The influx of new participants to climbing

"Climbing has finally reached that critical point where the massive influx of new participants is not only eclipsing the old guard but is fundamentally changing what it means to be a climber. 

We've crested what bestselling author and speaker Malcolm Gladwell would call a "tipping point," where rapid change is now unstoppable.

"We are being taken over by the gym generation," said Jason Haas, owner of Fixed Pin Publishing in Boulder. We, being the 30-something and older climbers who learned to climb outside."

From Chris Weidner: A vertical epidemic; Climbing faces identity crisis at its tipping point

Good perspective from Chris Weidner. Of course, it's not that drastic as the title headline sounds if you read the full article but it does highlight that things are changing, and this is one of those periods where it's changing quicker than ever (once the massive roll-out of climbing walls reaches a critical mass, it'll start to slow again). For the positive? For me, I think so - but that could be because the idea of 'newness' and 'change' excite me. For those who like how it is, maybe not so much and I can understand it. My own logic is for indoor climbing: it's the equivalent of indoor swimming: something accessible to all and hugely popular worldwide. But sea swimming is a niche sport now and probably similar to outdoor climbing in many ways, requiring a bit more 'hardness' and focus that most people don't have the enthusiasm/time for. Interesting times!

Just think what will happen when climbing most likely gets accepted into the 2020 Olympics!