I am all for the Olympics to adopt rock climbing.  I know a lot of climbers are against this for many of the reasons presented in the G&M article, as well as overcrowding of crags, and additional access concerns.  Let me take a minute to play devil’s advocate with some of the concerns…

I don’t think the Olympics will reduce the co-operative climbing spirit.  Climbers typically are very competitive even if we aren’t competing.  Robbins made sure to quickly climb El Cap faster and with better style than Harding.  We are constantly trying to one up each other - just a couple weeks ago I attempted a ridiculous traverse of a popular polished Southern Ontario cliff just because I read someone else had only done half of it; I did the other half, ran out of time, and am itching to finish it…  Climbing has hosted formal climbing competitions since the 1980s (and probably earlier) so it is not a new thing.  Our competitive side drives us forward - it was afterall a former comp queen who turned to trad and first free climbed the Nose, and another comp star who one upped her and climbed it in under 12 hours….  And, has competition hurt other sports?  No, typically the competitors all know each other, often they train together, and specifically the Olympics brings nations together in peace.

Another concern is the crowding of crags and gyms with Olympic wannabees.  Increased exposure of the sport will surely increase the number of people trying climbing.  Unlike a sport like bobsled, climbing is more accessible, there are training venues and trainers everywhere.  Gyms and cliffs will get more people climbing them.  Is this such a bad thing?  Climbers are a selfish bunch - we want the cliffs and the gym to ourselves and our friends, we even go so far as to think we “own” the section of cliff that our precious FA is on preventing others to climb it anyway but the way we want.  But then we freak out on land owners when they want to ban climbing, or have to drive further to train because our local gym closed down.  Climbers have a greater voice in numbers, land managers are more likely to listen to us when we aren’t just a couple of penniless dirtbags using their cliffs.  Most gyms don’t pay the bills on members, most of it is kids groups and new climbers - just the sort of user groups that would increase with more attention on the sport.

More climbers and more spotlight also means that those of us that choose to make climbing our career will have more job security and likely better pay.  Think of all the trainers, and coaches, and gym employees, and guides, and magazine editors/writers, and gear companies, and photographers, etc - not to mention the pro climbers of which both the comp stars and the mountain climbers and everyone in between would be able to make a better go of it.

And lastly, some people say that climbing isn’t exciting to watch.  Are you kidding me?  Sure its boring watching someone climb a flat wall with tiny grips, but that’s not what comp routes consist of.  Comp routes and walls are designed with the viewer in mind - the lead routes force climbers to become monkeys clinging with all limbs upside down across hanging half spheres, stalactities and a variety of otherworldly terrain.  The rocks and walls are coloured a rainbow of flashy neons.  Not to mention the big falls!  And bouldering has more of the same - watch the Tour de Bloc finals from last season to get a sense of the bizarre eye-catching routesetting that is possible.  Comp climbers (and typically all climbers) have massive personalities that jump out at the viewer, and help create excitement for them to win or lose.  Show any nonclimber the world cup footage from Progression and they will be on the edge of their seats - and likely bored with the rest of the movie.  Nonclimbers aren’t impressed with watching real rock climbing because they don’t understand the subtleties, but plastic is different, it stands out, its obvious, a pattern can be seen, it looks possible.

So maybe the Olympics aren’t such a bad thing…