Closing Thoughts

As is similarly expressed in the Artist's Statement, this project offers a small window into the world of climbing media and does little to explain the full picture of its use. It is safe to conclude that books and other written material are far from dead media, however. In fact, most forms of climbing media are thriving, according to this project, and each person uses them differently. This project did help conclude that there is space in the climbing community for external media - quite a large space, in fact. Between learning and entertainment, most respondents used some form of media, and the robust presence on each documented platform is proof alone that the community outside of the survey finds space for their use. 

Climbing has developed rapidly over the past few decades, and it continues to evolve with its growing presence in social circles and in the public eye. The evolution of climbing media reflects this. It has adapted to the sport, as is shown by the development of MountainProject, the invention of 8a.nu, and the extensive catalog of visual media in existence, and the sport has adapted it, as is shown by content using Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit to its advantage. While climbers will likely continue to argue in support of the physicality of the sport, they cannot dispute the presence of external media and the space that exists for it.