or scary route, you used to dial it in on top rope and go for the send later. The new climber mindset is to scream that the climbs should be changed for them, with a shocking amount of support from other equally inexperienced climbers. I genuinely don't get it.

[chrisembry]

I started climbing ‘late in life’ at age 43 after years in the gym lifting weights and the stress it puts on the body, joints etc. I’m thankful for the commercialism of “new” climbing culture. It makes the spaces feel vibrant and welcoming, especially to those like me who are very socially awkward. My first few times I got to meet amazing people and see the social culture and was greeted with open arms. Thanks for such a great video Hannah and Nathan.

[DAJ]

I'm 58 and I started top rope climbing a year ago. I was hooked from the first time I topped a route and all I could think was "I want to do that again!" I began pouring over YouTube videos about technique and training and just watching other people climb. But I knew I was a climber when, after watching content from professional climbers, I realized that even at my beginning level, I was experiencing the very same mind games, challenges and thought processes that they were. Not to mention the same injuries, aches and pains.
I seriously could talk about climbing all day!
My kids joke that after I retire that I'll go live in my car at a state park and hang out with the boulder bros. In this economy that may be all I can afford! It sounds like a wonderful life!
Thanks Hannah for an interesting and insightful video. I really do love your channel!

[ClimbingCaed]

Your intros and overall film structure is top notch! Thanks for another great video

[rhettetherington]

I first started climbing at 14yrs old at school 47 yrs ago. We were lucky enough to have a wooden climbing wall inside and a couple of teachers who climbed quite hard outside and took us on trips around the country.I learnt outside trad climbing and reached a good level (extremely severe). Then after being involved in a fatal accident in the lake district I didn't climb again until 5 yrs ago when an indoor gym opened very close to home and I ventured there to try it.
I re kindled my love of climbing and have been going twice a week ever since. The indoor gym allows me to meet people of various ages and abilities and I have improved alot .I haven't plucked up the courage to return to trad climbing yet. But hopefully I will at some point. If it hadn't been for the increased popularity and availability of indoor gyms, I wouldn't have returned to something I've always loved.
Great video Hannah.

[Seal-wk]

I was a couch potato before trying climbing 2 years ago when I was 34.My body, mind and relationship to work has totally changed. I started working out (outside of bouldering) learned to lead climb as well, fell in love with outdoor climbing. This is such a great sport/community

[thlvlMage]

I started climbing a month ago because of a Match dating event. I decided to go beforehand and see if I could even do it, and it was a lot of fun. I showed up before the dating event the day of, and pumped myself before the group event started lol. Now I'm a regular at that gym. The first time I walked in I saw a group of people all hanging together and they were really welcoming. One of them kind of adopted me and has been teaching me the basics. I made around 10 friends in a day, which is something I never expected to happen. Now I'm climbing to see what I can do for myself and also because I like being around these people so much. At least in my area it's a very welcoming community and that's something I was missing.

[opalgoldring]

It’s lovely how a sport using movement that is just as fundamental and natural as running or swimming has now become accessible and popularised. It’s a space where people are getting together to solve problems using movement and it’s no wonder that this creates a unique community feel ❤
Thanks for putting together this video with beautiful footage and insightful information

[JLB]

I’ve lived in Colorado all my 44 years, and never climbed because I never thought I had the “body” for it. Always overweight with a very large chest. I’ve recently lost 100 lbs and started climbing and I am in love. I now know I could have started climbing years ago, I was always able to climb no matter my size. It wasn’t my body holding me back it was my brain.

[albertabi]

I started climbing at 64, and now I'm in my 6th year, top roping, lead, and bouldering. It has become an addiction in its most positive meaning.

[denislejeune]

Looking forward to the sequel.

If you're looking for problematics to prod, I'd say one particular issue the explosion of indoor climbing is doing to the outdoors is due to the cultural gulf between the two. An indoor climber is basically a customer, and as you said everything is made for them (us), we are cocooned, everything is safe, we have almost nothing to worry about, and 0 care in the world. And there are bins, toilets, even showers.

Those who venture outdoors with that mentality may, and I insist on the term (meaning not everyone is in that category) treat the outdoors in the same vein, as customers who think all is done for them, and they are owed it. Yet going outdoors requires a mental shift: you can't do all you do in a gym in nature. You can't leave your packaging in a bush for lack of a bin, or your toilet paper. You can't drag your crashpad along as if you were in a man-made, fixable environment. You can't blast loud music like in a gym, because nature is not a gym or a nightclub.

And of course that extends to understanding that bolting will likely be more runout, that anchors may look different and need the learning of new techniques and so on.

I'd say indoors you need a bank card. Outdoors you need humility.

That is NOT to criticise indoor climbing in the least, not least because I partake several times per week. But it raises questions: should, for instance, indoor gyms educate for the outdoors? I don't have an answer.

[sfz]

I started climbing as a teenager, about 25 years ago. I love how it has exploded. Everything has become so much more accessible and better quality. The next (small) crag is an hour drive from my home town and we used to boulder on shitty sandstone railway bridges for sheer lack of alternatives. Now there are two decent gyms within a 15 minute radius =)

[anthonyroberts]

My child had a go at a school carnival on a portable climbing wall and loved it, that night a Google if there were any local indoor climbing facilities, we were in luck, now he’s hooked. No social media or mainstream media influence or had ever really seen it before. My child had ADHD and ASD and was too anxious in team sports so was pretty much burning off energy playing VR.

First session last weekend he was on the wall 3hrs, just taping up blisters and tears and kept climbing. He was so proud of himself which is massive as he’s always struggled with low self esteem. It helps that the facility it was an extremely welcoming and inclusive environment. Will be heading back this weekend, and I plan to join him (slow and steady).

[johnfletcher]

Epic video, thanks Hannah

17:44 - this bit really speaks to me, it’s SO true of all outdoors activities at the moment from hillwalking to mountaineering, climbing.

I’m a slave to it myself and find myself buying a new piece of gear or clothing, and planning my next activity around using or testing it. The tail is wagging the dog. What was originally alluring for us because it was an escape from materialism, has become infected. There are a lot of a paradoxes that now exist in this space, for example ‘minimalist’ hiking footwear, that sells itself on the idea of less is more and being more natural and yet comes with a huge, prohibitive price tag in some cases.

It’s funny because I’m a mountain rescue team member and it’s super common to hear all kinds of people talk negatively about the people climbing hills in jeans, tracksuit bottoms, and their casual trainers as if they are a problem but there’s a growing part of me which wonders whether the joke is on us with our £400 jackets, £300 boots, and other status symbols. Going back to basics and removing the trappings of consumerism is the best way to be in the outdoors and ironically it is the new and unprepared who embody this the most.

[jordancapped]

This is it! Amazing video, Hannah—I absolutely loved this style. The editing, animations, and the vibe of sitting on your couch for the talking shots were spot on. I really, really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see more like this!

[CrimsonGalley]

I've been pushing myself to get into indoor climbing the past few months and I finally gained the confidence and went to my first intro to bouldering session last week. So far I haven't regretted my choice. I never favoured the gym environment due to the fact people can be so judgemental but this is a great substitute for my health and leisure. The people I have met the past week have been super helpful, friendly and I already feel a sense of belonging. Even if I am just a beginner, the sense of motivation from others is unreal!