When I started bouldering in 2020, I started watching bouldering videos on youtube. I watched the competitions of the IFSC now called World Climbing first. Watching these athletes competing helped me learn so many techniques and how to approach a boulder problem. Wanting to learn more I started watching advice of Lattice training and Louis Parkinson. Finally I ended up watching the popular Magnus Midtbø. His adventure stories with Alex Honnold, Ninja warrior or interviews with other athletes were the perfect entertainment for a quiet evening. Now just a few days ago I started wondering, where did it begin? What popular bouldering figure made the first video and how did it grow? So this is what I discovered.
Before Youtube
Before youtube there was already a bouldering film culture. Documenting ascents of famous boulderers. One of the first examples is THE REAL THING starring Ben Moon filmed and released in 1996. Where a group of friends from Sheffield go and climb some hard boulders in Fontainebleau. A short version released on youtube in 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brbxoKEgsw0 .
In 2005 youtube gave way for everybody to publish their videos. But it would take long before the online bouldering videos would reach the same level.
Elite climbers the first youtube bouldering videos
I discovered that the first were elite climbers who started to share their achievements. In 2008 Nalle Hukkataival uploaded some of his ascents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cyj0Bzx64Q Although he stopped doing this after 5 years. This is still happening, either on their own channels as Jacob Schubert https://www.youtube.com/@JakobSchubertClimbing and https://www.youtube.com/@AdamOndra/videos . Perfect way to earn some money to pay for bouldering trips.
Reporting channels
From there we see youtube channels creating or gathering bouldering and climbing content. Madboulder for example posts videos of climbers sending in their videos of ascents https://www.youtube.com/@MadBoulder/videos and DPM climbing https://www.youtube.com/@DPMCLIMBINGVideos/videos.
Other media would start news oriented videos, reporting about what happened in the world of climbing and bouldering. EpicTV https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hdavp would have news, interviews, climbing gear reviews and more.
World Climbing
In 2010 major organisation IFSC now named climbing world started uploading their events. Eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JIJmBFJaQ4. Dedicated media started their own channels with a focus on bouldering.
Growth of the youtube bouldering videos
Erik Karlsson https://www.youtube.com/@EricKarlsson was one of the first youtuber boulderers to explore new ways of using the medium of Youtube. In 2015 started with some vlogs of boulder sessions and visiting competitions. His very first featuring Melissa, Shauna, Juliane and Janja legends in the scene. Additionally he released a series teaching the techniques of bouldering. His first viral video accumulated over 1 million views.
Additionally he dared to share the story of boulderers similar to what Ben Moon and his friends did in 1996. The big difference with the movie of 1996 is that the level of climbing was not the important part anymore. It was the personal story of the people appearing in it. Youtube gave the opportunity to easily share multiple movies and build a relationship with the audience. These personal stories apparently had an appeal.
The youtube climbing community
These people posting videos on youtube started to become a community that interacted with each other. One of the earliest examples is that Erik and his friends were replicating the movement style https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXZYGWQVK6o that Louis Parkinson displayed in a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCet6lU-2TQ of Movement Productions https://www.youtube.com/@MouvementProduction/videos .
As one of the first youtubers that told this personal story, Karlsson helped others to make the step to youtube. Emil Abrahamsson https://www.youtube.com/@EmilAbrahamsson/ appearing in his videos later began his own channel in 2018.
Magnus Midtbø made youtube bouldering videos very popular
The most successful bouldering youtuber so far. A climbing professional started his channel in 2011 https://www.youtube.com/@magmidt . He began this channel as a vlog documenting his climbs and the story of the Oslo Klatresenter (climbing centre). After retiring from professional climbing in May 2016 he dedicated more time into his channel resulting in a successful audience now over 3,5 million followers on youtube.
His success was driven by an honest and open storytelling attitude about his life, climbing adventures and struggles combining his experiments in other sports as ninja warrior in the US, triathlon, marathon and military tests and training. This combination resulted in over 700 million views so far.
Training organisations
In 2018 a new type of organisation started creating videos. Lattice training led by Tom and Ollie Torr had a commercial focus https://www.youtube.com/@LatticeTraining to gain subscribers and authority for their product: training programs. With their data driven perspective and clear instruction videos they claimed their niche market. And others followed their example, Catalyst Climbing led by Louis Parkinson joined them in this corner https://www.youtube.com/@CatalystClimbing.
Did youtube bouldering videos make bouldering popular?
I would say this is not the case. I think that even without youtube bouldering would have found its way to the world. Even though this sport is not that young, about 120 years old. Compared to some of the most famous sports like football (soccer) 160 years old, basketball 130 years old and tennis 150 years old it’s only a little younger.
I think the biggest issue is that it took bouldering 80 years to realise it could be exercised outside of these niche outdoors places such as the Peak district and Fontainebleau. When they did it took only 30 years to see bouldering gyms to sprout everywhere in the world.
Along with this success youtube gave additional opportunities to promote this sport and grow along with its community.
Where are the women?
Again the story is filled with white men taking the first steps and spotlight. But there are great female creators out there. In 2017 Hannah Morris bouldering posted her first video https://www.youtube.com/@hannahmorrisbouldering/videos . And in 2019 Anna Hazelnutt posted her first video https://www.youtube.com/@AnnaHazelnutt/videos .
Taking it to a new level.
Let’s be honest. There are differences between men and women. And that is so valuable in these channels from women who bring their insecurities, joys, and their unique perspectives. I am looking forward to seeing more of them and becoming more popular as we need them to assist in shaping this world.
Sources for the youtube bouldering videos history
Early bouldering films and YouTube footage
- The Real Thing — YouTube — Short version of the 1996 climbing film starring Ben Moon and featuring bouldering in Fontainebleau.
- Nalle Hukkataival — Bouldering in Maltatal — Early example of bouldering footage published on YouTube, from December 2009.
- Climbing.com — Nalle Hukkataival: Blood of a Young Wolf V14 — Contemporary coverage illustrating the development of online bouldering videos in 2013.
Competition coverage and climbing media
- World Climbing — Innsbruck 2013 bouldering replay — Example of IFSC World Cup bouldering footage distributed through YouTube.
- EpicTV — Climbing video — Example of climbing media covering news, interviews, gear reviews and other aspects of the sport.
- DPM Climbing — YouTube channel — Specialist climbing video channel.
- DPM Climbing — Channel information — Channel history and creation-date information.
- MadBoulder — YouTube channel — Channel featuring videos of climbers completing boulder problems.
Erik Karlsson and the rise of personal climbing stories
- Erik Karlsson — YouTube channel — Primary source for Karlsson’s videos, climbing sessions, competition visits and personal climbing stories.
- Erik Karlsson — First YouTube upload, 28 November 2015 — The first video identified for Karlsson’s channel in this article.
- Louis Parkinson — Movement-style climbing video — Example of the climbing content that inspired other YouTubers and their own videos.
- Erik Karlsson and friends — Inspired climbing video — Example of climbing creators responding to and recreating ideas from other channels.
- Mouvement Production — YouTube channel — Climbing video production channel associated with Louis Parkinson’s content.
Magnus Midtbø and the growth of climbing entertainment
- Magnus Midtbø — YouTube channel — Primary source for Midtbø’s climbing videos, vlogs and later entertainment-focused content.
- PlanetMountain — Magnus Midtbø becomes the first climber to reach one million YouTube subscribers — Documents the growth of Midtbø’s channel, including his move toward vlogging and the channel’s reach.
- PlanetMountain — Magnus Midtbø reaches two million subscribers — Documents the next stage in the channel’s growth.
Training channels and the educational side of climbing YouTube
- Lattice Training — YouTube channel — Training advice, climbing performance research and instructional content.
- Catalyst Climbing — YouTube channel — Training and technique content associated with Louis Parkinson.
The next generation of bouldering YouTubers
- Emil Abrahamsson — YouTube channel — Primary source for Abrahamsson’s climbing videos and training content.
- Emil Abrahamsson — Channel statistics and history — Information about the channel’s creation and development.
- 8a.nu — Emil Abrahamsson interview — Interview material and background on Abrahamsson, including the launch of his YouTube channel in 2018.
- Jakob Schubert Climbing — YouTube channel — Example of an elite climber sharing climbing and competition-related content.
- Adam Ondra — YouTube channel — Climbing videos, projects and insights from another elite climber.
Women in climbing video creation
- Hannah Morris Bouldering — Official website — First-hand information about Morris’s channel, its purpose and its development.
- Hannah Morris Bouldering — YouTube channel — Primary source for her climbing videos and interviews with climbers.
- Advnture — Hannah Morris on building a women-led climbing community — Interview exploring Morris’s approach to climbing content and the community around her channel.
- Anna Hazelnutt — YouTube channel — Climbing videos and personal stories from another prominent female climbing creator.