Why Man Climbs Mountains

This paper is a report on the results of a study of 266 members of the Alpine Club of Canada, Calgary Section. The study attempted to gain further insight into why people climb mountains. The results indicate that an everchanging mosaic of primary and secondary motives for climbing exist. Age, ability and sex would appear to be three of the stronger determining variables that influence this mosaic. A model for characterizing motives for participation in physical activity is suggested. The categories of the model include: 1) social experience, 2) health and fitness, 3) excitement, 4) expressive, 5) relaxation, 6) competitive achievement, 7) non-competitive achievement, and 8) the love of nature.