The Next Generation of Climbers: Are They Just Better?
Old School vs. New School: Are the Old Heads Stuck in the Past or Is the New Generation Miles Ahead?
Published: 04/13/2025
Team Coverground
Photo: Covergroundusa
Theres this funny joke my friends and I have amongst each other or at least we think its funny its that we were introduced to climbing one day and woke up living in vans or built out SUVs, a complete take over of our lives by the sport. But Climbing isn’t just a sport though; it is a full-blown lifestyle, a state of mind, even a form of art.People uproot their entire lives to live out of cars and eat 1000 calories a day to climb. What started as a counterculture activity for the fringe has now morphed into an athletic obsession with performance. A new breed of climbers has emerged, one that sends hard in the gym, ripping moves on plastic or wood holds on the Moon Board, and sending steep, brilliant lines outdoors. Today’s climbers really own up to the cutting edge training and high tech gear like 3D printed hold molds, an all in commitment to strength and performance that clearly separates them from the old generation of crushers.
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And while we celebrate today’s breakthroughs that make us stronger, more confident athletes, we must tip our hat to those early pioneers who battled with clunky, outdated methods, limited scientific insight, and gear that would not hold up today to performance standards. Their shoes were heavier, less sticky, and far less sensitive than the insanely precise shoes we now take for granted. Back then, you were trusting a clunky cam device with your life or possibly slotting in a questionable nut; now we have Black Totems—it is practically cheating. Compare that to modern innovations like Black Diamond’s C4, Z4, and Totem cams, which have revolutionized safety, reliability, and weight. Looking back at the 1980s routes, you cannot help but shake your head at the thought of those climbers risking it all without bomber cams and insanely sticky rubber.
Technology now runs the show. Climbers today have access to wearable sensors that gauge grip strength and finger pulling power, and some even 3D print climbing holds to test a route before they even send it. I still remember all the chit chat when Will Bosi tackled “Burden of Dreams” on a 3D printed replica before taking on the real deal. It makes you wonder when this smart approach might cross the line into “cheating” versus just another way to push limits. In stark contrast, the old school relied purely on walking up to a rock and seeing how it goes; they would lace up Converse style climbing shoes and jam primitive hexes into cracks, learning from every brutal fall and really learning to trust their gear and themselves. Modern gear minimizes errors and ramps up safety so we can take on seriously fucked up routes with a bit more confidence, keep that in mind next time your placing a bomber cam.
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Nutrition and recovery have become as essential as any on the wall training protocol. It might sound surprising, but even if some climbers boast about “never training,” every session at the gym is an attempt at improving, somehow, someway. With the insane volume of modern training methods, our bodies demand smart fueling and recovery. Timing your carbs, staying on top of hydration, and sticking to a diet rich in lean protein (often paired with collagen based supplements) has become the backbone of many high performance routines. A great example is 60-year-old powerhouse Eric Horst, who still trains hard and runs Physivantage, his supplement brand that sees tons of 5.15 and V16 climbers consuming whatever he is putting in there. And it is not just for professional climbers—it is for all the thousands of recreational climbers looking to get that extra boost in performance, even if it is just at the Kilter board.
Today’s gyms are a playground for both body and mind. Full on million dollar facilities; it is neat to see how far climbing gyms have come. They offer a massive spread of food options alongside recovery perks like yoga, saunas, and dedicated cooldown sessions. Whether you label it training or just a session on the wall, each climb is a chance to build strength, polish technique, and get ready for the next project.
And do not forget the mental game. World class climbers are not only tough; they are dialed mentally. Visualizing routes, dialing in focused breathing, and even squeezing in a bit of meditation have become part of the daily grind. Research in sports psychology shows that these rituals are not just trendy extras; they are key to unlocking full potential and keeping your cool when every hold depends on a successful send. At the highest levels, climbing is a fine line walk between adrenaline and calm, a battle against the fear of falling that you must master both physically and mentally. It is a whole other side to climbing that can make or break your session.
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Despite all these modern advances, the core of climbing remains much the same—raw and all about trying hard. Both the old school and today’s athletes share a relentless drive to defy and push their limits, whether those boundaries are set by nature or by our own inner demons (the indoor problem you cannot send). Progress in climbing is bound to surge with each new tech innovation and training method, but even as we move into the future, it is cool to honor and pay respects to the climbers back in the day who, one could argue, were a lot more ballsy.
Modern climbers might train, fuel, and prep in ways that are light years ahead of the past, but the drive to send and try hard remains much the same. Climbing continues to evolve, and we should appreciate this progress while also keeping a nod to the rough nose nostalgia of when every climb was a savage battle against the rock and yourself. In the end, whether you are a veteran of the sport or a first-timer at the gym, the journey is the same. The next generation of climbers is here, clearly making their mark with each generation coming out sending harder at a younger age and tackling scarier routes. It is only going up from here.