What makes someone a “professional” climber?

The question of what defines a professional climber is more than an intellectual exercise. I truly believe that question, and its answer, holds the future of climbing. To remain sustainable, our sport has several challenges ahead, many of which stem from how difficult it is to understand climbing. It’s tough to learn how to be a climber, and it’s tough to understand how the sport is organized. Even the grading scale can be confusing. On top of that, there are many types of climbing (and many types of climbers) yet little in the way of organized leagues and events.

With all these questions, it makes sense that separating pros from amateurs is tough. After all:

There are pro climbers who push the limits of athleticism and those who used to do so.

There are pro climbers with large followings and those with no social presence at all.

There are pro climbers who focus on the community and those who focus on performance.

And there are pro climbers who contribute locally and those who do so globally…