Exploring consumer preferences in indoor climbing gyms: a survey on boulder design

Purpose/Rationale
A major factor attracting customers to climbing gyms is the opportunity to climb boulders, which are low-height routes set and designed by routesetters. Despite the key role of boulder design, there is currently no evidence-based research on how to set boulders that attract climbers. Therefore, this study explored key parameters that climbers consider essential in boulder design.

Design/Methodology/Approach
A total of 2,081 climbers of varying ability levels completed an online survey, in which they rated the relevance of various boulder parameters.

Findings
Climbers confirmed that five aspects of boulder design are relevant to them: safety, difficulty, wall characteristics, movement characteristics, and visual appearance. The importance of these parameters varied depending on climbers’ ability levels. Safety and difficulty aspects were more relevant to novice and intermediate climbers, while advanced to world-class climbers assigned greater importance to the movement characteristics and visual appearance of boulders.

Practical Implications
To attract and retain customers, routesetters must consider climbers’ preferences and design boulders that accommodate different skill levels.

Research Contribution
Findings provide evidence-based insights for routesetters to design boulders that meet the diverse needs of consumers.

Originality/Value
This is the first study to examine key parameters that consumers consider as critical in boulder design.