The Future of Climbing (Part I)

For those of you who are new to theDIHEDRAL, my name is Carrot.  I am a philosophy professor who has been engaged in research on the future of humanity for a few years.  Most of my work centers around the future of higher education, but along the way I try to take note of what the future of climbing could look like in the short- and long-term.  With that, I wanted to share some of the interesting things on the horizon for climbers, hikers, and those with a predilection for Type II fun!  This is part one of my three-part series on the future of climbing.

The world is changing at an accelerated pace.  It seems like it was just yesterday that we were all wearing pants that didn’t come with an exoskeleton that can boost the power of leg muscles by 40% while hiking uphill as well as support our knees on the way down.  For most of us it probably was yesterday, but not for all of us! Arc’teryx has teamed up with SKIP to create MO/GO, the world’s first pair of powered pants.  While the MO/GO pants are targeted toward folks with mobility issues, these pants can serve just about anyone trekking through the outdoors.

One of the hardest parts of climbing is the approach.  Hiking several hours uphill into the mountains or down scree into a canyon, only to reach a wall with most of our energy zapped from the long trek in.  Add in the weight of our gear, water, and food, and it’s a wonder that we have anything left to send at all.  Imagine reducing the strain on our muscles by 40%.  That tech is available today.  As weight bearing exoskeleton pants gain popularity, and the technology improves it’s likely that we’ll have pants that can boost the power of our muscles by 100% and more.  This will make longer harder approaches that once seemed impossible much easier to navigate and open new climbing possibilities all over the globe!

Speaking of navigation, the world of augmented reality (AR) is also making waves in the world of climbing. Meta teamed up with Ray-Ban to offer one of the best functioning AI glasses on the market.  These glasses can answer questions on anything from cooking instructions to dog breeds with the power to view the world as you see it.  So, the next time you see the cutest crag-dog at the wall, you can simply look and ask, “Hey Meta, what kind of dog is that”.  That is novel, but as the technology and range advance, gone will be the days of getting lost on the approach.  As you look through your AR glasses with the GPS preprogrammed, you will be able to follow a highlighted path laid out before you right to the wall.  Having trouble finding a route?  No problem, just ask your glasses to highlight the topo and climb-on!  You’ll be able to have beta sprayed directly into your ears and holds colored and highlighted as you climb just as if you were climbing in a gym.

With these two innovations, we can navigate our path and save energy on the way, but there is still that heavy pack filled with gear, food, water, and whatever else you are carrying along the trail.  One answer to the weight problem is already on the market it’s the “floating backpack”.  These packs don’t actually float, but they sure look like they do.  Floating backpacks such as the Hover Glide, come with a suspension technology that reduces the force of a weighted pack by 86% as you walk or run.  This means that each step you take while wearing a force-suspension pack will feel lighter and cause less stress on your joints and muscles, in turn conserving more energy for hiking, climbing, falling, and the return home.

Wearable technology is still in its infancy and will continue to improve.  In the next 10-15 years we should be able to make ultra long-distance approaches with almost no wear and tear on our bodies.  Carrying supplies and gear into the back country will soon be a thing of the past.  GPS AI robodogs are already available.  Unitree has created a “dog” that can navigate through nearly any type of terrain at remarkable speeds.  This robo-pet and others like it will be able to lock into GPS coordinates carrying all your gear.  Powered by the sun, it will serve not only as a pack mule, but also a charging bank for all your electronic devices, from your AR glasses to your exo-pants.  The future of land drones like robodogs will change the way we operate and navigate the backcountry.

Just like backpacks and pants that can re-distribute our weight, it is easy to imagine wearable climbing gloves which can increase out grip strength to superhuman levels.  While climbing purists may question the need for strength improving climbing gloves, in the world of search and rescue, options like this can be a lifesaver!  Speaking of lifesavers, ProGrade has an automatic belay device for lead climbing.  If strapped to the back of your robodog, you could potentially climb anywhere alone or with friends all with the help of your AI belay dog trained in the highest degree of first aid and companionship.  Able to contact anyone at the first sign of danger all while recording and editing your FA and posting it to IG.

Wearables and accessories are changing the entire landscape of rock-climbing, the technology is in place and scalability is right around the corner!