The Future of Climbing...

There's no way when the "clean" climbing "revolution" came about that they could have known that Ray Jardine would rock the climbing world with his (fucking amazing!) Invention; or at least his version.

So what don't we see coming? What's your prediction of the future of climbing?

Predictions/direction for protection, culure/society, big wall specific gear (portaledges, etc), clothing, ropes, harnesses, biners, aid gear, guidebooks, etc, etc.

Are there gaps that can be filled?

I think our ropes and pro are pretty badass and safe already. Is there really room for "improvement"? Are they safe, reliable enough already?

What about guidebooks? You think there will be some new standard that we just haven't done/seen yet? Like the layouts or topos, etc.

I'm making "small talk". Curious what the future of our love will be like, ESPECIALLY with so many new comers and gyms.

Will High Schools soon have bouldering teams? Colleges? Do some already? I could see bouldering comps becoming a high school national sport one day. Its possible.

What do we have now that you think will be looked at as outdated and "old school"?

There's no right or wrong here. Silly or serious, all opinions/predictions are welcome.

Thanks all!

Well clearly it's not as an Olympic sport!

I'm surprised, given how big (much $) the comps are now a days *d figured they would have taken on climbing. Oh well, I wonder their reasoning for denying climbing?

Right now "mental training" isn't THAT big of a deal or practiced, id say by most climbers. You think in the future it will be the opposite; there will be more climbers who work on their "mental training" (awareness, mindbody connection, etc) than climbers that don't?

I've often thought there could be a cam design that is hydraulic, like brake lines in a car, and has a design to cover far more range.
Even more climb specific shoes, edging shoes might have thin metal in the front with 1mm of rubber coating it.
kids are starting so young, and better young athletes are starting in climbing, they are going to blow our minds when we're old farts.
At some point, with all the kids getting into it, there are going to be more formalized sport teams, leagues, and pros-then comes the $, big sponsors, and steroids.
Fun topic to think about.

There will be a climbing app for the new google glass that just came out. If you can afford the glass and want to climb I`m sure they will be paying a guide and why wouldnt they bring their new toy out with them? It`ll draw a line over the rock so you stay on route, possibly marking or grading gear placements with color codes. If you`re climbing a sport route it`ll mark the bolts and anchors... sort of like a topo map but overlayed on the actual rock. IT`ll also have a HUD in the corner to tell you the time, your ascent rate and the elevation you`re at. Not to mention the name of the route will be overlayed at the bottom of the climb to clear up any ambiguous descriptions found in a guide book.

I have no idea how ethics or styles could change, but I bet electronic technology will play a large role in protection. Everything else seems to be going in that direction, why wouldn't something like pin-point protection come about as a result of this same electronic revolution?

Rockinout said: There will be a climbing app for the new google glass that just came out. If you can afford the glass and want to climb I`m sure they will be paying a guide and why wouldnt they bring their new toy out with them? It`ll draw a line over the rock so you stay on route, possibly marking or grading gear placements with color codes. If you`re climbing a sport route it`ll mark the bolts and anchors... sort of like a topo map but overlayed on the actual rock. IT`ll also have a HUD in the corner to tell you the time, your ascent rate and the elevation you`re at. Not to mention the name of the route will be overlayed at the bottom of the climb to clear up any ambiguous descriptions found in a guide book.

Wow! That's impressive (the technology). I'm not sure if id use it (its fun route finding mixed with intuition and the chance of becoming off route). What do others think? Catch on or something cool just not going to be used often?

Here is my prognostication, with regard to how access will change:

I think that the future will bring significant growth in the size of the climbing community, due to ever more climbers being introduced to the sport in the gym setting. The size of the community with significantly change the way that we think about access. In the past, the community was small, and we could fly under the radar; climbing was minimally regulated. As the community get larger, more regulation will be imposed. For instance, I predict that in the relatively near future (10-20 years), severe crowding on the Nose will force the NPS to impose a permit/reservation system for that route. Additionally, a "pay to play" system will begin to replace the free access that we have enjoyed for many areas. This is both good and bad. The downside is that we will have to spend money, but the upside is that land owners or managers will start to see climbers in a more positive light-- a paying user group and a revenue source -- rather than seeing them as a nuisance and a liability. This shift is already beginning to occur. This may become an important factor on Reservation lands in the West, where there is a ton of closed climbing than may open when tribes begin to see climbing as a revenue source.

Other access changes will come from the increase in the climbing community's financial resources due to its growing size and more-urban (i.e. wealthier) composition. The trend that has already begun is local climbing organizations having to resources to buy land containing previously closed crags, allowing them to open up access. This trend should be expected to continue at an increasing pace, especially in the Southeast, where there is an obscene amount of good climbing on private land.

In the west, meanwhile, I think that that the future of opening new crags will have more to do with accessibility than with access. What this means is that there are many many climbing areas or potential climbing areas where climbing is legal, but is relatively unpopular or impractical due to bad roads, no roads, or other issues. There are tons of areas in the Southwest, in Wyoming, etc. that could be much bigger destinations if it was easier to get there. I am not referring here to wilderness or alpine crags, which hopefully will always stay remote, but rather to limestone sport crags on BLM land that is just really hard to get to. As such, I think that the next step for climbers seeking out new crags is road construction and/or improvement. As the community gets larger, it will have to resources to fund the improvement of roads to make access to certain crags more reasonable. Examples might include Clark Mountain and the Homestead. Both are high-quality areas will very bad roads leading to them. I would not be surprised if, at some point in the future, the Vegas and Tucson climbing communities (respectively) decided that they wanted easier access, and worked with the BLM to pay to grade the roads or even to pave them. In Wyoming, meanwhile, there are tons of untouched crags in the Bighorns, which could be major destinations if only 5 miles of road were built across some ranchland; this sort of action will become realistic as climbing organizations become larger, wealthier, and better organized. This sort of change already happened (in a way) in Bozeman, when the local government decided to start plowing the Hyalite Canyon road all winter, mainly to allow access to climbing and skiing.

Already a high school and junior high sport in a couple states.

VT had 13 schools that had high school and junior high teams this year for a top rope series that runs from November through March.

What's funny is that the technology of actual rock climbing hasn't really changed much in the past 30 years. Everything has just been refined, including training. Maybe the biggest changes have come in ethics and the growth of sport climbing. The technology surrounding climbing (clothing, packs, tents, cell phones, etc.) has also changed more. But as far as rope and gear goes-- except for the fact that we have smaller cams-- most climbs could be done with gear from the 80s.

So based on the past 30 years the future of climbing will probably be influenced more by further changes in ethics and changes to technology surrounding climbing.

Jim

A few csu's (cali state uni's) are putting in walls and have rock climbing clubs/teams which is how all the collegiate athletics begin.. Bouldering and TR comps already going down every cpuple weekes in spring. Only a matter of time. It's still gym climbing though.. Only a few on that team/club climb outdoors and even less plug gear. But I have noticed a lot more hot chicks clipping chalk bags and shoes to their packs on campus this year..

jim.dangle wrote:What's funny is that the technology of actual rock climbing hasn't really changed much in the past 30 years. Everything has just been refined, including training. Maybe the biggest changes have come in ethics and the growth of sport climbing. The technology surrounding climbing (clothing, packs, tents, cell phones, etc.) has also changed more. But as far as rope and gear goes-- except for the fact that we have smaller cams-- most climbs could be done with gear from the 80s. So based on the past 30 years the future of climbing will probably be influenced more by further changes in ethics and changes to technology surrounding climbing. Jim

Yea...the tools of the trade havent changed much, but the materials they are made from have changed drastically. Going from steel to aluminum to who knows whats next and going from nylon to dyneema....etc

Good stuff. Climbing school teams! That's cool.

I never thought about the future and access. Good points for sure there.

One scenario that's played out in my mind over and over is (think in the future): one of the high profile soloists will be filmed, possibly the public can watch live, that person will (sadly) peel off the rock and plummet to their death. The local, state or federal governments will then add a law prohibiting soloing/dangerous routes: free soloing will be illegal (hopefully not but I could totally see this happening).

The more our life/love/sport grows the more and more the governing bodies will start restricting. I hope I am wrong.

RockinOut wrote:There will be a climbing app for the new google glass that just came out. If you can afford the glass and want to climb I`m sure they will be paying a guide and why wouldnt they bring their new toy out with them? It`ll draw a line over the rock so you stay on route, possibly marking or grading gear placements with color codes. If you`re climbing a sport route it`ll mark the bolts and anchors... sort of like a topo map but overlayed on the actual rock. IT`ll also have a HUD in the corner to tell you the time, your ascent rate and the elevation you`re at. Not to mention the name of the route will be overlayed at the bottom of the climb to clear up any ambiguous descriptions found in a guide book.

Why stop there... the route descriptions will include the ability to highlight actual holds, so they light up when you look at them. The entire history of ascents of the route could be linked, probably live, so you could ask for beta from a previous ascension while on the route. If you fall, specific training will be suggested so you can make that particular move the next time.

I always wanted to Patent VelPro... extremely high strength velcro that you can just slap a draw onto. No more fights about hooked biners.

Once we get teleportation, access to remote climbs becomes trivial, and adventure climbing goes away as trango tower and the like are bolted for sport ascents. Distance is irrelevant, so why not then climb on the moon, IO and other planets. Even weaklings like me can pull 5.14 in 1/6 gravity... so the grading system incorporates a gravity rating.

The trend that will likely impact climbing the most will be rising oil prices. As much as we love to beat our chests about how in-tune to nature we are, the reality is that our sport is extremely oil-dependent. When gas prices are $20/gallon--which will happen in the foreseeable future--the climbing road-trip lifestyle that we are used to will become less and less affordable. People will have to stay closer to home to climb, and gyms will play an important role in this.

I could see major improvements in steroids/injections to allow me to be super huge and crush climbs with my epic man smash hands.

Fantastic thread. Lots of good points already made.

Regarding gear, as an engineer i've always said you can change the world with developments in material science. This applies to the climbing world as well. Imagine ropes that are 1/4 the weight and change properties as the situation dictates...or as the climber dictates through electronic signals? New materials could lend themselves to smaller anchoring devices with greater range; hoq about a rack full of really small big bros? Link cams are going in the right direction without any material advances but have fallen short. The next thing is floating around in someone's mind, it just has to pop out of there.

I think the points about the growth of the climbing community are spot on. Especially about regulation. This parallels the dilema of the national parks: we want everyone to enjoy them, yet the more traffic and use that is witnessed, the more negative impact we see and our only answer is regulation. Turning it into a revenue source could be fine with some of us, but the dirtbag community of climbers might not appreciate it.

Now going WAAAAAAAY out there is the teleportation idea. Yeah, that would sure change things, especially in low gravity environments...but why travel to distant worlds to find lower gravity? why not use your futuristic gravity-dampening device to help you send that 5.14?... or at least to help work out some moves ;)

Coming back to near-term reality, I think the comment about gas prices probably reflects the BIGGEST impact we'll see.

many more hawt yuppie chicks in yoga pants ... the future looks bright

;)

Well I've already seen the first video shot by remote control helicopter at Jackson Falls, that's pretty cool and awesome to watch.

JCM wrote:The trend that will likely impact climbing the most will be rising oil prices. As much as we love to beat our chests about how in-tune to nature we are, the reality is that our sport is extremely oil-dependent. When gas prices are $20/gallon--which will happen in the foreseeable future--the climbing road-trip lifestyle that we are used to will become less and less affordable. People will have to stay closer to home to climb, and gyms will play an important role in this.

+1 for hitting that nail on the head.
As oil prices increase, manufactured goods prices increase, leading to climbing gear price increases! Not only will it be difficult to afford the trip to the crag, you might have trouble funding that new set of draws also.
I heard millions of barrels of oil could be saved by simply recycling more aluminum cans. I was wondering how many among us recycle?
If you're not part of the solution then you're only part of the problem?
Sorry for the thread hijack, as you were...

I like the thought of more women. nice.

The velcro idea is brilliant! I'm surprised you haven't started a business plan and have investors lining up!

Tom-O you've got me curious, even if somewhat off topic, how can recycling more aluminum equal less oil?
I recycle at work but do regularly have a guilty concious that my wife and I do not recycle at home. Why? Were lazy. Where we live we don't have trash service, public water or sewer, etc. We don't even have available to us land line/cable internet. Its a pain in the ass for us at this point because the nearest recycling center is quite a ways away. If its cardboard or anything not bad to burn we do, if its plastics (we don't use THAT many) we throw it in our dumpster with our trash.

I know, I know we should be especially since our farm is an organic farm. We don't always lead by example...thanks for pointing that out!