Indoor vs. Outdoor?
What a sweeping question. There are so many issues and
concerns and perspectives that this question involves.
Which is more fun?
Which is better for training?
Which is safer?
Which is a better way to learn?
Sport climbing is the way most people, in this era of
accessibility, get introduced to climbing. Top roping is widely considered a
tactic of sport climbing by traditionalists. Therefore, gym climbing is pretty
much all sport climbing.
There are many places in the world where climbing outside
year-round is totally feasible. Some of us even get the privilege of living in
these places. But for the rest of the world, gym climbing is sort of a
necessity if we really want climbing to be a major part of our lives. I've
talked to professional climbers who spend less than 10 days a year in a gym,
and known others to spend 90% of their time climbing indoors. Gyms have gotten
much better at providing more life-like and realistic terrain, not to mention
much harder routes than can be easily found outside.
The days of having to travel hours away from home to find
hard routes are largely gone.
While this massive increase in climbing gym profusion has
done lots of great things to help grow the industry, providing major sources of
revenue for climbing companies and upcoming climbers who still need to pay
bills, there are some downsides.
How many of the people you see in your local gym on a
Saturday night do you think you're likely to find out at the crag when the rock
dries out?
The sad truth is that, to many of the gym customers who are
paying to keep our young climbers employed, the rock gym is just an alternative
to the traditional gym that is more fun, more social, and more hip. Many of
them are just tired of lifting weights and running on the hamster wheel, don't
want to pay a personal trainer or take a class, and have noticed that rock
climbers are fit and sexy. Many to most of them won't take the next logical
step and become what I consider "real climbers".
However, as I mentioned, there are some professional
climbers out there whose entire careers are based on pulling plastic and
kicking ass in competitions. But they are the few, the strong, the elite.
Climbing gyms will likely remain populated primarily by
sometime climbers in it for a good social scene while they pump out their work
day stress.
The flip-side to this coin are the hordes of new climbers
who were introduced to climbing at the local gym by a friend, significant
other, or meetup group. These rookie climbers don't know anything about the
history of climbing, probably have no idea how Sport climbing and Trad climbing
differ, and have never paid access or land use issues any mind. They also have
probably never considered stewardship and cooperation with other user groups or
land owners. Many of them are going to come out to the local crag when the sun
starts to shine again, drop their garbage on the ground and forget to pick it
up, take short cuts from one place to the next, and make land owners and
managers take note of the massive increase in traffic and question whether
climbing is so great for the area.
Many of the best sport climbing locations in the world, and
increasingly these days bouldering areas are falling into this category, have
been mired in hotly contested access debates for decades. When the popularity
of climbing sees surges like it is now, it's even more critically important
than ever to educate and mentor new climbers about being stewards and making a
good impression on everyone. If we don't make climbers look good to the general
public and the land management groups, someone else will make climbers look
bad.
I think learning to climb outside has traditionally been the
pathway to introduce new climbers in a way that makes them aware of and
sensitive to these issues, even if they don't yet feel any sense of ownership
over them. When they make their decision to become a climber, they will be good
stewards and represent climbers the way we deserve to be represented.
That being said, I think there are lots of ways we climbers
can help introduce those who learned in the gym to climbing outdoors in a way
that engenders awareness and respect of our critical footprint. I'm not going
to go into them right now, that's for a different discussion, but it does segue
nicely into my next point.
When a new climber, or relatively new climber, takes to
climbing outdoors, I believe it's critical for them to plug into the local
climbing community. Whether they find some friends from the gym who have been
climbing for a while to take them outside, or just join a group of outdoor
climbers on a meetup website or school club, getting hooked up with some
experience is crucial. Climbing is dangerous. Experience can be the difference
between a properly or incorrectly tied knot, a soft catch or a hard yank that
pulls out protection, a rope thrown safely or one that dislodges a boulder and
kills someone below.
Climbing is also expensive. Trad climbing requires a ton of
expensive gear. So does sport climbing. A Sport rack is a big investment. Trad
racks are probably 3x more complicated, not to mention heavy. Thinking that a
novice climber with a bunch of gym climbing under their belt is just going to
go out and buy a rack and start Sport or Trad climbing is ridiculous. Let
someone who has experience, (and a solid gear setup) take you out and get you
well-versed in using the gear so you know what you need to buy. Then start
buying your gear one piece at a time. Obviously a harness and belay device,
shoes and chalk bag, and maybe a helmet are the first step. After that, one
item per paycheck is a good idea and will have you ready to set up your own top
rope climbs in a few months. If you want to get into Trad climbing, awesome! I
think you'll find it's incredibly different from anything gym climbing,
bouldering or Sport climbing have prepared you for. But it's a blast! Go with a
super experienced trad climber and clean their routes. Climb on their gear!
Learn how they set a route, how they build anchors, how they choose what gear
to carry on a climb. Spend a lot of time with several experienced climbers and
learn different perspectives. Read a ton. But don't think that you have to
invest thousands right off to get into it!
The bottom line is that you can learn a ton and save a lot
of money by tagging along with those who know what's up. And ultimately, the
difference between being a "real climber" (someone who is a good
representative of climbers everywhere), and an annoying gym rat clogging up the
crag, is knowing how to listen to good advice and learn from it. Confidence
goes a long way in climbing, and in my book, nothing builds confidence more
than having a good foundation.
So build your foundation.
Build it in your gym; practicing and testing your techniques
and safety skills, developing strength and confidence, and building a solid
circle of friends who are committed to helping you become the best climber you
can be.
Or build it outside; watching and learning from the locals
who've been there for years doing it right, being stewards of climbing,
teaching you and others like you how to set a good example. Have a great time,
experience the climbing lifestyle, get chalk and gravel tangled into your hair,
develop amazing calluses and even better muscles.
But remember, a solid foundation takes time to build. It's
not an overnight process.
In the long run, the more time you spend in the beginning
learning the ropes and building your skills, letting the experience and passion
of experienced climbers around you rub off on you, the more you're going to
enjoy the journey.
And have fun! Because that's what it's really all about
anyway, right?
