It is apparent to me, and those entrenched in the burgeoning climbing scene, that change is undeniably afoot in the practice of the sport, and so glaringly a metamorphosis of attitudes to the sport. There is a symbiotic process/ shift underway. Out of curiosity, I have explored both sides of this process talking to both ‘new’ and ‘old’ types in the scene. I attended a round of the Northern Universities’ Bouldering Series (NUBS) in December 2024. This bouldering series is angled directly to those newest to the sub-discipline. I wanted to get a sense of what appeals about climbing to the freshest of climbers. I have then turned my attention to a friend of mine, and self-described ‘climbing lifer’, Drop Dead Ed (Brown), to relay his experiences of climbing from his origins in the sport approximately fifty years ago.
Having fallen for climbing only three years ago, I have noticed an ever-growing rift in the ‘old’ and ‘new’. This polarity does not strictly relate to the generational gap that is apparent in the climbing community- although there is a marked one. Rather, this considers a binary in attitudes towards the practice from its origins outdoors to its now firm establishment indoors. This change in setting has meant a change in the intentions behind the sport.
The origins of sport stems from individuals tied to the land and its relief. Insert history, links. Great British climbers like.. were shepherds first. This reliance on the land has formed an admiration of the impressive majesty of rock, flora, and fauna at the centre of the sport.
As the location of the sport has changed, so too has its attitudes. From exclusive appreciation for the outdoors or a determination to push new psychological limits amidst nature’s beauty. To now, where pushing of psychological and physiological boundaries proceeds all else.
Ed’s introduction to climbing, initially through the Leeds Education Authority (LEA), and later with a group of youngsters that befriended him on the course. He had spent many a weekend with his family hiking around the Lake District, but climbing was that natural step up from his parents that all teenagers experience. Ed’s introduction into the climbing scene was simultaneously one into adolescence too. All of which took place exclusively in the setting of British national parks. Clear enough link?
Written: Olivia Mullan