Your Climbing Counts | Survey Results

We greatly appreciate the support provided by our partners with sharing and promoting the survey, and for the sponsors for their generosity in providing prizes. The result was just under 5,500 usable responses from climbers.

Demographics and Well-being

The results of the survey showed that climbers are largely male, white, heterosexual/straight, not religious, employed, and educated. Their income is modest (£21-£40k), which is likely to reflect their age and being at the start of their career post-university and/or they have chosen employment that does not attract a high salary. A quarter of all climbers are aged 55+, which suggests that climbing is a lifelong pursuit for many.

Overall, climbers have high levels of well-being and low levels of anxiety.

Climbing Activities, Frequency and Grade

Indoor bouldering is the most popular climbing activity, followed by indoor climbing (roped), outdoor bouldering, sport climbing and trad climbing. Participation in indoor climbing (bouldering and roped) is more frequent than outdoor climbing activities. A third boulder indoors at least twice a week in addition to almost as many doing so once a week. 29% of climbers also said they climbed indoors (roped) once a week.

Overall, there is very little difference in the frequency of climbing participation between men and women. However, more women than men have never bouldered outdoors, climbed trad, alpine climbed or mountaineered.

Climbers are active and half of the respondents climb more than 2.5 hours each week and nearly a third climbing 30 mins to 2.5 hours a week.

Unsurprisingly, the best/highest grade is, for the most part, the grade above the grade the climbers are currently climbing.

Climbing for women is a relatively new thing, with the majority of those who started climbing more recently being women. By comparison, those that started climbing 20+ years ago are men.

Climbing is part of their work for 18% of survey respondents, and men and women are equally likely to work within the sport of climbing.

Climbing motivation

Being introduced to climbing by a friend is the most common and is equally so for both men and women climbers.

The key motivations to climb are because it is fun, to spend time outdoors, the feeling of climbing movement, a sense of adventure, to push oneself and to feel a sense of achievement, and to develop climbing skills.

Women are marginally more likely to be motivated by getting stronger, the feeling of climbing movement and to switch off from their worries. Men are marginally more motivated by being in control of risk, to enjoy the feeling of pushing themselves and spending time outdoors.

Climbing goals and training

To have fun is the most important climbing goal, followed by being more efficient when climbing. For the most part, there is very little difference in the answers between men and women. The exception is the goal of completing a specific route or mountain which men are slightly more likely to have this goal.

Overall, climbers wish to improve their physical fitness, movement skills, mental skills and route-reading skills. Very few said they were happy with their current climbing performance.

A quarter of climbers said that they train for climbing occasionally and 27% train by going climbing. For those that do train for climbing, even by going climbing, the majority started training within the last five years.

Sources of expertise

When seeking support or information to improve their climbing, most asked friends followed by using general climbing websites and social media and/or books.

If given the opportunity most would engage with individual support from an expert (guide/instructor/coach), followed by support through their local wall, closely followed by group support with an expert.

When looking for climbing expertise, their reputation and positive reviews, recommendations from someone they trust, and the qualifications of the expert are of most importance.

Formal support

Two-thirds of climbers have had formal support at least once from a coach, instructor or other expert. The leading reasons were for help with movement skills, followed by anchor and belay skills closely followed by rope work skills. Overall satisfaction with the quality of teaching and instruction was high.

Climbing more

More than two-thirds of respondents would climb more if they had more time, almost half if they lived closer to a wall, crag or the mountains and close to half if they had a regular climbing partner.

Further questions

We asked many more questions about experiences and interest in competitions at all levels, satisfaction with climbing wall facilities and more. You can read the full report to see these and get more detail behind the responses highlighted above including some gender differences revealed by the data.