Authored by Dr. Richard J. Buning and Dr. Cory Kulczycki
For a modern climbing gym to be successful, it’s important to not only attract new members but also keep them engaged and connected with the climbing community, paving a path to becoming committed, lifelong climbers. Gym managers can attest that both attracting and especially retaining members is tough business. New climbers are faced with abundant obstacles stemming from their own climbing experiences, others in the climbing community, and the environment within the gym.
To better understand how climbers navigate these challenges as they go from starting out as a beginner to becoming an experienced climber, we conducted comprehensive interviews for our study in collaboration with multiple climbing gyms in Australia and Canada. We interviewed 27 climbers with varying climbing experiences and connections within their climbing gym community, to learn more about the types of challenges they encountered and how they responded to those constraints along their journey as a climber.
Even if you’re already familiar with many of the member retention constraints below, we hope this study serves as a reminder to keep reflecting on the unique experiences of each climber in your gym and how we can better serve all the climbers who walk through our gym doors.
Challenges centered around six key areas: expenses, climber fitness, time constraints, stalling or plateauing in skill, gym issues, and social groups.
Among the climbers who participated in the study, the financial expenses associated with climbing—from purchasing climbing equipment (e.g., shoes, harness) to gym fees and transportation (e.g., bus, parking)—peaked for beginners but were also ongoing. Climbers negotiated expenses through the acceptance that purchasing gear was needed to progress their climbing, but only once they had decided climbing was for them. For gym fees, climbers managed these expenses by investing in seasonal/annual passes and/or taking advantage of other fee discount/flex programs offered by the gyms. Expenses were of greatest concern for beginner to intermediate climbers.
Maintaining a base level fitness to be able to climb was a persistent challenge for all. But experienced climbers were more likely to understand and manage their climbing goals and fitness levels than beginners. With time and experience, participants became more self-aware and gained a better grasp of their abilities, injuries, and the importance of recovery.
Finding and allocating time was consistently a challenge for all, as they negotiated their time available for climbing around other responsibilities (e.g., work, schooling, family, social commitments). Committed climbers, though, were more likely to prioritize climbing above other activities.
Stalling or plateauing in climbing skills was common for those who had advanced past being a pure beginner but had not reached advanced commitment. Often, new climbers would be enticed by the newness of climbing but would then stall out in their climbing skill progression, leading them to feeling discouraged and wanting to quit. They simply didn’t know how to keep improving and to evolve in their climbing journey. To move past that stalling point, support and mentorship from other climbers and gym staff was critical. Some climbers were able to overcome the plateau through structured coaching and training programs offered by the gyms.
Climbing facility factors influenced climbing progression both positively and negatively. A gym’s location, operating hours, and convenience (e.g., parking, transport accessibility, ease of access) either acted as an inhibitor or aided climbers’ progression based on individual circumstances (e.g., childcare, proximity/transport to the gym, work/study schedules).
Routesetting was a delicate balance between ensuring beginners were kept interested and progressing but also not discouraged by difficult climbs, while committed climbers desired continued novelty and challenge in the climbs. Other gym issues noted by climbers in the study included cleanliness (e.g., facility odor, chalk dust), temperature, and locker rooms, which were either conducive to continued climbing or an inhibitor if not up to expectations.
Overcrowding at the gym was another common issue that discouraged climbing and when, how, and for how long participants would spend at the climbing gym. This factor was particularly a concern for newer climbers, if the overcrowding became too much to handle. In response, some climbers would do alternate exercises (e.g., cardio, yoga) and/or climb or socialize in areas of the gym that were less crowded—or climb at a different time or on another day entirely—to compensate.
Helping Climbers Ascend and Keep Climbing
By far, the greatest facilitator of continued climbing observed in the study was a rich connection to other climbers and the climbing community. Climbers needed to find climbing partners who were compatible in ability and climbing mindset (e.g., seriousness, availability to climb regularly). Finding connection was a huge challenge for all at first, but it did improve over time. Still, actively maintaining these relationships was a persistent challenge for experienced climbers, too. When climbers did have a supportive social network in their climbing lives, they were more easily able to progress their skills and knowledge and minimize the impacts of nearly all other challenges they faced.
For the committed climbers in the study, keeping up social connections outside of climbing (e.g., children, spouses) was an added challenge and required a delicate balance of scheduling and prioritization of their time and energy.
Key Takeaways for Gym Management
Climbing gyms play a critical role in helping climbers begin their climbing journey and stay climbing. Based on our findings, having involved, friendly, supportive, community-centered gym staff is key. Gym staff can help climbers overcome many of the challenges encountered, through both hands-on support (e.g., coaching, programing) and by providing a welcoming and community-focused gym that supports climber development, for climbers of all experience levels.
The results of our research also indicated how multiple forms of social programming—including social events (e.g., parties, trivia nights), themed social groups (e.g., moms, students, LGBTQIA+), competitive and recreational competitions, and climbing courses—can greatly support climbers in connecting with others.
Gym management is undoubtedly complex, but some operational strategies that proved helpful in our study were clearly communicating operating hours and decisions, offering flexible and discounted membership options, managing overcrowding at peak times, and helping climbers find ways to connect and stay connected. Establishing a clear routesetting plan and ongoing communication on how the gym’s routesetting keeps beginners, intermediate and expert climbers in mind—and the progression between these groups—proved crucial as well. To help climbers to keep climbing and progressing, while supporting community development at the gym, we found it was helpful for gyms to provide a variety of climbing spaces, programs, coaching options, clubs, and social functions.
Acknowledging Some Study Limitations
As with any study, ours was not without some limitations. One limitation was that participants were recruited through assistance by the climbing gyms, so participants who climb outside of gyms or do not receive gym communication may have been missed. Additionally, while a diverse sample of climbers participated in the study, it is important to note that not all unique climber perspectives were captured in the study, so the results are not exhaustive.
The full study results are published in the Journal of Leisure Sciences, and co-author Dr. Richard J. Buning can be contacted here.
About the Authors
Dr. Richard J. Buning is a Senior Lecturer within the tourism discipline at the University of Queensland Business School in Brisbane, Australia, where he researches the intersection of physical activity, travel, and events. Within this area, his research agenda is focused on how tourists are physically active both as a driver of tourism behaviour (i.e., active lifestyle sports) and during visitation (i.e., active transport). His research on active lifestyle sports closely mirrors his passions in active sports tourism for mountain biking, cycling, running, rock climbing, hiking, and more. His work crosses over to active transport through bikeshare, eScooters, and more generally micromobility, where he is focused on tourism usage and related impacts.
Dr. Cory Kulczycki is an Assistant Professor within the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. He has an academic and research background in leisure, recreation, and sport tourism, with a focus on individual and group experiences with places in a sporting and activity context (e.g., event spectators and participants). Dr. Kulczycki’s previous research has focused on place meaning and rock climbing spaces in Western Canada, small-scale sport event participation, and media framing around small and mega sport events.
