Brief report: participation frequency across climbing disciplines from North American surveys

Abstract

ABSTRACT A lack of relevant data impedes our understanding of how people engage in different types of climbing. This study sheds light on participation frequency across disciplines in contemporary climbing with findings from two convenience sample surveys targeting overlapping North American climbing populations: identified indoor climbers and outdoor climbing advocates. The findings indicate that the overall participation frequency is highest for top-rope climbing and sport climbing, followed by bouldering and traditional climbing. The relative popularity of these disciplines varies somewhat based on the climbing population in question. In contrast, ice climbing, free soloing, and aid climbing exhibit low participation rates among survey respondents overall, and relatively infrequent engagement among participants. The findings contribute to our understanding of how people participate in climbing, with insights into the sport’s evolution through processes such as indoorization, sportivization, and specialization.