The ideal height for rock climbers has been a topic of much debate within the climbing community. Many believe that being taller is a lot better for climbing while others say being shorter definitely has its advantages over length. In order to see if height actually matters in rock climbing, I compiled and analyzed the heights of 84 professional rock climbers (42 male and 42 female).
The average height of professional male rock climbers is 5′ 10″ (177 cm) while the majority ranges between 5′ 7″ (170 cm) and 6′ 0″ (184 cm). The average height of professional female rock climbers is 5′ 4″ (162 cm) while the majority ranges between 5’2″ (156 cm) and 5′ 6″ (168 cm).
There is no set height that is the undisputed best for climbing. While looking at the height of professional climbers gives a clue into the preferred height for climbers, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Below I list the heights of the 84 climbers included as part of this analysis and discuss the general ideal height range for climbers.
Heights of 42 Professional Male Rock Climbers
Looking at the features of the top athletes in a sport will help determine if there are specific characteristics/features that give them an advantage. For instance, almost all of the top-level gymnasts are short with very little body fat. Their short stature and light weight allow them to perform feats that taller and heavier athletes could only dream of.
In an effort to obtain a larger sample size, professional climbers across many climbing disciplines (bouldering, sport, speed) were included as part of this “study”. The professional climbers listed below have either competed in IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) competitions or have become famous (in some cases legendary) by other means. Many have done both.
The table below lists the heights of 42 professional male rock climbers in alphabetical order based on their first name.
| Professional Climber | Height (cm) | Height (ft/in) |
| Adam Ondra | 185 | 6′ 1″ |
| Alberto Ginés López | 169 | 5′ 7″ |
| Aleksei Rubtsov | 178 | 5′ 10″ |
| Alex Megos | 175 | 5′ 9″ |
| Alfian Muhammad Fajri | 166 | 5′ 5″ |
| Bassa Mawem | 184 | 6′ 0″ |
| Chris Sharma | 183 | 6′ 0″ |
| Colin Duffy | 168 | 5′ 6″ |
| Dan Osman | 179 | 5′ 10″ |
| Daniel Woods | 170 | 5′ 7″ |
| Danyil Boldyrev | 190 | 6′ 3″ |
| Dave Graham | 179 | 5′ 10″ |
| Dave MacLeod | 172 | 5′ 8″ |
| Dean Potter | 196 | 6′ 5″ |
| Jakob Schubert | 176 | 5′ 9″ |
| Jimmy Webb | 183 | 6′ 0″ |
| Jan Hojer | 188 | 6′ 2″ |
| Jan Kriz | 190 | 6′ 3″ |
| Jernej Kruder | 180 | 5′ 11″ |
| Jongwon Chon | 176 | 5′ 9″ |
| Kai Harada | 169 | 5′ 7″ |
| Kevin Jorgeson | 175 | 5′ 9″ |
| Kokoro Fujii | 176 | 5′ 9″ |
| Ludovico Fossali | 185 | 6′ 1″ |
| Magnus Midtbø | 173 | 5′ 8″ |
| Meichi Narasaki | 185 | 6′ 1″ |
| Mickaël Mawem | 179 | 5′ 10″ |
| Nalle Hukkataival | 173 | 5′ 8″ |
| Nathaniel Coleman | 180 | 5′ 11″ |
| Patxi Usobiaga | 174 | 5′ 9″ |
| Qixin Zhong | 170 | 5′ 7″ |
| Reza Alipour | 170 | 5′ 7″ |
| Rishat Khaibullin | 169 | 5′ 7″ |
| Sascha Lehmann | 164 | 5′ 5″ |
| Sean McColl | 169 | 5′ 7″ |
| Sébastien Bouin | 180 | 5′ 11″ |
| Stefano Ghisolfi | 170 | 5′ 7″ |
| Tom Randall | 178 | 5′ 10″ |
| Tommy Caldwell | 180 | 5′ 11″ |
| Tomoa Narasaki | 170 | 5′ 7″ |
| Wolfgang Güllich | 178 | 5′ 10″ |
| YuFei Pan | 173 | 5′ 8″ |
As seen in the table above, 76% of the climbers measure between approximately 5’7″ and 6’0″ with an average of 5’10”. The shortest professional climber listed above is Sascha Lehmann measuring in at approximately 5’5″ (164 cm) while the tallest is Dean Potter at approximately 6’5″ (196 cm).
This is quite a large range in height. I would assert that no true favoritism of short or tall climbers emerged from this data set. A more clear bias towards taller or shorter climbers may be apparent with a larger sample size. As it stands, a more average height (based on US/Euro population averages) may be preferable for male climbers. This is discussed in further detail later in the article.
Heights of 42 Professional Female Rock Climbers
As with the male climbers listed above, the professional female climbers included in this “study” range across many climbing disciplines including speed climbers, outdoor adventurists, boulderers and sport climbers.
The table below lists the heights of 42 professional female rock climbers in alphabetical order based on their first name.
| Professional Climber | Height (cm) | Height (ft/in) |
| Akiyo Noguchi | 167 | 5′ 6″ |
| Alannah Yip | 164 | 5′ 5″ |
| Aleksandra Mirosław | 162 | 5′ 4″ |
| Alex Puccio | 157 | 5′ 2″ |
| Angy Eiter | 154 | 5′ 1″ |
| Anouck Jaubert | 169 | 5′ 7″ |
| Ashima Shiraishi | 154 | 5′ 1″ |
| Aurelia Sarisson | 167 | 5′ 6″ |
| Beth Rodden | 154 | 5′ 1″ |
| Brooke Raboutou | 158 | 5′ 2″ |
| Chaehyun Seo | 162 | 5′ 4″ |
| Elizaveta Ivanova | 172 | 5′ 8″ |
| Emilie Childress | 170 | 5′ 7″ |
| Emily Harrington | 159 | 5′ 2″ |
| Fanny Gibert | 165 | 5′ 5″ |
| Hazel Findlay | 157 | 5′ 2″ |
| Ievgeniia Kazbekova | 164 | 5′ 5″ |
| Indiana Chapman | 158 | 5′ 2″ |
| Iuliia Kaplina | 165 | 5′ 5″ |
| Janja Garnbret | 164 | 5′ 5″ |
| Jessica Pilz | 165 | 5′ 5″ |
| Julia Chanourdie | 164 | 5′ 5″ |
| Kyra Condie | 162 | 5′ 4″ |
| Laura Rogora | 152 | 5′ 0″ |
| Lauren Callaway | 150 | 4′ 11″ |
| Lucka Rakovec | 170 | 5′ 7″ |
| Lynn Hill | 157 | 5′ 2″ |
| Margo Hayes | 160 | 5′ 3″ |
| Mia Krampl | 163 | 5′ 4″ |
| Miho Nonaka | 163 | 5′ 4″ |
| Mishka Ishi | 154 | 5′ 1″ |
| Molly Thompson-Smith | 159 | 5′ 3″ |
| Oceania Mackenzie | 173 | 5′ 8″ |
| Oriane Bertone | 164 | 5′ 4″ |
| Paige Claassen | 168 | 5′ 6″ |
| Petra Klingler | 162 | 5′ 4″ |
| Rannveig Aamodt | 175 | 5′ 9″ |
| Sasha DiGiulian | 157 | 5′ 7″ |
| Shauna Coxsey | 164 | 5′ 5″ |
| Steph Davis | 165 | 5′ 5″ |
| Viktoriia Meshkova | 161 | 5′ 3″ |
| YiLing Song | 164 | 5′ 5″ |
As seen in the table above, 69% of the climbers measure between approximately 5’2″ and 5’6″ with an average of 5’4″. The shortest professional climber listed above is Lauren Callaway measuring in at approximately 4’11” (150 cm) while the tallest is Rannveig Aamodt at approximately 5’9″ (175 cm).
While the difference in heights does not range as much as the male climbers, this could be due to the small sample size. However, if this small sample size is still representative of the professional female climbing population at large then these results are quite interesting.
These results could suggest that average height and shorter female climbers (based on US/Euro population averages) have an advantage over taller female climbers (76% of the climbers measured 5′ 5″ or shorter). If you find yourself in this category of “short” climbers, I recommend checking out my article that shares 12 helpful tips for short climbers.
Ideal Height Range For Rock Climbers
Based on the heights of 84 professional rock climbers, the ideal height is between 5′ 7″ and 6’0″ for male climbers and between 5’2″ and 5’6″ for female climbers.
While the above statement seems to hold true, having a height outside of those ranges should not discourage you too much. Just look at everything the legendary Dean Potter was able to accomplish at 6′ 5″ and how hard Lauren Callaway can climb (redpointing 5.14a) at 4′ 11″. You will just have to find a climbing style that suits your specific body type.
Based on the data, it seems that shorter female climbers have an advantage over taller ones. I believe this is due to the presence of common characteristics in female climbers that are better suited for the climbing style of shorter climbers than taller climbers.
Shorter climbers need to have greater flexibility and climb with higher feet than taller climbers. On average, female climbers are more flexible than their male counterparts and are therefore able to use higher foot holds while climbing. To learn more about how height affects a climber’s style and the pros and cons of being short/tall, check out my post here.