Rubik’s cube’s connection to climbing?

I personally know how to solve a rubik’s cube and would consider myself better than average with around 14 second average, but i’ve noticed that a lot of my climbing buddies would consider themselves “cubers” and one was ranked #1 in my state. I say all this to ask if anyone else has seen any correlation between climbing and cubing?

No correlation. The two are completely unrelated.

FrankPS wrote:

No correlation. The two are completely unrelated.

I’d disagree. Obviously the activities are totally unrelated, but rock climbing on some level is puzzle solving, which is super analogous to a solving a Rubik’s cube.  Climbing (particularly performance oriented climbing) definitely appeals to a certain brain type that is usually also stimulated by puzzles in general. 

You could say any task involves "problem solving," therefore is related/similar to climbing.

FrankPS wrote:

You could say any task involves "problem solving," therefore is related/similar to climbing.

Watering the lawn doesn’t involve problem solving of any significant difficulty.  

Max Tepfer wrote:

Watering the lawn doesn’t involve problem solving of any significant difficulty.  

You got me there. Some tasks don't involve problem solving.

I should have said, "All tasks involving problem solving are related to climbing."

"Solving" a Rubik's Cube is more pattern memorization than problem solving. I guess it's like redpointing.   

I know in the PNW at least, it is/was quite common for the youth climbing teams to have lots of cubers. It's a great way to pass the time in iso waiting for your turn.  And my experience was like a decade ago, so all those crushers are adults out in the wild by now.

Well, there's a reason some mathematicians become prominent trad or bouldering climbers: exploration and problem solving. 

Dave Rearick (RIP) FA the Diamond on Longs Peak, Bob Williams (RIP) Advanced Inst at Princeton, Mike Freedman (winner of the Fields Medal - Nobel Prize of math 1986) , MPs own Rich Goldstone, George Mallory (teacher), Jerzy Gromada, Erhard Loretan, Ed Whittaker, and others. 

Not quite the same as Cube Solvers, but a shared spirit. 

And then there are the physicists . . .

Lots of PhDs in the climbing community including me. And I can solve the Rubik’s cube in under 30s.

My 10 year old is a wizard with the cube and just sent a v12 in Rocklands....just saying