I find it interesting to consider what people commonly search when it comes to rock climbing. Data like that can help guide some of the ideas and reviews that we write. So, I decided to dig around a little bit with the hope that I may be able to uncover some of the most common inquiries populating the collective search engines.
Luckily for me it didn’t take much digging, there are websites that do all the digging for you, and then report it for free. I used a site called AnswerThePublic.com1. Their report came back complete with a bunch of cool looking graphics to make the data seem more interesting than it actually is.
Ever the altruist, I have seen the questions, and now I am here to answer the public (rock climbing edition).
Because there are thousands of inquiries, I’ve decided to break this piece into two parts with each part tackling what I perceive as the most critical questions.
Part I
Q: What is Rock Climbing in French?
A: Escalade! Quand les gens font de l’escalade, assurez-vous de dire ‘allez’. Allez Allez Allez!!!
Q: Which Rock-Climbing Shoes to Buy?
A: This question came up A LOT and was asked in several different ways. I’m going to make the assumption that the question primarily comes from folks just getting into rock climbing. So, if this question pertains to you, here is my advice…go with an inexpensive comfortable shoe with the least environmental impact. Your first shoe doesn’t need to be aggressive or expensive, it doesn’t need to break your toes or give you blisters. All feet are different, and you’ll find that some climbing shoes are a better fit for the size and shape of your foot, and some are worse, you’ll have time to figure that equation out the longer you climb. So, as you’re just getting your feet wet (literally, as climbing shoes are sweaty and disgusting) go for something simple. My recommendation for a first pair of climbing shoes is the La Sportiva Eco Mythos, they hit all the marks for what I would recommend for in a first pair of climbing shoes.
Q: What Rock-Climbing Gear do I need.
A: I love this question! If you are just getting into rock climbing, the amount of gear that you need is minimal. You need a pair of shoes, a harness, a belay device, a locking carabiner, a chalk bag, and some chalk. From there, you can add to your rack as you need to, but those six things will get you off the ground! I would put comfort and affordability over everything else at the early stages of climbing.
Q: Best place to buy Rock Climbing Shoes?
A: Again, assuming this question comes from someone who is just getting started, I would stick to your local gym if they have a gear shop. They will have experts who can help you find the ideal fit, but if you’re just on your own looking for a good selection with fair prices, then I would go with REI and Back Country.
Q: What are the best Rock Climbing Shoes?
A: So many things go into the concept of ‘best’. Best is too subjective to actually name what the best of anything is, and when it comes to climbing shoes it all depends on what you are doing and what your preferences are. The Tenaya Mundaka!
Q: Will Rock Climbing Give Me Abs?
A: I’m no biologist, but I think everyone has abs.
Q: Techniques when Rock Climbing?
A: I have three tips. 1) Try to keep your arms straight, especially when resting, even if that means keeping them left or right of center. 2) Know your center of gravity. With this, it’s important to try and keep your weight over your legs. When your crouched and your butt is hanging off the wall, you are working much harder than you need to be in order to conserve energy. Try and get used to pivoting your hips toward the wall, thus keeping that fanny over your legs. 3) Breathe. It is so easy to just stop breathing when you are working hard at something strenuous. Without proper beathing, your O2 gets depleted, and you gas out. Try and remember to breathe.
Q: Are Rock Climbing a Sport?
A: Consider Wittgenstein’s paradigmatic question about defining “game (sport)” The problem is that there is no property common to all games (sports), so that the most usual kinds of definition fail. Not every game (sport) has a ball, nor two competing teams; even, sometimes, there is no notion of “winning.” In my view, the explanation is that a word like “game (sport)” points to a somewhat diffuse “system” of prototype frames, among which some frame-shifts are easy, but others involve more strain. – Marvin Minsky
Q: Which Rock Climbing?
A: I’m not sure how to interpret this question…buuuuuuuuut, if I have to pick, I’d go with this one.
Q: Will Rock Climbing be in the 2024 Olympics?
A: Paris, here we come!
- Answer The Public is a keyword tool that visualizes the most popular searches for specific inquiries. If you want to know what people are searching about flour, or swords, or Benadryl, or the local fish fry, Answer The Public can hook you up with data organized by useful visualization charts.
- If you have any climbing questions, let ’em rip, I’ll do my best to answer them in Part II!
thedihedral.com 
I like this a lot. I didn’t know Wittgenstein “spoke” on the subject, but then I dropped out of 20th century philosophy in college…
“…Rock Climbing a Sport?” Had a little discussion with our bike-riding friend about whether riding a stationary bike is a sport. Then I thought, “Every sport I’ve ever done except track has been solitary and with no opponent and no one winning.” So I’m down with stationary bike riding as a sport.
On the subject of sport — I thought about you the other day as I drove past the elementary school. Some boys were playing “Kill the Man with the Ball” and I saw that they have set up a legit mound for “King of the Mountain.”
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Stationary bike a sport…that is an interesting thought to consider! Regarding “King of the Mountain”, I’m kind of happy that kids still have the option to play. Maybe Peloton should include a “King of the Mountain” app on its next software update, then stationary bike riding would absolutely be considered a sport!
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My daughter refers to all sports involving a ball as “sportsball” ( mental health professionals could see this as “sportsball NOS”); the best of these, of course, is “Calvinball “.
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I am wondering if there is a way to incorporate a ball into rock climbing. Climbingball as it were!
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Well, I do “ride” the Tour de France. It’s something… 😉
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Everyone has abs!😎
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Haha!
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I love this! What a nifty site. I’ll have to play around with it. Thank you! The rock definitely has nice abs. Sadly, my abbys have gone flabby. I should get back into rock climbing! Maybe start with some pushups first…..
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It’s really cool, I think the free version allows only one search per day, but there is a paid version with unlimited searches. Let us know if you start climbing again. I’d love to hear how it goes!
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