How Climbing Social Properties Generated 719M Video Views in 2021

Key Takeaways

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Overview of the digital climbing landscape from January 2021 to January 2022: 

Audience Demographics:

• Geolocation: Looking at the geolocation of the top climbing website visitors and the top climbing social properties followers, the US has the largest climbing audience, followed by the UK. Other leading countries include Italy, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. 
• Age & Gender: 59% of the web visitors to the top 10 climbing websites were male, and the majority of these visitors were 25 to 44 years old. Followers to the top climbing social properties are overwhelmingly male (87%) and predominantly 18 to 34 (65%). 
  

Platforms:

• YouTube generated the highest amount of climbing views, followed by Facebook (24%) and then Instagram (20%). Twitter makes up <1% of climbing video views. Instagram has the largest audience of followers for the top 15 climbing athletes. Although TikTok has the smallest audience relative to the other platforms, it generated the most engagements from Jan. ‘21 to Jan. ‘22. 
  

Top Athletes: 

• Jimmy Chin, Alex Honnold and Nirmal Purja have the largest climbing audience on social. When looking at the average engagement per post, Noah Kane, Nirmal Purja and Alex Honnold have the highest rates. 
  

Content Opportunities: 

• YouTube: Top opportunities on YouTube include videos that share climbing tips, weight test climbing gear, POV climbing shorts and videos that answer common climbing questions. 
• Facebook: Top opportunities on Facebook include videos celebrating historical feats in climbing, bouldering sessions, clips or trailers from upcoming films, and thrilling stunts that push the boundaries of the sport. 
• Instagram: Top opportunities on Instagram include videos celebrating historical accomplishments, clips of athletes performing different types of solo climbing,  video teasers or trailers from upcoming films, and videos of athletes attempting challenging outdoor ascents.  
• TikTok: Top opportunities on TikTok include videos from bouldering sessions, strength training, ice climbing training, or videos discussing traditional climbing gear. 

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Climbing Audience Scan

Based on web traffic, the following were the top ten climbing websites from January 2021 to January 2022. On average, these climbing resources generated 851K web visits per month.

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The United States accounted for 40% of traffic to the top ten climbing websites, followed by the United Kingdom (13%), Italy (11%) and Canada (7%).

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Males account for 59% of all top climbing website traffic. As for age, people between the ages of 25 and 44 accounted for 53% of the traffic.

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Top 10 Climbing Social Properties by Total Views*

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From Jan. ‘21 to Jan. ‘22. Climbers Crag generated the most views by a significant margin, with over 500M+ views. 

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The United States accounted for 33% of the top ten climbing social properties followers, followed by the United Kingdom (13%), Germany (6%) and Canada (6%).

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The followers of the top 10 climbing social properties skew male (87%) and are predominantly aged 18 to 34 years old (65%). 

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YouTube generated the highest amount of climbing views, accounting for 56% of the total views from Feb. ‘21 to Feb. ‘22. Facebook generated the second highest (24%), followed by Instagram (20%). Twitter makes up <1% of climbing video views.

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Top 15 Climbing Athletes by Average Engagement*

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Adam Ondra and Magnus Midtbø have the largest audiences on YouTube with 356K and 259K subscribers, respectively. Janja Garnbret, Jimmy Chin and Tommy Caldwell do not currently have YouTube channels. 

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Jimmy Chin, Alex Honnold, Nirmal Purja have most followers on Instagram with 3.1M, 2.4M and 1.8M, respectively. All athletes are active on the Instagram platform.

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Adam Honnold, Nirmal Purja and Jimmy Chin have the most followers on Facebook with 622K, 451K and 436K followers, respectively. Noah Kane does not have a profile on FB.

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Noah Kane is the only athlete with a significant following on TikTok with 284K followers. Magnus Midtbø and Sasha DiGiulian have 19K and 12K followers, respectively. All other athletes have <1K followers or are not active on the platform. 

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Jimmy Chin, Alex Honnold and Nirmal Purja are the most popular climbing content creators on social. Noah Kane's average engagement per post is significantly higher than any other climber.

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Instagram has the largest audience of followers for the Top 15 climbing athletes. Although TikTok has the smallest audience relative to the other platforms, it generated the most engagements from Jan. ‘21 to Jan. ‘22.

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CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES: YOUTUBE

1. Climbing Tips. Athletes share tips for beginner and expert climbers to help improve their climbs. [Example 1, 2]

38M Views

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2. Weight Testing. Athletes weight test cams, nuts and other trad climbing gear. [Example 1, 2]

15M Views‍

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3. POV Climbing Short. Quick, vertical climbing videos shot with a GoPro from extreme climbs. [Example 1, 2]

7M Views

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4. Answering Questions. Answering frequent questions or responding to previous video comments. [Example 1, 2]

3M Views

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CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES: INSTAGRAM

1. Historical Feats. Athletes celebrating or acknowledging historical achievements in the sport. [Example 1, 2]

11.7% ER

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2. Teasers & Trailers. Sharing sneak peek clips or trailers from upcoming films or documentary series. [Example 1, 2]

6.1% ER

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3. Soloing Clips. Epic video clips of athletes onsight soloing or deep-water soloing. [Example 1, 2]

3.8% ER

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4. Outdoor Ascent Videos. Videos of athletes attempting difficult climbs. [Example 1, 2]

4.0% ER

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CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES: FACEBOOK

1. Historical Feats. Athletes celebrating or acknowledging historical achievements in the sport. [Example 1, 2]

3M Views

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2. Bouldering Sessions. Athletes sharing clips from bouldering sessions in climbing gyms. [Example 1, 2]

3. Teasers & Trailers. Sharing sneak peek clips or trailers from upcoming films or documentary series. [Example 1, 2]

522K Views

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4. Thrilling Stunts. Athletes perform extreme stunts or tricks, pushing the boundaries of the sport. [Example 1, 2]

2M Views

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CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES: TIKTOK

1. Bouldering Sessions. Athletes sharing clips from bouldering sessions in climbing gyms. [Example 1, 2]

51M Views

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2. Strength Training. Video clips from campus or circuit board training. [Example 1, 2]

34M Views

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3. Trad Climbing Gear. Showcasing traditional climbing gear such as climbing anchors and cams. [Example 1, 2]

28M Views

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4. Ice Climbing Training. Athletes showcasing how they train for ice climbing off of the mountain. [Example 1, 2]

30M Views