Ode to the Climbing Community 

Climbing is often seen as an individual sport. At comps there's only one winner, and there's only one person noted with an FA. But climbers are a deeply social species. 

I saw a comment recently that said climbing gyms are one of the last true examples of third spaces. A third space is a place separate from home or work where you can socialise with your friends and be with your larger community. With the cost of living increasing, the shuttering of traditional third space establishments, and a general cultural shift towards hanging out online, the prevalence of third spaces has decreased significantly over the past couple of decades. Sober third spaces are even rarer still and that's a niche that climbing gyms fit into nicely.

Climbing gyms offer what is difficult to find elsewhere: a place where you can exist for a long time with your friends without being expected to buy things. Sure you can grab a coffee but you don't have to. A lot of the time you don't even have to climb that much. How often do you go to the gym and spend 10 times longer chatting on the mats than you do on the wall? Quite a lot I’d wager. And that's ok! Hell, it's even expected. That kind of no pressure environment, where you can just sit and talk with your friends, or even just the people around you is rare and something to be appreciated. It’s also something that doesn’t appear in many other sports or communities. 

While it can be a solo activity, you can go to a climbing gym alone and wouldn’t be unusual to end up talking to other climbers about the problem you're working on; getting beta, and celebrating each other's sends. These passing chance interactions can be the start of true long term friendships. 

There's also very little snobbery, self righteousness, or condescension about grades. Usually those who can climb a bit harder or have a bit more experience are eager to help out a struggling newbie. After all, we primarily learn from each other with skills being passed down and refined through generations of climbers, and innovations have historically come from within the community. We learn from our elders not just through classes or formal training (although they certainly have their place and can be very useful). Climbing is not something you can learn from YouTube. You need someone from the community to show you how to tie in, to check your equipment, to belay safely, to place gear, and to take you out to the crags for the first time. This crowd sourced and disseminated knowledge is the basis of our commonality and naturally comes with a large amount of trust. In a lot of cases you are literally putting your life in someone else's hands and this level of trust forms strong bonds. 

Climbing communities are also wonderfully diverse and have been for a long time, frequently predating diversity in other sports. I have an issue of Climber and Rambler from June 1984 which lists in the back local and national climbing and outdoor clubs. While LGBTQ people were struggling with social ostracism there was a small ray of light. 

“Gay Outdoor Club - for gay people who enjoy the outdoor life. Hillwalking, Climbing, Cycling, Camping. New members welcome. Contact GOC, New Members Secretary, 6 Cranbourne Court, Cranbourne Road, Stockport, SK4 4LJ” 

It was remarkable and comforting to know that our sport and community at large has been a welcoming place for so long, even if we have a dearth of LGBTQ representation at the elite level currently (something I'm not going to get into here). The Gay Outdoor Club is still around and active, by the way, and well worth checking out. 

In researching for this blog I came across climbers discussing why they thought the climbing community was different from other sporting communities they had been a part of, and what kept them in this one. The common thread was how “chill” climbers are, a lack of toxicity, and an overall positive and welcoming environment in both gyms and outdoors, as well as a sense of comradery in the face of voluntary but still real danger. 

“One of the things I love most about climbing is problem solving together with other climbers. I can learn from everyone else just by watching them climb, and if we struggle on the same boulder then we have a little bonding moment together. I somehow think this has helped create the lovely climbing culture that is present in most gyms and for most people….”

“We have a common enemy. Gravity”

“It's not really a "competitive" sport, it's you against the wall/ rock, but you also need help if you're climbing on rope or outdoors with pads. So then it becomes everyone vs the wall”

“I cannot comment on the gym crowd. But when you frequently face life & death situations for sport you become less apt to engross yourself in life's meaningless bullshit and possibly increase your appreciation for the moment and the humans you share it with.” 

The climbing community is a unique culture formed from trust, a common goal, and a battle against gravity. It is made up of a welcoming and eclectic bunch of people, and I for one am very grateful to be a part of it. And, while this isn’t an ad, I think this community is worth sharing, so if you would like to join us we run new members nights on the first Monday of every other month. You don’t need any experience, just come along and give it a go. You're very welcome. 

Ok, love you, bye.