Rock climbing used to be a fringe activity. It was thought to be scary and unsafe, something only a maniac with a deathwish would do. Naturally, this meant that it was a man’s sport, marked by manly things such as complicated equipment, lots of dirt, and of course, danger. Women were thought not strong enough, not bold enough, not crazy enough.
But climbing has changed a lot in recent years. In particular, the rising popularity of “sport climbing”, which reduces climbing to its bare essence of moves on the rock, has attracted a lot of people. Even the rock now is optional, as indoor climbing gyms are becoming popular. Unsurprisingly, as climbing became mainstream, more and more women tried out this “new” sport.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the wall. It turned out that women tend to be pretty good climbers.
The usual line is that men climb using their strength, and women -- who are generally less strong -- climb using technique. A male beginner is likely to be able to climb a harder route at first, because he just hauls himself up using his muscles. A woman takes longer to figure out the technique that lets her avoid having to tire her muscles. But while the man is still stuck at the level that he can manage with brute force, the woman is refining her technique, improving faster, and surpassing his ability.
Like any gross generalization, this is only partially true (if at all!) when applied to individuals. Men can use technique just as well as women, and any woman that does much climbing will become stronger. But the top competitive climbers rely less on strength, and more on flexibility and balance -- traits which don’t discriminate against women.
In fact, when it comes to these abilities, we’re ahead of the men. Women tend to be more flexible than men, and their lower center of gravity may help in matters of balance. Sport climbing is in many ways similar to gymnastics and ballet, and women with a background in these activities tend to be excellent climbers. As in gymnastics, youth has its advantages: Katie Brown, arguably the best female sportclimber in the world, is only fifteen years old.
Traditional climbing -- long routes on real cliffs, where the climbers must place their own protective gear -- requires other abilities, such as endurance and good judgement. But here again, women have no disadvantage; we may even have an edge. Women handle nature’s hardships better than men, according to a University of Washington study. And a female reluctance to take risks may translate into a lesser climbing ability, but a lower accident rate -- and I know which I’d rather have!
This implies that women excel in this type of climbing as well, and they do. Take for example Lynn Hill, the first (and so far, the only) person to climb the Nose route on El Capitan in Yosemite completely “free”, using only the rock and no gear for upward progress.
So if your boyfriend’s been urging you to try climbing, go ahead. Just be sure to soothe his bruised ego when you start climbing better than him. After all, it’s not his fault he’s only a man.