Video: Diversity and the People of Climbing

There is a significant conversation taking place at the moment—not just here in the U.S. but across the globe—regarding race, diversity, inclusiveness, and understanding.

In the past few weeks, we’ve already seen sweeping movements to address systemic racism in a wide area of society. That includes the outdoor industry, outdoor sports, adventure travel, portable hangboard, and so many of the other activities that we hold dear.

This video was released nearly a year ago, and yet it seems even more poignant and relevant now. It was shot at the 2018 Color the Crag event, which is a climbing and outdoor festival meant to promote people of color in outdoor sports.

Here, you’ll get a sense of how people of color are treated in the outdoor community, even though we often feel like we’re as open-minded and inclusive as we can be. As it turns out, there is still a lot of work to be done, but at least we’re addressing these issues and starting down a better path.

Not everything in this video is easy to watch or hear, but that doesn’t make it less important to experience. On the contrary, if we are to make progress, we all need to watch and listen. This is a good place to start.

Kraig Becker