Reaching New Heights

Mountain Climbing Shifts From An Elite Sport To An Everyday Adventure

By Jennie Hanna
It used to be that climbing up the side of a rock formation, a snow-covered mountain or a massive sheet of ice—and experiencing some breathtaking views at the same time—was considered an elite sport reserved mainly for daredevils. But groups like the American Alpine Institute (AAI) and the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) noticed that a larger number of people were taking an interest in climbing and that the sport was expanding from simple thrill-seekers to everyday adventurers. The groups wanted to make sure climbers had a resource for honing their skills and connecting with others who enjoyed climbing as they did, said Dunham Gooding, director of AAI.

“Climbing a mountain is a lot like solving a problem or a puzzle,” he said. “You need to know and plan your moves in advance.” Mountain climbing can be broken down into several categories, including rock, ice, snow and backcountry skiing, since they have to climb to the top of something in order to come back down, Gooding said, adding that mountain climbing is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation despite the fact that it has no national governing body. He said part of the sport’s growth is that it appeals to men and women of all ages. And while states like California, Nevada, Washington and Colorado have a higher concentration of participants, Gooding said each state has places that are well suited to mountain climbing.

“You really don’t have to travel far to find someplace to climb, which means that we have the ability to reach out and attract more people than other sports like surfing, for instance, which requires you to be near the ocean, or snow skiing, which requires being in an area where it snows a lot,” he said.

Although the sport is experiencing growing participation and has a wide appeal, mountain climbing is
not something that anyone can just rush into, Gooding said, adding that safety must come first in the high-altitude and equally high-risk sport. “Whether you are a child or 70 years old, you can start by simply hiking. Then, if you want to make more difficult climbs, you can buy or rent the gear you need fairly inexpensively.” Gooding recommends novice climbers take classes or hire a guide to ensure safety in the beginning and when embarking on more difficult climbs—which is where the AMGA comes into play.

The AMGA trains climbing enthusiasts in the skills necessary to teach others about mountain climbing and guiding them to select destinations around the world where only professional guides could venture, according to Betsy Novak, AMGA executive director. The group began training professionals on rock, alpine and skiing mountaineering back in the 1980s and now has more than 600 certified climbers who passed three years of training to become AMGA-certified guides, Novak said. “Mountain climbing used to be viewed as some sort of elite sport, but now more people are wanting to climb higher and more difficult terrains, and, with the help of a certified guide, like what AMGA offers, that is possible. This has allowed the sport to really flourish, and with help from the programs and summits that groups like the AAI offer, we are reaching out to more people each year.”

Just as the sport has grown in the number of participants, so has the number of programs and events available for climbers. However, the majority of the events that are offered for climbing enthusiasts have more to do with completing the task of climbing and less to do with competing against others, Gooding said. The annual Bouldering World Cup, which was held in June in Vail, Colo., in conjunction with the Teva Mountain Games, tests climbers’ ability to climb a man-made rock wall without any ropes. According to USA Climbing, a partner for the event, each participating country can enter three men and three women for competition; the host country, however, can enter six men and six women. This year’s event featured 49 men and 29 women competing to climb an 80-foot-wide and 18-foot-high wall with adjustable climbing angles for difficulty.

USA Climbing also sponsors the Sport Climbing Series, a series of small, indoor events in five divisions nationwide that tests climbers’ speed and technique. Top performers in both youth and adult divisions go on to compete in the national competition. The 2008 Sport Climbing Series Youth Nationals, held in June, featured 309 climbers (150 males and 159 females).

Both the Bouldering World Cup and Sport Climbing Series are sanctioned and sponsored in part by the International Federation of Sports Climbing.

In addition, other events raise awareness of certain issues while also promoting participation in climbing. “Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up,” an AAI partner event, will hold its second-annual event Sept. 20-21. Climbers and hikers from across the country will climb different terrains to raise money for pediatric AIDS research, said Tonya Weaver, executive director for the American Foundation for Children with AIDS. Weaver, whose husband is a rock climber, was looking for a new way to incorporate the sport as a way to help raise money. “Since we want to reach a large crowd, we really don’t care if it is climbing, hiking, running or cycling, so long as you are going up,” she said. “We hope that our participants will help us reach our goal of raising $30,000 this year.”