Going out for adventures is fun, but we have to keep the expenses in check! Rock climbing is one of the most favorite sports for all the adventurous people out there, but there is always a big question, which is “Is Rock Climbing Expensive?”. So today we have decided to help you figure out, that whether Rock Climbing is expensive or not.
Buying all the gear to try out a new sport can be difficult, so here is an article to let you know about how expensive rock climbing is? So, is rock climbing actually expensive? To be honest with all of you, Rock climbing can be moderately expensive. To try rock climbing once, you’ll have to spend about $30, but if you have plans in getting into the sport full-time will cost about $500 in gear and $80 per month as gym fees.
As sports go, you might consider rock climbing in the middle-of-the-road in terms of how expensive it is. However, if you are just willing to try it out at your local gym and see how you like it, then you will likely have to spend around the range of $20-$30 on a single day pass and another $10 if you decide to rent shoes, a harness, or chalk back and if you want to start climbing more frequently, which is more likely, then you can expect to have to spend around $250 in gear to get all of the basics, and even paying a monthly membership fee.
Rock Climbing Expenses
Now, you might be wondering where your money goes in rock climbing? The basic gear you will need to buy includes:
- Shoe, which will cost $100
- Harness, which will cost $60
- Chalk bag, which will cost $30
- Belay devices, which will cost within $50-$150
| Products | Price in Usd ($) |
| Shoe | 100$ |
| Harness | 60$ |
| Chalk bag | 30$ |
| Belay devices | 50-130$ |
| ✅ Total | ✅ 240-320$ |
This is the minimum gear that you need to be able to climb at any climbing gym and of course, the avg price of rock climbing of beginner level is between 240-320 Usd, you can absolutely trim this list down even more by ditching the harness and belay device, but this would limit the number of routes you could climb as without those pieces, you will be confined to bouldering routes.
Shoes
What are they used for: Shoes for mountain climbing, helps your toes to grip small holds
We have an in-depth article on -> Different Types of Climbing Shoes
How much they cost: These mountain climbing shoes mostly costs $100 for a beginner pair; $200+ for an advanced pair
Shoes best for beginners: The La Sportiva Finale is best for rock climbing.
Rock climbing shoes are mostly the narrow, rubber, and heavy pieces of footwear that you have probably seen on the feet of any climber you have watched. They are mainly designed specially to allow your feet to gain purchase on small footholds. Rock Climbing shoes are probably the first major purchase that any new climber has to make. While they are quite expensive, they are not prohibitive. We know a lot of climbers who only climb a couple of times a year and he still has his own pair of shoes.
If you have any interest at all in climbing, then my friend, shoes should be the first thing that you have to buy. There is a massive variety of shoes out there, ranging from super-downturned, ultra-aggressive ones to softer, slipper-like pairs and if you are just getting into the sport, the climbers might want something that’s gentle on your feet but still stiff enough to give you a bit of support on the route.
Also, Read our in-depth review on -> How Much Do Climbing Shoes Cost? (with recommendation)
We will highly recommend you to enter the La Sportiva Finale. As the shoes found in La Sportiva Finale are well-designed, comfortable, and technical enough to stay with you as you begin progressing into higher grades and their laced finish means you can adjust how tightly they fit, while the tension stays on the heel which mean that your foot will stay firmly in place. The lacing can be a big of a downside, which means that you have to spend more time taking them on and off, but the La Sportiva Finale’s are comfortable enough.
Harness
What is it used for: It allows the rock climber to climb ‘top rope’, or routes that are not boulders
How much it costs: A beginner harness costs around $60.
What is best for beginners: The Black Diamond Momentum is the go-to for most people
If you want to do anything more than bouldering, then you will be requiring a harness. A harness is an equipment used by the rock climbers to tie yourself into a rope that catches you if you fall and this allows you to climb higher than 10 feet off the ground.
High-end climbers and mountaineers might worry about weight, comfort, or features, but you basically need something to keep you in your place. According to us Black Diamond Momentum is used for gym climbing, outdoor climbing, ice climbing, and multi-pitch routes. However, it is not the best harness for each scenario, but it is quite decent as it is comfortable and very affordable.
Chalk bag
What it is used for: It is used for holding the climber’s chalk
How much it costs: A chalk bag costs mostly around $30
What is best for beginners: Anything from Mammut, Black Diamond, or other climbing brands
You don’t have to get anything fancy while looking for your chalk bag and there are some fancier bags out there that have pouches for your keys and other small important items. These chalk bags are mainly designed for things like multi-pitch routes. They help us to carry very small and necessary things.
Belay Device
What it is used for: Belay devices are used for catching your climbing partner when they are tied into a rope
How much it costs: The gri-gri or belay devices cost about $110
Best for beginners: The Petzl gri gri is the best belay device for beginners.
If you want to climb top rope, then you will need to have a partner with a belay device which means that you will have to belay them in turn, meaning that you will need a belay device.
There is a wide range of belay devices out there for a lot of different uses. The ATC Guide is an all-time classic that each and every serious climber should own. The Edelrid Mega and Gig-Jul are cool new entries onto the rock climbing scenario that definitely have some promise, but the best belay device out there is still the Petzl gri gri.
The gri gri or a belay device is intuitive, easy to use, and super secure and its auto-locking feature means that you can afford to make a mistake here and there without dropping your partner. In addition to that, the gri gri is so common that almost every gym or climber will have one.
Additional Gear
So, the above-mentioned equipment covers the bare necessities of gear you will need to spend if you want to climb semi-regularly and not have to rent or borrow gear.
However, we cannot put the full stop there, as there is still a long list of other gear that you will need as you start getting more into the sport. And let’s be honest with all of you, to date we did not see any climber who’s been able to get away with spending only $300 on gear.
The more involved you get in the rock climbing sport, the more stuff you need. Fortunately, getting more into climbing also means needing to learn new skills, which takes time which actually means that it is easy to spend your climbing over the course of several years.
Shoes, again!
Every serious climber, whom we have met has more than one pair of shoes; many have 3-4 that depends on what route they’re on. One might want a comfortable pair for long multi-pitch, a super aggressive pair for overhung routes, and a stiff pair for slabby trad routes. But let us state one thing clear that it is not necessary to have more than one pair.
If you need a good everything shoe, then we would recommend you to have a look at Scarpa Vapors.
Rope
If you want to climb outdoors, a rope is an utmost necessity. Ropes can cost around $150-$300, but you need to replace them every couple of years to make sure that your rope is not wearing out. Remember one thing very carefully you trust the rope with your life, so you have to make it sure that it is in good quality.
What rope you want depends on your purpose. As we have seen for most climbers, a 9.8mm rope from somewhere like Sterling, Mammut, or Black Diamond will work well in just about every situation that you’ll want.
Trad Rack
A trad rack is the really big investment that you will have to make in a rock climbing adventure. The jump from sport climbing to trad climbing is a big one in both skill and money and in a full trad rack it can cost anywhere up to $5,000.
Now, let me say something very honestly don’t let this intimidate you, as many people spend their entire lives climbing without ever having to spend $5,000 on gear, so this is absolutely not necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
How much does rock climbing cost?
For a typical climb at an indoor climbing gym, the average cost you will need to spend is around $10-$15 for a session and an average of $170 for a pair of decent climbing shoes if you want to have your own and to know more about the expenses you need to read this article.
Is rock climbing cheap?
There is not a single sport which is cheap, so just like that Rock climbing is not a cheap sport, but you do not have to buy everything at once! We are in no hurry, take your time and start accumulating gear as you get more and more experienced, and you will have everything that you need in no time
Why rock climbing is expensive?
Rock climbing is expensive because of the high-quality equipment which you will require while climbing a rock.
Are rock climbing gyms expensive?
Rock climbing gyms that offer indoor climbing can be very expensive for a variety of reasons, for example, imagine the space required to build a climbing wall, can you imagine the capital required for it. We have even seen that some of the climbing gyms rent half-block, 3-floor tall warehouses, which is a substantial investment right there as well.
Is climbing an expensive hobby?
Climbing is not so expensive as once you got the basic gear, you just spend money on traveling and upgrading which is very manageable for most of the people. You can try a tread wall as they only cost about $10 000.
Is mountain climbing an expensive hobby?
Mountain climbing is expensive as one can expect between $3,000 to 12,000, but the bright side is that as you progress you spread the cost out as your gear grows to match your skills. But it can also be relative.
Do climbing gyms make money?
The key way to make profits is to have enough paying members and daily-use customers to make more than the costs of operations and a successful operation, depending on the size of the climbing gym, which will have up to 1,000 members and earn up to around $650,000 in gross revenues per year. So from this, we can conclude that we can make money through climbing gyms.
Is Rock Climbing a good hobby?
Rock climbing is absolutely an excellent hobby that is growing in popularity all around the world as an excellent way to find a supportive community while increasing your self-confidence and giving your body a healthy workout.
Are climbing gyms worth it?
The key way to make profits is to have enough paying members and daily-use customers to make more than the costs of operations and a successful operation, depending on the size of the climbing gym, which will have up to 1,000 members and earn up around $650,000 in gross revenues per year. So from this we can conclude that climbing gyms are worth it.
How much do Treadwalls cost?
A good treadmill for rock climbing can cost up to $8099.
Is bouldering an expensive sport?
Bouldering is quite affordable for anyone wanting to jump in and try it out for a day, you are looking at a one time cost of around $20 to $35 around $15 to $20 of that will be on a day pass and the remaining will be required for shoe rental
What’s the point of rock climbing?
Rock climbing is an activity where the climbers climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls and the goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the end of a pre-defined route without falling
How do rock climbers die?
Death can happen while rock climbing due to complacency and this usually happens when climbing outside more often than not, but there have been deaths, which is rather uncommon indoors. This is usually caused by more experienced climbers who become overconfident and forget to attach certain pieces of equipment to the wall.
