The Importance of Getting Comp Kids Outside: It’s More Than Climbing

I remember the first time I went outside. It was on a team trip to Stone Fort, just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. My mom dropped me off early one morning in the Stone Summit parking lot in downtown Atlanta, and we all piled into cars with our coaches to carpool up. I was so psyched. It felt like a mini road trip with my teammates, singing in the car, and joking around. When we got to Stone Fort, I was honestly shocked. I couldn’t believe how many boulders were packed into one area. You could be working one problem while your friends were all on completely different climbs just a few feet away. It felt like the boulder field was endless. After that day, I couldn’t wait to go back. But the reality was, I didn’t have the access. I didn’t own crash pads, my parents didn’t know anything about outdoor climbing, and team trips only happened a few times each season. So for a while, that experience just sat in the back of my mind.

It wasn’t until I could drive that I really started getting outside more consistently. In high school, I’d make weekend trips with friends to places like Sand Rock, Horse Pens 40, and back to Stone Fort whenever I could. Then I moved to Boone, North Carolina for college, and everything changed. All of a sudden, climbing outside wasn’t something I had to plan weeks in advance, it was right in my backyard. Having access to incredible bouldering and trad climbing so close by completely transformed my relationship with the sport. It deepened my appreciation for climbing in a way that the gym never could on its own. And even now, I still don’t get outside as much as I’d like. But having that access, and knowing what’s out there, has fueled my passion in an entirely different way. 

Since 2021, with climbing’s debut in the Olympics, both competitive climbing and the industry as a whole have exploded. New gyms are opening across North America, bringing with them more youth teams and more kids competing. According to the USA Climbing database, the number of actively registered youth competitors has more than doubled in the last five years alone. This growth is powered by dedicated parents, coaches, setters, officials, and of course the athletes themselves. But with rapid growth comes rapid change.

One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is in routesetting style. Many commercial gyms, especially those with large youth teams, are leaning heavily into comp-style setting, more volumes, more dual-texture holds, more coordination-heavy movement, and less emphasis on the kind of organic movement you find on real rock. In many cases, climbing has started to resemble parkour just as much as it does traditional climbing. To be clear, not all gyms follow this trend. Some intentionally set with outdoor climbing in mind. But broadly speaking, there is a growing gap between indoor competition climbing and outdoor climbing.

And that gap is creating tension.

There’s a noticeable divide between a younger generation of comp climbers pushing boundaries indoors and an older generation that values outdoor climbing, access, stewardship, and a more traditional approach to movement. Some longtime climbers question whether comp kids are truly experiencing climbing at its roots. Sometimes that criticism is valid. But often, it misses the bigger picture. There are plenty of youth climbers who are genuinely excited about climbing outside but simply haven’t had the opportunity. They may not have parents who climb, their team might not organize outdoor trips, or they just don’t know where to start. The reality is that getting outside without guidance isn’t just intimidating, it can be dangerous.

If we want the next generation to care about access, conservation, and the future of climbing, we can’t just expect it. We have to show them. Taking comp kids outside isn’t just about making them better climbers. It’s about connecting them to the places we care about. It’s about showing them why these landscapes matter and what it means to move through them with respect. It’s about passing down the ethics and values that have defined climbing for decades. The places we climb are more than training grounds. They’re ecosystems, public lands, and shared spaces that require care and protection. Organizations like the Access Fund have spent decades working to preserve access, build sustainable trails, and protect climbing areas across the country. But that work only continues if the next generation values it too. And that kind of value doesn’t come from a gym session, it comes from experience.

As climbers, we’ve inherited this sport from those who came before us. Now it’s our responsibility to pass it on in a way that actually preserves it. That means stepping into mentorship. It means taking the time to bring someone outside for the first time, to teach them how to respect a crag, and to show them what responsible climbing looks like. It means contributing in whatever way we can, whether that’s supporting local organizations, showing up for trail work, or simply being intentional about how we introduce others to the outdoors. Because this isn’t just about climbing harder. It’s about protecting the places that make climbing possible in the first place.

At Camp Vertica, we recognize that we’re in a unique position. We’re not just creating strong climbers, we’re helping shape how the next generation understands climbing as a whole. We see ourselves as a bridge between the gym and the crag, between competition and culture, between performance and responsibility. We have an opportunity to influence how these kids show up in the climbing community for years to come. And if we do it right, they won’t just be strong climbers.

They’ll be the ones who protect this sport long after we’re gone.

-Kiera Murphy, Founder & Camp Director