Does climbing high improve your performance?

Cannabis smoking reduces anxiety, allowing athletes to better perform under pressure and to alleviate stress experienced before and during competition.

Cannabinoids like THC and CDB play a major role in the extinction of fear memories by interfering with learned aversive behaviors. Athletes who experienced traumatic events in their sports career could benefit from such an effect.

Athletes under the influence of cannabis indicate that their thoughts flow more easily and their decision making and creativity is enhanced; others claim that cannabis improves their concentration or reduces pain.

However, since climbing is one of the few sports in the world where a mistake can result in death, the effects of weed on these athletes should remain under heavy scrutiny.

A survey of 1400 climbers by Training Beta showed only 35% of climbers have ever mixed their training with cannabis consumption.

Anecdotal research from such surveys shows the following claims about the effects of marijuana:

  • finger holds feel a bit bigger or more comfortable
  • easier to try things without expectations
  • more relaxed and less wasted energy
  • easier to detach the mind for harder training

With cannabis becoming more and more mainstream as state laws continue to change and brands launch culture adapting lifestyle offerings in the weed industry, we can only expect more climbers to at least experiment off and on with the plant.

We'll look forward to reviewing new research into this trend. In the meantime, stay safe.