Thank you for supporting my work this past summer. I was honored to receive this support and to pursue research on a topic I care deeply about. The opportunity to conduct independent research as an undergraduate is remarkable, and I am grateful to have had the chance to do so with your backing. I hope this work sheds light on the disparities in climbing and guiding—it offers only a glimpse of the issue but represents a meaningful step toward addressing inequality in the field.

Like professionals in any industry, rock climbing guides must develop the skills that make them successful. In climbing, knowledge typically transfers through informal mentorship relationships. These mentorships can serve as both a catalyst and a barrier to diversifying the sport and profession. At their best, they have enormous potential to open climbing to people from all backgrounds by bridging demographic gaps. At their worst, they reinforce the homogeneity that already exists in climbing and guiding.

This research examines how mentorship in climbing creates, exacerbates, or dismantles barriers to diversity. Through interviews with established guides and participant observation in California, I identified themes that reveal how mentorships function in the guiding world. I drew on connections with climbing friends and guides for initial interviews, then used snowball sampling to expand my network.

The analysis begins by outlining how mentorship exists in the climbing world, then explores common barriers new climbers face in accessing mentorship and guides perspectives on how these relationships reflect broader society. The findings offer insight into the culture of mentorship in guiding and its potential to shape access to climbing careers.

Thank you again for making this research possible.