Rock Climbing Gym Stereotypes

Every sport or community has stereotypes among its participants. It’s human nature to group people based on similarities; think of all the times you’ve been in a conversation in which there is a reference to the high school jock, or skateboard, emo kid. The rock climbing community is not immune, and some pretty entertaining stereotypes have emerged as the sport is popular. 

However, before reading this article, please know that these stereotypes come from a place of fun. If you’ve ever been grouped into this stereotype or feel you match the description, take it with a grain of salt. The rock climbing gym is where everyone should feel safe and welcome. The climbing community is made for everyone and welcomes everyone. But, like this article, climbers sometimes enjoy poking a little fun at each other and getting some laughs. 

Here are some rock climbing gym stereotypes

1. Boulder Bro 

Starting strong, literally and figuratively, there's the boulder bro. Everyone knows the boulder, bro. There is that climber who's fairly jacked and doesn't own a harness. They are most notably identifiable by their lack of shirt or booming voice hyping the friend they brought that day or talking (loudly) about their project.

2. Top-Rope Tough Guy

One climber always rocks up to the gym with their climbing partner and heads straight for the top ropes. They might boulder occasionally, but they're on top rope if they try hard. As they tick off grade after grade and route after route, you wonder if they'll ever give lead a go. But when you ask them about lead climbing, they'll have their list of excuses to rattle off from top-rope being more convenient, more fun, more accessible to find climbing partners for, or where their projects "always" are; they'll always have a reason to defend their status as the top-rope tough guy. 

3. Gumby

We’ve all been there, so you knew it was coming. The gumby climber rocks the climbing wall in rental shoes or classic beginner neutrals like the Black Diamond Momentums or La Sportiva Tarantualaces. They are likely in the boulder section, gawking at the super-strong climbers (when no one thinks they're watching). When they are climbing, you can hear their foot movements from across the gym, and they are in love with making moves harder for themselves by keeping their elbows at 90 degrees.

And, be careful. Even experienced climbers can receive Gumby status if they climb sloppily, frantic, or act like a newbie climber. No one is immune from this stereotype. 

4. The Power Screamer 

A good power scream can get you through the pump, the crux of your project, or push the fear from your mind. It's a powerful tactic to deploy in those try-hard situations. But there's always that climber who seems to power scream every time they're on the wall. V3 dead point, power scream. Whether they're climbing a pumpy V5 or a V8, their actual project, they're power screaming on every move. And this climber isn't deploying half-hearted power screams. No, they're properly vocalizing their try-hard so that everyone in the gym knows they're climbing. (And you'll definitely witness them power screaming on top-roping or lead climbing, too.)

5. The Unsolicited Beta-Sprayer 

The beta-sprayer is the beginner or intermediate climber who can't help but add their two cents to the beta for your project. As soon as you fall off your project, they're striking up a conversation and rattling off beta they've seen or ideas they have. More often than not, they genuinely mean well, but any seasoned climber will know the frustration of being beta-sprayed without asking. But, until the beta-sprayer learns the climbing gym etiquette or tames their excitement, beware that they might choose you as the subject of their next spray session. 

Reminder: these stereotypes are generalizations of people who might visit a climbing gym and how they'll act while there. They dramatize reality in an attempt to poke some fun. Hopefully, climbers who have been around the community for a while will get a laugh or two out of this article. And, if you're new to climbing, you may start noticing aspects of these stereotypes sprinkled among people you meet in the climbing gym. Did any of these reasonable with you or strike a chord? Maybe you were once grouped into one of these stereotypes by your more experienced climber friends, or you have joked that a friend is climbing like a Gumby that day. 

Comment below what other rock climbing gym stereotypes you've heard of or which of the above you found the funniest!