Every single tall climber (including myself) has frustrated their shorter climbing partners at one point or another by skipping a hold and the difficult move associated with it by using their long arms. In fact, most tall climbers have probably heard how “unfair” it is that they can reach so much higher. This has led to the belief by many short climbers that climbing is a lot easier for taller climbers than it is for them. But is that actually the case?
Overall, rock climbing is not harder for short climbers or easier for tall climbers. Height plays a crucial role in performing specific climbing movements but does not make a significant impact on overall climbing ability.
Each route/problem will tend to favor a specific height. While some may be a lot easier for the taller climbers, others will be better suited for shorter climbers. In this article I discuss just how much height actually matters and the pros and cons of being a tall/short climber.
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How Much Height Matters In Rock Climbing
You do not have to be tall to climb; short people can be extremely good at climbing. In fact, some of the best climbers in the world are short. For example, Lynn Hill, Angy Eiter, and Beth Rodden (all absolutely amazing climbers) are all 5′ 2″ (157 cm) or under.
If you are curious to see if there is an ideal height range for climbers, I looked at the heights of 84 professional rock climbers and discussed what I found out! When looking at a large number of routes/problems, the needed climbing style(s) tend to even out and no clear favoritism towards taller or shorter climbers emerges. That said, height can play a huge role when climbing a specific problem or route.
If the holds are set so far apart that a shorter climber just physically cannot reach them, then that will make the route practically impossible for them to climb. On the other hand, if the holds are very close together and spaced in such away that tall climbers cannot skip them to “break the beta” then it will be practically impossible for them to climb as their body positioning will be awful.
Check out the YouTube video below which highlights the differences between the climbing styles of Sean McColl and Jan Hojer. Sean McColl (5′ 7″) is much shorter than Jan Hojer (6′ 2″) and this leads to them climbing the routes VERY differently.
Most routes do not fall into either extreme where it is impossible for one height to climb but not the other. Many of them will just have a few specific moves that will be harder or easier depending on the climber’s height. However, almost all of them are able to be climbed by any climber no matter their height with some creative beta (assuming they are strong/good enough to climb them).
What really matters is knowing the advantages and disadvantages your body provides you with. Knowing this will allow you to find ways to take advantage of your stature and mitigate any drawbacks it may have. The benefits and drawbacks for both being tall and short climbers are discussed in detail below.
Benefits of Being A Shorter Climber
While short climbers may not have the reach of taller climbers, they sure make up for it in other areas. The main two areas short climbers excel in are body positioning and relative strength.
Shorter climbers have the advantage on more compact routes that require greater balance and body positioning. In addition to this, shorter climbers typically have a higher strength to weight ratio making them stronger climbers than their taller counterparts.
Short Climbers Are Able To Get Better Body Positioning
Short climbers’ compact bodies allow them to get better body positioning on the route and keep their center of gravity closer to the wall. This in itself is a gigantic advantage. By keeping your center of gravity close to the wall, you will be able to climb extremely efficiently and not waste unnecessary energy/effort.
Having your center of gravity too far away from the wall will feel like you are being pulled off the wall (by gravity) and make you use extra strength and energy to counteract this. Shorter climbers are some of the most efficient climbers out there. This allows them to climb harder for longer.
This better body positioning also allows shorter climbers to practice and develop better climbing technique and footwork (also improving their climbing efficiency). While this may not seem as cool as skipping a few holds with a sick dyno, it will make you a better climber in the long run.
Short Climbers Have A High Strength to Weight Ratio
While absolute strength in climbing is important, it is not nearly as important as the climber’s strength to weight ratio. It is incredibly hard to hold yourself on the wall if you are 300 pounds, no matter how strong you are. That said, it doesn’t matter how light you are either if you do not have the strength to propel your weight up the wall. Due to this, maximizing the strength to weight ratio in climbing is vital to become a good climber.
Taller climbers will typically be heavier than their shorter counterparts as they will have more bone, water, tissue and other body weight. Although it is true that strength tends to increase with height/weight, it does not increase at the same amount. Due to the uneven proportion of strength gain to weight gain, taller individuals typically have a lower strength to weight ratio.
The small bodies of shorter climbers allow them to maintain a light weight and maximize their strength to weight ratio.
Drawbacks of Being a Shorter Climber
Although being short definitely has its benefits for climbing, it doesn’t come without its share of drawbacks. On average, shorter climbers do not have a large reach and will need to compensate for this by performing dynamic movements or by increasing their strength and flexibility.
This lack of reach can be hard to overcome at first for many short climbers. Just know that as you continue climbing, you will get better and better at compensating for it. Keeping high feet, hugging your hips to the wall, and making strong movements aren’t as visually appealing as skipping a hold or two but they will make you a much better climber in the long run.
If you are a shorter climber and are looking for a quick way to take your climbing to the next level, check out my article that shares 12 helpful tips for short climbers.
Benefits of Being a Taller Climber
While taller climbers typically do not possess as large of a strength to weight ratio as shorter climbers, they make up for it in one very important area.
Taller climbers have a much greater reach than shorter climbers. The increased reach allows them to skip holds to bypass hard movements and to use static movements to climb large moves more consistently.
Taller Climbers Have A Longer Reach And Can Skip Holds
The most obvious benefit of being a taller climber is the increase in reach. This is what all of the shorter climbers are envious of. The ability to reach holds and make routes/problems easier than what they are meant to be.
Skipping a hold or two is commonly referred to as “breaking the beta”. While not all beta breaks involve skipping holds, it is quite easy to see why skipping holds would indeed break the intended beta.
Just think back to the YouTube video above. Jan Hojer’s tremendous ability to use his height and large reach to his advantage to consistently skip hard moves and break the beta. While it may not come in handy on every single route, this beta break can make some routes that are extremely hard for short climbers many degrees easier.
Taller Climbers Are Able To Climb More Statically
Some of the really tall climbers are able to reach holds statically that their shorter partners may have to throw a dyno at to just come close.
While static moves are typically not as cool or fun to watch as dynamic movements, they are much easier to pull off consistently. Moving statically allows climbers to remain in control and move with increased precision and proper body positioning. Dynamic movements are much less precise and out of control; therefore, making them harder to pull off with consistency.
As a general rule, taller climbers are able to climb more statically than shorter climbers due to their increased reach. This allows them to perform big moves more consistently than short climbers.
Check out the timestamped YouTube video below in which Adam Ondra uses his long reach to statically climb a bouldering problem set as a “paddle” dyno.
Drawbacks of Being a Taller Climber
While taller climbers may be able to reach a bit further than shorter climbers and even skip a hold or two, their longer bodies actually can be a hindrance to them in some cases. In fact, a study looking at average climbers found that climbing performance actually decreases with height. This indicates that taller climbers are typically worse than their shorter counterparts.
The reason for this is that tall climbers typically get scrunched up and struggle to keep good body positioning. Having improper body positioning will make climbers work a lot harder to stay on the wall as they will be practically being pulled off of it due to gravity. This is especially apparent on overhanging walls.
In addition to this, taller climbers will typically be heavier and will have a lower strength to eight ratio than shorter climbers. To compensate for this, it is necessary for taller climbers to stay lean and make sure they are strength training. (Either in the climbing gym or with weights). Check out my article here that details a good gym workout routine for average rock climbers.
So if your climbing partner ever starts complaining about your long reach again, show them that and brag about how good you are despite your disadvantage of being tall!